Fish are one of the BEST sources of omega-3 fatty acids out there. Not having enough of this fab fatty acid is one of the leading predictors of chronic illness in this country. The good news is, however, that adding sources of omega-3's into your diet can significantly decrease your chances of ill health. Omega-3's are important for decreasing internal inflammatory processes that lead to poor health--if in balance with another fatty acid known as omega-6. The problem is that omega-6's are all well and good until you get too many of them coupled with too little omega-3's. Too much omega-6 = inflammation...too much inflammation = heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer...you name it. You see, Americans (most Americans, that is) eat an ABUNDANCE of omega-6's--primarily from conventionally raised beef and other processed meats--and don't get near enough omega-3's from reputable sources like wild-caught fish. Yeah, we are learning that if we're not eating fish, we should at least be supplementing with fish oil--but is this a significant amount to prevent or repair any internal damage done by the omega-6's?
Not every fish is the pathway to health unfortunately. Here's an analogy: Fish are like sponges in a sink full of dish water...they will absorb everything in that water, from the soap to the nastiness of whatever ELSE has made it's way into the water. Wild-caught and farm-raised fish do just this--absorb nutrients as well as contaminants the are present in the waters in which they live. Modern, farm-raised fish soak up chemicals in the feed they are given to fatten them up and are subject to absorbing/consuming the fecal matter that they are forced to live in. Farm-raised salmon often feed off of their own waste...YUM! Wild-caught fish are less likely to encounter PCB's (the chemicals found in commercial fish food), BUT, some varieties are likely to absorb another pollutant that puts anyone that consumes it at risk: MERCURY. The fattier the fish, the more tissue available for the pollutants to sneak into and stay--where we can consume it later. Again, YUM! As harmful as mercury consumption can be to our health, your US Government permits a certain amount to scootch by and be sold to retailers and consumers.
If you're looking to increase your consumption of omega-3's, the last place you want to look is farm-raised fish. These fish are often fed man-made foods of who knows what or are given meal made of ground up parts from other fish. It's these two things that make farm-raised fish virtually VOID of any nutritive omega-3's. What's surprising is although these farms are "regulated," some species of farm-raised fish often contain far more harmful contaminants than wild-caught fish--even those that may be exposed to environmental pollutants!
So, what do you do? Wild-caught Alaskan salman (red sockeye, to be specific) is going to be your best bet for the benefit of getting more omega-3's into your diet from food sources--we can delve into the use of fish oil in a later discussion. This species of salmon has incredible bragging rights. It will cost you more than the Atlantic variety seen in most fish counters at grocery stores; but, if you're at all like-minded to me, you're willing to pay more money for better quality and a bettet shot at living a longer, healthier life! Trust me, the taste alone is worth the extra money spent.
Well, that's all I have for you at this point...I could honestly go on forever and I've left out a lot of the details (in an effort not to bore you to tears). I think you get it, though; and that's what matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment