Salmon is one of the healthiest fish you can eat. There are many benefits to eating salmon, particularly wild salmon, although farmed salmon is what is usually available. Here are some great benefits to eating salmon:
- Salmon eating can help you prevent coming down with osteoarthritis and other inflammatory conditions of the joints. Salmon his high in bioactive peptides, which are small, healthy proteins. One of these bioactive peptides is known as calcitonin, which has been found to increase collagen formation as well as to stabilize the collagen you already have in your joints. Collagen is important in the synthesis of cartilage in humans. Calcitonin you find in salmon also improves the strength and density of your bones.
- Eating servings of salmon help decrease the risk of depression. Believe it or not, the brain is about 60 percent fat and most of this fat is in the form of the omega 3 fatty acid known as DHA. DHA is crucial for the function of the brain and for the development of a health nervous system. Those who eat salmon on a regular basis have a decreased chance of developing depression. It also seems to decrease the risk of cognitive decompensation in older adults and hostility in younger adults.
- Salmon helps to improve the health of your cardiovascular system. As noted above, salmon contains high amounts of EPA and DHA, both of which are omega 3 fatty acids. These are fats that have been found to reduce inflammation, which decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease. You need to eat about 2 to 3 servings of salmon each week to enjoy protection against several health problems, including arrhythmias, high blood pressure, heart attack, high triglycerides, and stroke.
- Salmon is good for developing brains. It turns out that eating salmon during pregnancy and while breastfeeding can increase the academic performance and learning abilities in the children who benefit from the intrauterine environment and breastmilk of women who eat salmon. Salmon is extremely high in DHA, which is also known as docosahexaenoic acid. This is the main fatty acid found in the brain, the nerves, and the retina. Giving children in preschool servings of salmon also seems to decrease the risk of ADHD in kids and helps increase their performance at school.
- Salmon is a great source of vitamin D. While you normally get vitamin D from sunshine, you can also get it from eating salmon. Vitamin D has many benefits in the body. People who are deficient in vitamin D have increased chances of developing heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes type 1. Just eating a single can of minced salmon will provide you with the day’s recommended daily allowance of vitamin D.
- Salmon balances the nutrients in fresh leafy greens. Salmon is high in omega 3 fatty acids and B vitamins, which is a perfect complement to the vitamin C and antioxidants you find in leafy green vegetables, such as kale, collard greens, and spinach.
- Salmon can decrease the damage to your cells. Besides being high in protein and many different healthy vitamins, salmon is a great source of selenium, which is a mineral that acts as an antioxidant in the body. It is associated with a decreased incidence of inflammation of the joints, and keeps the thyroid gland and the immune system functioning optimally. It can prevent damage to the cells, keeping all the body’s tissues healthy.
Farmed Salmon v.s. Fresh Salmon
Most of the Atlantic salmon you find in the grocery store is likely from a salmon farm because the population of wild Atlantic salmon is having problems keeping up with demand. Fish farmers often feed their salmon corn-based or soya-based foods, which isn’t as nutritious as what they would eat in the wild. This decreases the amount of omega 3 fatty acids found in the fish.
Unfortunately, both corn and soya are genetically modified and contain a great deal of pesticides that can affect the health of the fish. To make matters worse, fungicides are also used in the treatment of the water the salmon have to swim in. The fungicides help avoid the problems that come with overcrowding in salmon farms.
In addition, it is also a common phenomenon to add coloration to the farmed fish, which are paler than their wild salmon counterparts are. They use dyes, such as canthaxanthin in the food they feed the fish and this shows up as a pinker coloration in the flesh of the fish. It won’t say on the label that dyes have been used to cause the fish to be pink but if it’s pink, you can assume that a dye has been used to make the fish this color.
Your best choice is to eat only organically farmed fish or wild-caught salmon in order to avoid the fungicides, pesticides, and coloration with dyes that is seen in fish that are conventionally farmed. Read the label carefully to see if the salmon you are buying is organic or wild-caught fish.