Fish Science: Fish is one food where fattier is healthier. The unique oil in fish, omega-3 fatty acids, primarily thins the blood, somewhat like aspirin, thwarting clotting that can trigger heart attacks and strokes. Fish oil also tends to lower blood pressure and triglycerides (a potentially dangerous blood fat), raise levels of good-type HDL cholesterol, regulate the heartbeat and help block processes that promote arthritis and cancer.

I became intrigued with the idea that food profoundly influences our health nearly 20 years ago at a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab where yogurt-eating mice lived longer and fended off infections better than other mice. The research had been spurred by Middle European folk tales of yogurt's powers to promote longevity. Could it be that such folk wisdom holds scientific truths? Might many specific foods have undiscovered medicinal activity?

I was hooked on finding the answers. I've spent much of my journalistic career tracing the new connections between what you eat and how healthy you are - connections made with rapid regularity by distinguished researchers at leading universities. That's what my new column is about: '90s nutrition. Cutting-edge eating. Pharmacological cooking. Eating smart.

Because I grew up in Ohio and am a Midwesterner at heart, my column will extol the powers of familiar foods - not exotic, costly health foods. Here's how I eat smart:

--My favorite foods: sweet potatoes, almonds, avocados, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, onions, bananas, beans, salmon, sardines, tea. Always olive oil.

--My philosophy of cooking: fast, easy, down-to-earth and packed with nutrition.

--My nutrition ground rules: Eat a variety of foods. Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Cut down on high-fat dairy products and meat. Restrict calories to maintain a healthy weight.

And here's our first bottom line: Smart eating should be simple, too.

To your health!

Eat fish

Oh, sure -- NOBODY craves fish the way they do chocolate. Yet experts say your body -- especially your heart -- yearns for the type of fat in fish.

Chances are you're fish-deficient. Americans eat only half an ounce of fish a day -- about one bite. Just doubling that amount could do wonders for your health.

4 great reasons to eat fish

--Heart attack: Eating only 7 ounces of fish a week (one salmon steak or a regular-size can of tuna) can cut your risk of heart attack in half, studies show. Fish is good medicine even after a heart attack. British researchers showed that eating fatty fish, such as 5 ounces of salmon, twice a week after a heart attack cut death rates by one third over the next two years. The type of oil in fish, called omega-3 fatty acids, appears to ward off deadly fibrillation (irregular heartbeats) as well as to retard artery clogging. Danish studies show that the people who eat the most oily fish have the clearest arteries.

--Stroke: Eighty percent of strokes stem from blood clots -- and eating oily fish may act as a mild anticoagulant to thwart the formation of dangerous clots. For example, men who eat at least ³/4 ounce of fish a day have half the risk of stroke of non-fish eaters, according to a new Dutch study. The probable reason, researchers say: fewer blood clots.

--Arthritis: Fish oil, an anti-inflammatory, can help relieve the pain, swelling and stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis, studies show. So the daily eating of fatty fish, such as a salmon or tuna steak, or a can of sardines packed in their own oil, may make arthritis sufferers feel better. But it will not cure arthritis, says researcher Joel Kremer of Albany (N.Y.) Medical College.

--Cancer: Fish eaters around the world are less likely than non-fish eaters to die of cancer. One major study found that daily fish oil -- the amount in 8 ounces of mackerel -- dramatically slows abnormal cell growth that can lead to colon cancer.

Other research suggests that fish oil helps thwart the occurrence and spread of breast cancer. The Japanese eat three times more fish than Americans eat, and their breast cancer rate is five times lower. What's more, life expectancy in Japan is the world's highest: 83 years for women and 76 for men -- compared with the USA's 79 years for women, 72 for men.

3 easy ways to benefit

--In the kitchen: The best ways to cook fresh fish: poach, steam, lightly saut, microwave. Grilling is fine occasionally, but the reaction between fish protein and grilling's high heat can create low levels of cancer-causing agents. The best way to avoid hazards: Don't eat the skin, where carcinogens in fish most often reside. One of the most pollution-free fish: sardines.

--In the supermarket: Canned tuna and salmon are excellent omega-3 sources. In fact, canned pink salmon has a bit more omega-3 than canned red salmon -- and it's cheaper. To preserve the most omega-3's, choose tuna canned in water and sardines canned in their own oil (sild oil). If you buy fresh fish, look for firm flesh and bright eyes.

--At restaurants: Order your fish broiled, poached, stir-fried or lightly sauted. Deep-frying blunts the health value of fish, as does adding butter, cream or mayonnaise. Even eating a side salad dressed with corn or safflower oil diminishes fish's good effects. That's because such fats (omega-6) tend to neutralize the beneficial activity of omega-3 within cells. (Canola oil and olive oil, though, are OK.)

How much?

Although any amount of fish may help your health, most experts think a diet that includes fish two or three times a week is fine. Eating lots more fish appears needless, even mildly hazardous. Tufts University researcher Simin Meydani says eating fatty fish daily can depress immune functioning. So if you do eat fish every day, take vitamin E (200-400 IU a day) to protect your immunity. Also: Don't overdose on fatty fish or fish oil if you have bleeding problems or take anticoagulant medicines.

VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE

Canola oil, flaxseed oil, walnuts and soybeans also contain omega-3-type fat.

Recipes

Simple Skillet Salmon

2 salmon steaks, each ¹/2 pound

1 ¹/2 T olive or canola oil

¹/2 cup minced green onion, with tops

1 minced garlic clove

¹/4 tsp. grated fresh ginger (optional)

¹/2 cup orange juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut each steak in half lengthwise. Cut away skin and bones. Curl each strip of fish into a circle and fasten with two toothpicks or a 5-inch wooden skewer. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and ginger 2 minutes. Add salmon, brown 4 minutes. Turn fish over. Add juice. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove fish to plate, season to taste. Cover with sauce from pan. Serves 2 generously.

Per serving: 456 calories, 36g protein, 30g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 21g fat (3g saturated), 348mg sodium.

Light Salmon Mousse

1 can (14 ³/4 ounces) red or pink salmon, drained (save liquid)

1 cup plain non-fat yogurt

1 cup non-fat cottage cheese

1 packet unflavored gelatin

¹/4 cup chopped fresh dill and dill sprigs

Black pepper, to taste

Thinly sliced peeled cucumber (optional)

Put salmon in large bowl. Remove skin. Mash fish, with bones. In a blender (or with a mixer), combine yogurt, cottage cheese. Pour into salmon. Stir in chopped dill.

Pour salmon liquid into small pan. Over low heat, stir in gelatin until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add to salmon; mix thoroughly.

Line bottom of 3- or 4-cup mold, bowl or loaf pan with dill sprigs (and, if desired, cucumber slices). Pour in salmon mixture. Chill 2-3 hours. Unmold, serve with crackers. Serves 10-12 as an appetizer.