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Salmon – What kind of salmon do you really want to be eating?
Is salmon good for you?
The short answer to that question is: maybe, or it depends.
We hear so often: Eat salmon; Salmon is full of omega-3 fatty acids; Salmon is full of fish oil; Salmon is good for you.
People don’t necessarily realize that eating the RIGHT kind of salmon matters.
Farmed salmon and wild salmon do not have the same nutritional make-up; they don’t live in the same environment or eat the same food. It’s really not the same fish at all. Farmed salmon, not only doesn’t have the same properties, it’s actually BAD for you. I’ve encountered enough people who eat salmon, especially out, and think they are doing themselves a favor, when in fact, it’s actually harmful. Farmed salmon is harmful.
If salmon is WILD, then it has a bunch of wonderful characteristics that we are looking for: fish oil and a good ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Also, wild salmon is higher in minerals, including potassium, zinc and iron. Farmed salmon has high concentrations of antibiotics, pesticides, and lower levels of healthy nutrients.
The technical info; if you don’t like technical details, skip this paragraph:
A big problem with the typical diet these days, is that our fatty acids have gotten out of balance. Historically, we evolved eating a ratio of 1:1 of omega-3 and omega-6, but the Western diet is now skewed to 1:15-17. This is part of why we are not healthy, the new imbalance. Today we eat way more omega-6, which are the man-made oils: safflower oil, corn oil, processed oils, sunflower oil, margarine, trans fat, hydrogenated oils. Repeated studies have shown that this imbalance can contribute to cancers, inflammation, and other issues. Lowering omega-6 and getting closer to 1:1 also has a positive impact on disease and inflammation.
Short version: to have a better balance of omega-3 fatty acids, eat WILD salmon. Never eat farmed salmon which is bad for you.
I can already hear you: wild salmon is so expensive. It is. Trader Joe has frozen salmon which is a little less expensive; Costco has wild salmon for even less if you buy a big piece – share it with your neighbor.
Know that to get the benefit of salmon, you need to be eating wild salmon and avoiding at all costs farmed salmon. NO salmon is better than farmed salmon. Most places we eat out, if it doesn’t specifically say WILD, it’s probably farmed. Be sure to ask. Your good health is at stake.
Main points to consider if you want some details:
- Ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids in your diet: Human genetic patterns were established on a diet with a 1:1 ratio of omega-3 and omega-6; Western diet is typically low in omega-3 fatty acids and high in 6. (average Western diet is more like 1:16) These fats are known as essential fatty acids and our bodies don’t produce them; we must obtain them through our food.
- Too much Omega-6 in the diet: Promotes many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects.
- Farmed salmon has almost 6 times more omega-6 fatty acids than wild salmon (1944 mg vs 341 mg). This is only adding more to the diet of something we eat too much of already and wipes out the good you would get from eating the omega-3 in the farmed salmon. Wild fish eat fish; farmed fish eat grain and soybeans and only some ground fish; this makes the omega-6 levels go up. And the situation is getting worse; an October 2016 study found omega-3 levels in farmed salmon are rapidly dropping and are half of what they were five years ago. (salmon farm feed contains less ground anchovy than previously).
- Contaminants in your food: fish accumulate potentially harmful contaminants from their environment, in the water they swim in and the foods they eat. One study investigated over 700 salmon samples from around the world and found that on average, the PCB concentrations in farmed salmon were eight times higher than in wild salmon. Researchers suggest that if the EPA guidelines were applied to the farmed salmon they tested, recommendations would be to restrict farmed salmon to no more than once per month. Besides PCB, dioxins, mercury, and other contaminants are at a higher level in farmed salmon. Most salmon marketed as “Atlantic” salmon is farmed, meaning fish are raised in conditions that have been shown to be ridden with pesticides, feces, bacteria and parasites.
- Fish farms threaten other sea life: fish farms contribute to over fishing of smaller wild fish. Salmon are carnivores; it takes about 2 ½ to 4 pounds of other fish to create the salmon chow needed to produce 1 pound of farm-raised salmon. The over fishing of wild sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herring and other fish upset natural ecosystems.
Call or email self-help back pain specialist Dot Spaet for a free Get Out of Pain phone consultation:
415 892-6605 | Contact Dot