The typical American diet is notoriously high in fat and sugar with lots of negative health outcomes. It’s one of the reasons why doctors and health advocates tout the health benefits of eating fatty fish, such as salmon or mackerel.
These fatty fish provide a source of omega-3 fatty acids that can help keep blood pressure down and support healthy arteries.
Of course, the health debate extends beyond merely whether we should eat fish and extends to the issue of wild seafood versus farm raised. If you’re wondering which is healthier for you, keep reading for a quick breakdown.
Fats
Both wild-caught seafood and farm-raised seafood provide those omega-3 fatty acids, but that’s not the entire story with fats. There is also the issue of saturated fats.
In the farm-raised seafood vs wild caught debate, wild caught seafood comes out on top in terms of saturated fats. Farm-raised seafood has far higher levels of saturated fat, which is bad for your overall health.
Disease
Disease happens in both the wild and in seafood farming. The catch is that fish raised on farms live in extremely cramped spaces. That cramping increases the odds of diseases happening and spreading.
While reputable fish farms work hard to only send out safe fish, the odds of getting tainted fish is higher with farm-raised fish.
Pollutants
Another ongoing concern with fish is the presence of persistent organic pollutants. Specifically, the concern is over a pollutant called polychlorinated biphenyl or PCB. PCB can cause a number of negative health effects, including:
- Cancer
- Damage to the immune system
- Damage to the reproductive system
- Nervous system damage
This pollutant shows up more often and at dramatically higher levels in farmed seafood than fresh wild seafood.
Contaminants
Like it or not, mankind has dumped a lot of toxic stuff into the oceans. Some of the chemicals can show up in both wild caught and farm raised seafood.
Seafood can pick it up based on what they swim through or what they eat. You can limit some of the exposure by removing the skin before you prepare and eat seafood.
Seafood in Your Diet
The potential for exposure to things that might damage your health means you should moderate your fish consumption. That doesn’t mean you must abandon your best meal ideas that include fish. You should just plan around eating moderately-sized portions around twice a week to get some of the health benefits.
Picking between Wild Seafood vs Farm Raised
Looking at the question from a pure health standpoint, wild seafood is generally better for you than farm raised seafood. There is a lower risk of exposure to disease, persistent organic pollutants, and other chemicals.
That said, it isn’t always practical for people to buy wild seafood where they live. Supply chains get disrupted, for example. Getting some fatty fish into your diet, even farm raised, beats getting no fish in your diet.
Looking for more food or health tips? Check out the posts in our Food and Health sections.