Many doctors and researchers recommend that people regularly eat fish. It provides critical nutrients and usually has a lower fat content than most meat and poultry cuts. But what kind of fish should you be eating?
If you look in the fresh fish case of your local grocery store, pay attention to the labels on the packages. You may find most of the fish is farm-raised. You will find the same thing in the frozen fish section as well. Are farm-raised fish as nutritionally beneficial as wild-caught fish of the same species?
The Answer: Stop Eating Farm-Raised Fish If Possible
Why?
Eating farm-raised fish can cause or increase inflammation. Chronic inflammation is often associated with cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and arthritis.
Farm-raised fish can contain 10 times the amount of cancer-causing pollutants. One of the main ingredients in fish chow is chicken waste. This, along with pig and duck waste can easily bring contaminants and pollutants in the farm fish population.
Farm-raised fish have higher levels of antibiotics and pesticides. Because farm-raised fish are kept in crowded pens, they are given high levels of antibiotics to prevent disease. Fish farmers also feed them pesticides to prevent sea lice from developing.
Farm-raised fish has very few Omega-3 fatty acids. Farm-raised fish lead a very inactive life compared to their wild cousins. This seems to affect the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids found in farm-raised fish. Instead, they have higher levels of Omega-6 fatty acids, which are linked to increased inflammation in the human body.
Farm-raised fish can contain significantly less protein. A farm-raised fish can have as much as 20% less protein than a wild fish of similar size. This has also been linked to the inactive life the farm-raised fish lead before harvest.
It takes 2-3 pounds of fish feed to produce 1 pound of farm-raised fish. One of the myths about farm raised fish is that it is more sustainable than catching fish in the wild. The reality is a bit different. Fish chow is made from parts of other fish, like herring, sardines, and anchovies. It takes 2 to 3 pounds of these feeder fish to produce 1 pound of flesh on a farm-raised fish.
Make your fish consumption as healthy as possible. When possible, choose wild-caught fish instead of farm-raised. For more health advice, make a call to Matrix Age Management in Amarillo, Texas.
