There is a reason why you should eat wild fish, and price has absolutely nothing to do with it.
With the cost of food rising we are all trying to save a buck where we can. I know I have promoted the dirty dozen when it comes to shopping for our fruits and veggies, but that route can appear to be the least cost effective at times if you do not factor in the health benefits. When I talk with my patients about meats we often talk about grass-fed, grass-finished, organic, and free ranged meats. Price versus health benefits applies here just as it does with fruits and vegetables. However, I don't talk much about fish, and the benefits of wild caught varieties.
I recently saw this article called Here is Why You Should Never EAT Farmed Salmon. The price difference between farm raised fish, and wild fish is quite large with farm-fish being much cheaper. But, when we look at the health differences the scale tips towards the benefits of the wild fish.
According to the article, here is what is found in farm-raised salmon:
- More fat.
- Less Omega-3s.
- Higher concentrations of PCB, dioxin, and other cancer-causing contaminants.
- Farmed fish are grey in color due to their GMO grain, and dead animal part diet. They are dyed pink to compensate.
Often my patients want to eat fish as a way to help get their omega-3 levels up. And so with lower levels in the farmed variety of fish this defeats the purpose. These fish are farmed near shoreline, and are also given antibiotics because of how they are raised. So here is yet another place where we are getting exposed to more antibiotics unnecessarily.
I would prefer if you become a “snob” when it comes to the fish you eat. If it is not wild fish then please pass as you are doing yourself, and the interest level in the market, a service.
Source: Livingtraditionally