Nutrition Frenzy

The other night I went to dinner at a very elegant establishment. I was psyched for a beautifully prepared fish dinner (anything prepared by someone other than me is always beautiful as far as I’m concerned).

Enlightened consumer that I am, I inquired as to whether the broiled salmon entrée was wild or farmed. The rest of the exchange with my waitress went like this:

WAITRESS WITH A BLANK LOOK: “Wild or what???”

PAIN IN-THE-ASS CUSTOMER: “The fish . . . Any idea where it came from?”

PATIENT WAITRESS WITH JUSTIFIED HINT OF ANNOYANCE: “ Well, it came from the kitchen, but I’ll run and ask the chef.”

Five minutes later:

WAITRESS WHO NOW HATES MY GUTS: “Ma’m, all of our salmon is freshly farmed!”

EXCEEDINGLY RUDE CUSTOMER: “What the hell does freshly farmed mean ???” “Oh, just forget it, I’ll have the chicken.”

Honestly, I didn’t intend to be a nightmare customer, and I certainly don’t mean to demean wait-staff. I mean, how could I expect her to know the difference between types of salmon when confusion is perpetuated by marketing with labels like “Atlantic”, “Ocean-Raised,” “Farm-Raised” and what I guess is the newly coined, “Freshly-Farmed.”

Bottom line - what you want to eat is called “Wild Alaskan Salmon”, all other terms are almost always synonymous with “farmed”.

What’s the diff?, you ask.

Farmed salmon looks the same as Wild and it’s less expensive. Just cook ‘er up and don’t worry about it, right? But in order to be sure you are eating the type of fish that offers the most health benefits it’s important to understand a very real difference does exist between Wild Alaskan and Farmed Salmon.

World renowned health experts like Dr. Nicholas Perricone, Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Mercola all highly recommend Wild Alaskan Salmon for a variety of reasons.

These guys tell us Wild Alaskan Sammie contains substantial Omega 3 fatty acids that have been shown to lower risk of stroke, depression, cancer, diabetes and obesity. These same fatty acids also work wonders for improving skin tone and preventing wrinkles.

What you may not realize is that you are getting short-changed if you’re eating farmed salmon in place of wild. In fact, you may be doing yourself more harm than good. Here’s why:

LOWER IN OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS: Salmon farmers aim to fatten their fish as much and as quickly as possible. To accomplish this, farmed salmon basically gorge on a diet that includes a large dose of pellets. Pellets come in two varieties: those that are mainly composed of ground fish and those that are mostly wheat, soy or plant products.

While farmed salmon that are fed fish-based pellets may actually have higher levels of Omega 3 fats than Wild Salmon, the drawback is that these salmon are also more toxic (see below) because they have accumulated an excessive amount of toxins from the “overdose” of fish they have been force- fed in pellets.

Meanwhile, pellets made of wheat, soy or plants are popular because not only do they reduce the risk that farmed salmon will become contaminated with excessive toxins, they are also more economical. But the downside to this non-fish based feed is that the salmon raised on them are seriously lacking in valuable fatty acids.

In contrast, Wild Salmon feed in a natural manner that prevents ingestion of excessive levels of toxins while still getting the Omega 3 benefits from the fish they feed on.

TOXINS: The World Health Organization has found that when farmed salmon are fed pellets made of concentrated amounts of fish, the salmon is often 3-5 times higher than recommended levels in PCB’s and other toxins and dioxins. While Wild Salmon also feed on fish, they do so in normal concentrations, thus they have lower levels of toxic chemicals than farmed salmon.

Accordingly, EPA recommendations state it is only safe to eat farmed salmon once a month as opposed to 2-3 times a week for Wild Salmon. For more information about what types of fish are safest for you and your family, check out www.delicious organics.com for a list of which fish have the lowest levels (and highest) levels of mercury and toxins.

ARTIFICIAL COLORS: Added to farmed salmon to give it the pink color that is natural to Wild Alaskan.

LESSER TASTE: The taste of Wild Alaskan salmon is superior because the levels of mercury and toxins in farmed fish affect taste and texture.

ENVIORNMENTAL DRAWBACKS: Salmon farms release nitrogen , phosphorous, and fecal matter. Because of the large number of fish kept in such close proximity these farms have problems with sea lice which can spread off the “farm” to wild fish. Antibiotics and pesticides used to farm salmon leak into and contaminate surrounding waters.

Don’t be lazy about this one and just eat any old fish on your plate. It’s easy for restaurants to serve farmed fish because guess what? They know that you’ll leave happy, thinking: Wow! What great prices at Florescent Fish House! Can’t wait to get me some more of that!”

In the case of the salmon served at restaurants, you usually get what you pay for. Personally, I think it is well worth the extra Benjamins.

One of the most economical and convenient ways to eat Wild Alaskan Salmon regularly is to buy it frozen. The reason frozen or canned is reasonably priced is that it is caught during the abundant winter salmon “run”. Frozen salmon defrosts quickly and tastes delicious.

Another great option is buying canned Wild Alaskan Salmon. Usually around $2.50 a can, you can find it by the canned tuna. Be aware that many brands of canned Wild Alaskan Salmon have sodium added. Look for the “no salt added” variety.

Glowing is a good thing when it comes from good health – not from toxins accumulating in your body. So stick to your guns and pester people until you get a straight answer about exactly what kind of salmon you are eating.

Just don’t be surprised if your waitress goes on her break the next time she sees you coming.

Go Wild!

fish dinner, salmon, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Mercola, Healthy eating, wild salmon, farmed salmon, health and fitness tips