Whether you buy it fresh, frozen, smoked, or from a can . . . cook it in a pan, on the grill, in the oven, or poached . . . salmon is good for you.
It’s versatile, easy to prepare, and delicious!
The thing is, we hear so much about the omega-3 benefits we get from this wonder-fish that a lot of the other “good-for-you” aspects of salmon are completely overlooked!
Yes, salmon is full of omega-3, but this nutritious fish is also rich in protein and amino acids. Studies have also shown that there are bioactive peptides (little bioactive protein molecules) that help to keep inflammation in the body at bay, including inflammation of joints.
What else does salmon have going for it?
Vitamin D. One 4 oz. serving of salmon gives us all the Vitamin D we need for the entire day. Not many other foods can say the same!
B vitamins. We can get half of our daily dose of B12 from that piece of salmon, too, as well as a good serving of B6, magnesium, niacin, and selenium.
Calcium. When we choose salmon from a can, we’re getting lots of calcium, too, since the bones are included in there.
Wild salmon vs. farmed salmon
Should we eat the wild variety or the farmed stuff?
Well, here’s the scoop.
Most of the salmon available for consumers has been farmed. Unfortunately, farmed salmon seems to have a lot more contaminants than its wild counterpart.
Farmed salmon is also generally fattier because it’s fattened up like most farm animals are. This farmed salmon is often fed soybean, wheat, and other plant meal which lowers the levels of omega-3 in the fish. (Wild salmon are carnivores which raises their levels of omega-3.)
The good news is that neither wild nor farmed salmon have very high levels of mercury.
It’s also worth noting that most of the time, canned salmon is wild.
I strongly suggest that you always choose wild fish over farmed!
Want some great salmon recipes? Try our 10 for the Freezer ebook bundle, it has awesome salmon recipes!
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