Pros And Cons Of Eating Wild Salmon

Salmon is one of the most popular fishes when it comes to preparing appetizers. Salmon fishes are generally high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, niacin, magnesium, selenium and calcium. They not only serve as a feast but confer a slew of health benefits which has made them so popular with the masses. Be it Christmas or a birthday, wild salmon have made their way into every occasion.

If you are a salmon lover you will know that salmon are of two kinds, the farmed ones and the wild salmon which are also referred to as organic salmon. There has long been a debate around the pros and cons of eating wild salmon compared to the ones farmed. Both groups have their own argument on the pros cons of eating wild salmon or organic salmon. Let us look at some of the pros and cons of eating wild salmon:

PROS –

• Wild salmon have extremely high levels of chemicals such as arsenic, DDT, dioxins, and lead in their flesh. The chemical residue found in salmon flesh can be as much as 9 million times that of the water in which they live.

• It has been researched that wild salmon contain less polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs compared to the farmed ones which are a cancer causing agent and proposes great threat to your life.

• Wild salmon contain 20% more protein, 20% less fat and are in general much smaller than the farmed ones. They also have more usable omega-3 fatty acids and less omega-6 fatty acids which is good for health.

• Wild salmon is pink-orange. This comes from their eating krill but in case of farmed salmon a chemical called astaxanthin is added to get them this colour making them harmful for health.

CONS –

• When compared to farmed salmon wild or organic salmon have more concentration of mercury in their bodies owing to longer maturation periods then the farmed ones.

• Although not really a con but wild salmons cost you dearer owing to their quality. This can hurt your budget in case you are treating a large group of people.

From the comparison above we can clearly see that pros outnumber the cons when it comes to eating wild or organic salmon. It is definitely a wiser option to choose fewer days of treat with wild salmon than have the chemical laden farmed salmon regularly. Farmed and wild salmons are clearly marked and it is not difficult for you to identify. In other cases opt for well packaged salmon as the farmed or cheaper ones don’t usually have good packaging.

You should make sure that you purchase wild salmon from reputable places to prevent yourself from being duped. The best way to shop for organic salmon is the web. There are a number of websites which deals in tasty wild salmon offering you great deals on your purchase. Salmon serve as great gift items and you can directly order for a gift from these websites for your loved ones.