Think Salmon Is Healthy? Not All Salmon is Created Equal
By: Lee Ann Rush
Over the past couple of decades, fish has become an increasingly prominent part of many American’s diets, and not just on Fridays anymore! Widely touted for its health benefits (high in protein and healthy Omega 3 fats, low in saturated fats, and rich in essential nutrients) and brain-boosting powers, fish, particularly salmon, is now a staple on restaurant menus and in food markets nationwide. However, many are still unaware of the stark difference between farm-raised salmon and wild salmon. Wild salmon is indeed a healthy choice; not so the farm-raised variety, which has already been banned in Australia and New Zealand.
Wild salmon, designated as both “Alaskan salmon” and “sockeye salmon,” is very lean, with fine white fat marks that are easily visible against its natural bright-red color that occurs courtesy of the salmon’s astaxanthin content. Astaxanthin is a colorful, lipid-soluble carotenoid compound that occurs naturally in yeast, salmon, trout, shrimp, crayfish, crustaceans, some algae, and some bird feathers. In contrast, farm-raised salmon, typically labeled “Atlantic salmon,” are fed a diet of grains (some of which are GMO), antibiotics, various pesticides and other chemicals, not all of which have been certified as safe for human consumption; including toxic copper sulfate, which is used to keep the fish nets free of algae! This wholly unnatural diet leaves the farmed salmon an unappetizing gray color, so, to make the fish appear pink, they are fed a synthetic astaxanthin, which is produced from petrochemicals known to be toxic and suspected to cause damage to human eyesight. Farmed salmon is not red at all, but a pale pink color, and its fat marks are clearly wider than those of wild salmon. It’s important to remember these distinctions in appearance between wild and farmed salmon because, sadly, most salmon sold in restaurants is farm-raised, despite many claims to the contrary.
An even more compelling reason to avoid farm-raised salmon may be this one, raised by Dr. Anne-Lise Birch Monsen of the University of Bergen, Norway, the country called the “motherland” of salmon farming. Dr. Monsen has brought to light concerns about the high levels of contaminants in farmed salmon: “I do not recommend (that) pregnant women, children or young people eat farmed salmon…. The type of contaminants that have been detected in farmed salmon have a negative effect on brain development and (are) associated with autism, ADD/ADHD and reduced IQ. We also know that they can affect …the body’s immune system and metabolism.” No thanks, I’ll have the spinach salad – but I sure hope it’s organic!
Still love to eat salmon? Then please remember this: Alaska has gone to great lengths to protect the quality and sustainability of its fishing industry. One happy result is that salmon labeled as “Alaskan” cannot be farmed salmon. I’d recommend passing on the rest.
