Salmon is one of the best sources of Omega - 3 you can get. The next best is taking fish oil supplements.
Not just any salmon will give you the required amount of Omega - 3. For example, farm raised salmon will not give you the same amount of Omega - 3 as wild Alaskan salmon. This is because the food supply is different for each one.
Wild Alaskan salmon feed off mainly krill and small fish like herring. These smaller fish feed on algae that is rich in Omega - 3. The farm fish are fed mainly cereals, which have little or no Omega - 3 and ground up fish. On some salmon farms, just prior to harvesting, the fish are fed fish oil to raise their Omega - 3 content. But this level does not reach the same levels that wild Alaskan salmon have.
The other concern with farm-raised salmon is that they also contain high amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). These levels of PCB will restrict the amount of farm-raised salmon you should eat. This further restricts the amount of Essential fatty acids (EFAs) you can put in your diet.
To get the proper amount of Omega - 3 in your diet, you should eat two to three meals of salmon a week. On those days you do not eat salmon, take a fish oil supplement to provide yourself with your required amounts of EFAs.
Other concerns about eating salmon is metal contamination. Many of the salmon caught have been contaminated with mercury.
So when purchasing salmon to get the recommended amount of EFAs, be sure to ask your grocer the following question:
•Is this salmon farm raised or wild Alaskan salmon? If it is farm raised, you will not get the required amount of EFAs, plus you may be subjecting your self to PCB contamination. Wild Alaskan salmon will provide you the recommended amount of EFAs you need.
•Has this been tested for mercury contamination? Most suppliers do test for mercury contamination and should provide you mercury free salmon.
Conclusion
Salmon can provide you the recommended amount of EFAs that you need. But you need to inquire of what type of salmon you are purchasing. Farm raised salmon do not provide the recommended amount of EFAs and they could be contaminated with PCBs. Wild Alaskan salmon can be the best source of EFAs, but here you also need to be wary of mercury contamination.
To get by all the above concerns, fish oil supplements will ensure no contamination and give you your recommended dose of EFAs.
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