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Nutritional Value of Salmon Fish

A staple for people in cooler climate regions for thousands of years, salmon is known as a rich and filling fish because of its high fat content. Despite dwindling supplies, wild salmon remains one of the most popular fish worldwide and has been found in studies to contain beneficial Omega oils. While controversial, salmon farms have helped bolster the supply of salmon in the wake of the degradation of salmon spawning grounds.

  1. Types

    • There are many different types of salmon and each one has a bit different taste and nutrition. The primary varieties of wild salmon available are King salmon, also known as Chinook salmon, Sockeye salmon, Cojo or Silver salmon, Atlantic Salmon, Chum Salmon and Pink salmon. Most farmed salmon is Atlantic salmon because of the lack of fish farming operations near the Pacific Ocean.

    Warning

    • Negative implications of farmed salmon have been brought to the forefront in recent years and the consensus is that farmed salmon is not as healthy for people nor the environment as wild salmon. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies in 2002 confirmed that on average farmed salmon contains 35 percent less Omega-3 fatty acids than wild salmon. A National Academy of Sciences report in 2003 announced that farmed salmon may be the most PCB contaminated protein source in America with over 10 times more than wild salmon. PCBs are cancer causing chemicals that were banned by the U.S. government in 1976.

    Benefits

    • While salmon contains many beneficial nutrients, the most important may be its high content of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to a wide variety of health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, reducing blood pressure and preventing the hardening of the arteries.There are three kinds of Omega-3s in salmon--docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA).

    Features

    • While salmon nutrition has slight variances between species, it is essentially a high protein, high fat food which contains large quantities of essential nutrients. Like most fish, there are no carbohydrates in salmon. A 3 oz. serving of Atlantic wild salmon contains 17 grams of protein, 45 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin B12, 35 percent of Vitamin B6, 33 percent of niacin, 19 percent of phosphorous, 13 percent of potassium and 11 percent copper.

    Considerations

    • Salmon can be bought both fresh and frozen, smoked, canned or in lox form. The most nutrients are in fresh salmon. When salmon is not available salmon oil capsules are available and contain many of the nutrients in fresh salmon, including the Omega-3 acids.

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