Buyer Beware: Salmon Shopping Tips

You’ve heard how good salmon is for you, and willingly pay more at the grocery store to reap those benefits. But, in order to get that healthy supply of Omega 3s you are after, you need to be a smart consumer. 

Look for labels that specify “wild caught” salmon, preferably from the pacific ocean. These salmon have fed on their natural diet of shrimp, which results in their reddish orange colour and the hefty dose of Omega 3s you later enjoy yourselves when it’s cooked for dinner.

Avoid anything that suggests the fish has been “farm raised” – which is unfortunately harder to decipher than it should be, as marketing and misleading labels may imply something else – often referring to it as “atlantic salmon” or the like based on where the breed originated. These fish are fed an unnatural diet of cheap grains and even chicken feces pellets in some cases, and they are actually grey in appearance until dyes are added in post-production. Generally, they’ll be more orange in appearance than the wild version – which has more of a reddish hue. 

As for canned salmon, if it has something like 1 gram of fat per serving, avoid! You want a product with the healthy Omega 3 fats still included.

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mitch

Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness coach for men and women like his former self. Heavyset in his 20s, he lost 60 pounds and now helps clients find their spark and lose the weight for life.