Diet Information

Contrary to popular opinion, most of the salmon found in supermarkets and restaurants is not a healthy food because instead of growing up in the wild, it’s been raised on a fish farm. As a result, farmed salmon is like an evil twin of its wild and healthy counterpart.

Much like people, salmon need a healthy diet and adequate exercise, and those are basically the factors that make the difference between salmon that do, or don’t promote wellness. In their natural state, wild salmon eat algae, which is rich in healthy omega-3 fats, or “good” fats. When we eat the fish, we, in turn, consume those healthy fats. And, wild salmon also swim around a lot so they’re lean. In contrast, farm-raised salmon usually don’t get much exercise because they’re generally raised in cramped cages in the water, and their diet is higher in calories but less nutritious than it would be in a natural habitat.

Pound for pound, both wild and farm-raised salmon contain similar quantities of healthy fats but that’s where the parity ends. The farm-raised fish contain significantly more unhealthy, saturated fat, so much so that the bad fat outweighs the value of the good.

According to the USDA Nutrient Database, this is how the two types of fish compare:

Farm-Raised vs. Wild Salmon, 8-ounce Serving

Calories: 466 farm-raised; 413 wild
Total Fat: 28 grams farm-raised; 18.5 grams wild
Saturated Fat: 5.72 grams farm-raised; 2.84 grams wild
Protein: 50 grams farm-raised; 57.6 grams wild

Does Farmed Salmon Really Kill?

Chronic inflammation, which doesn’t necessarily have any recognizable symptoms but underlies heart disease, stroke and every other debilitating and deadly disease of the 21st century, has become a major problem in America. Too many unhealthy, pro-inflammatory fats in our diet trigger and perpetuate this inflammation.

If an occasional piece of farmed salmon was the only unhealthy thing in your diet, it wouldn’t make much difference. However, given that most of the food we eat is pro- rather than anti-inflammatory, farmed salmon just adds insult to injury.

In terms of science, Floyd Chilton, Ph.D., and director of the NIH-sponsored Wake Forest and Harvard Center for Botanical Lipids in Winston Salem, NC, has analyzed foods extensively regarding their impact on inflammation. “I don’t think I’m overstating the problem when I say that inflammatory diseases affect as many as half of the people in this country,” he told me in an interview. To remedy the situation, which he calls a “silent plague,” he recommends an anti-inflammatory eating plan described in detail, along with recipes, in his book, Inflammation Nation.

Chilton gives first place — as the worst, most pro-inflammatory food — to farmed salmon. In contrast, wild salmon is at the top of his list as a healthy, anti-inflammatory food, especially wild Chinook and sockeye, with wild pink, Coho and chum salmon scoring just a hairline lower.

So, is it a stretch to say that farmed salmon kills? As long as the typical American diet remains the way it is and heart disease continues to be our number-one killer, I don’t think so.

About The Author

Vera Tweed is a veteran health journalist and the editor of http://www.HealthyTricks.com, an online newsletter that makes healthy living more convenient, enjoyable and attainable.

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ImmunPlex

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A naturally occurring compound, L-Glutathione (Tathion,) has demonstrated that it is effective in fighting cancer, environmental poisons, and even cataracts. Sound like snake oil? Well, that is what I thought until I started doing research. It turns out that L-Glutathione is one of the most effective antioxidants that our body produces. It works to protect our bodies from the thousands of daily hazards that we are exposed to such as pollution, second hand smoke, alcohol, and food chemicals and poisons. In fact, it is so effective that some researchers believe that it can actually slow down the aging process.

L-Glutathione is an antioxidant that our body produces from three basic amino acids that are found in our food. Our body makes it and uses it, along with the other vitamins that we ingest, as a hard line defense against all of the hazards that cause us to grow sick and old. This is important because research into this specific anti-oxidant has shown that it can actually cure disease, regenerate damaged tissue, minimize the side effects of chemotherapy, and treat cataracts.

It works by acting as a guardian to the toxic compounds that attack our cells. These compounds, typically called free radicals, are extremely aggressive and attack the molecules that make up the cells in our body. These free radicals change the chemical structure of the molecules in our cells and make them ineffective. This in turn either kills the cell, makes it ineffective, or turns it cancerous. L-Glutathione and other antioxidants attack the free radicals and destroy them before they have a chance to attack the cells.

Because it protects our cells by attacking the external poisons, the levels of L-Glutathione in our blood have the potential to significantly impact our overall health. Studies have demonstrated that administration of L-Glutathione is extremely effective in treated diseases such as Hepatitis. It has also been shown to be a key player in the regeneration of the liver, and to combat cirrhosis. The compound is useful in treating jaundice and protects the brain and body tissues in the event of poisoning. In addition, the level of tissue damage from Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Sulfide, heavy metals, pesticides, and environmental poisoning has been demonstrated to be significantly lower with adequate L-Glutathione in the blood stream. Finally, the side effects of chemotherapy and the growth of cataracts have been demonstrated to be significantly reduced with the addition of L-Glutathione.

So what does all of this mean? Essentially, it is time to supplement your diet with L-Glutathione or the proteins that help your body make more of this essential nutrient. Although L-Glutathione is readily made by your body, supplementation with it and its precursors may increase your overall level of protection. Glutathione and its precursors, Cysteine, Glycine and L-Glutamic Acid, are all readily available as food supplements in your local health food store. In addition to eating a healthy and balanced diet, supplementation with Glutathione and its constituents can only help to increase your overall level of health, and may even slow down the process of growing old.

About The Author

Barrett Niehus is a principal in IP Ware http://www.freetrainer.com and is a technical associate of Compound Solutions in Escondido, California.

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