Fish Oil -- Is Wild or Farm-raised Salmon Best?
Getting your fish oil from salmon? Know which is best...wild vs. farm-raised
You know you need fish oil. You've been taking supplements to get the recommended daily allowance, but want to get some of your Omega-3 from natural sources. Your first choice is salmon. It tastes great and is easy to get.
But...immediately you're faced with another dilemma -- wild caught salmon or farm-raised? Which is best?
Wild vs farm-raised salmon
Eating healthy can be confusing sometimes. It seems like you're faced with choice after choice after choice. It can get a little frustrating and overwhelming. Now, you've got the salmon issue.
The quick answer here is wild salmon is better than farm-raised. Here's why:
Wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content than farm-raised. Wild salmon have a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised making it healthier for your heart.
Farm-raised salmon have less usable fish oil then wild even though they are higher in fat.
Farm-raised salmon receive vaccinations and antibiotics to keep them healthy in their unhealthy living conditions. Fish naturally have disease and parasites. It isn't a concern when the fish are swimming in open areas with plenty of room.
Salmon get packed into fish farms and are raised in unhealthy conditions. When the fish are crowded, the chance of them spreading diseases and parasites is much greater, so vaccinations and antibiotics are essential.
Farm-raised salmon are exposed to pesticides.
Farm-raised salmon contain a synthetic pigment to make them pink in color. This pigment is canthaxanthin and retinal damage is a side effect.
Wild salmon get their pink color from eating pink krill.
Farmed salmon have a higher toxic equivalency score than any other food. Farm-raised salmon have 3 to 10 times the amount of dioxin then wild caught salmon.
As you can see, wild caught salmon is clearly the choice. Any good market will have a selection of fresh, wild caught salmon for you to purchase and rest assured you're getting the best fish oil possible.
