Don't lump Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon into the general perception that all fish are high in mercury , or you will miss out on a one of the most nutritious foods available.
This subject matter is important in that Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon is such an important superfood that supplies omega-3 fats . Volumes of evidence exist that issues with cancer, diabetes, and other diseases stem from not enough omega-3 fats relative to omega-6 fats in the so called "Western Diet".
Quality Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon is also one of the more practical sources of Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to cancer and many other diseases, especially among African Americans, who consistently register low Vitamin D scores, since we can't get it from the sun as readily, due to darker skin.
A quality fish company, Vital Choice, freely discusses issues such as mercury levels with it's customers, as well as addressing other "socially conscious" food concerns, such as voluntarily removing toxic BPA linings from their canned products, supporting sustainable fishing practices, and more. They have had independent lab testing of their products to back up their claims about low mercury in their fish. And most important, THEY ANSWER QUESTIONS when contacted!!
…another note about Vital Choice is their canned salmon is delicious!!!! It has a deep orange oil and an an incredible taste; surprisingly fresh tasting for canned food. Not cheap, but very good relative to other canned fish!
A couple of "snippets" from my extensive research on this subject, most important to me since I consume salmon almost every day are below:
"mercury levels are very low in the most frequently consumed fish from Alaska, such as Salmon, Cod, Halibut, Pollock, Sole, and Herring. Mercury levels in Salmon are among the lowest found." (Alaska Division of Public Health, SOA 2001)
"Native Alaskans, who eat far more Salmon and fish than the average American, have not shown signs of mercury poisoning. Not one among the 359 Alaskan women of childbearing age (from 51 communities) showed unsafe mercury levels as a result of eating Alaska fish, according to tests conducted from 2002 through 2006" (SOA 2007)
Here is a chart of mercury levels of fish
Furthermore, since there is some mercury in all fish, as well as chicken, beef and everything else, my personal "second line of defense" against mercury and other heavy metals in the body is to consistenly take chlorella in my daily smoothies. Chorlella is that deep-green micro algae available in powdered form. Interesting enough , algae is the same thing that salmon eat!!!
A very good link from Vital Choice addressing mercury levels in Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon can be found here
So get some quality Wild Caught Salmon into your diet, eat up and enjoy with confidence!!!!!
~ stay healthy~
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6 Responses
Excellent article Doug!
Thank you !!!!!!!!
Welcome back Doug . . . haven't seen you around in a while. I do love my wild Alaskan Salmon. I never liked seafood before. Now that I am getting it from a reliable source I realize what I have been missing!
Moved from Portland To Seattle and my computer broke down. So I tool a little blogging break, which is a good time to read other people blogs.
Yeah, my puter broke this summer too. I felt like I lost my best friend. It was sad.
I think it gives me perspective when I am able to step away from it though. There's a whole world out there outside of the puter, did you know? LOL. I'm so stuck to the stupid thing.
I hear ya. I missed the blog though, it’s my baby.