Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Eat Salmon? Go Wild!!
When it comes to eating your omega-3 fatty acids salmon often seems your best choice. It is high in omega-3s and easy to come by as well as easy to cook.A new study reveals that wild salmon is more heart healthy than its farmed cousin. Not only is farmed salmon higher in environmental contaminants, but is lower in beneficial fatty acids like omega-3s. In the Norwegian study, participants who ate a diet high in wild salmon, which contains pure fish oil, had better health profiles in terms of biomarkers for heart health as well as blood vessel health when compared to study participants who ate farmed salmon. Farm salmon is high in vegetable oil, which is increasingly found to be used in fish feed.
If you are eating salmon for the fatty acids, go wild!!
Labels: fish farming, heart healthy, Omega-3s, salmon, Wild vs. Farmed
Friday, February 29, 2008
New Yorkers and Their Fish
Just last month an article appeared in the New York Times dining section warning readers of the dangers of eating too much fish. Yes – you read correctly – the article written by Marian Burros warned readers that eating more than three servings of fish per week, particularly sushi grade fish, would increase your blood mercury to dangerously high levels.Needless to say Ms Burros’ article, which was based on a July 2007 report by the New York City Department of Health, drew quite a stir.
Is there a real problem with eating too much fish? The original report issued by the NYC Department of Health concluded that 1 in 4 New York City adults has elevated blood mercury levels. Specifically, those with the highest levels are Asians and higher income New Yorkers. The reason ... they eat more fish.
The study also found that compared to the rest of the country’s population – New Yorker’s have higher blood mercury levels (a fact that may be due to our addiction to Japanese take out).
Source
Labels: fish farming, mercury, sushi, toxins
Friday, February 15, 2008
A "Fishy" Beauty Treatment!
Recently at an onsen in Tokyo, an IG staffer loved her live fish therapy, and recommends it, but not to the squeamish. Imported from Turkey and used as a cure for skin ailments such as psoriasis, Garra rufa (aka Doctor Fish) are the latest trend in Japanese spa treatments.
But be warned, this treatment is not for the squeamish: the fish feed off of the dead and affected areas of skin and leaves healthy skin to grow. Basically, you stick your feet in a small tank where hundreds of fish swarm and nibble and suck at your dead skin. The first few minutes certainly feel freaky and it takes time to get used to the sucking feeling. But after you grow accustomed to the sensation, it actually feels relaxing. While your feet do feel somewhat smoother afterwards, it is definitely more for the experience than it is for the beauty benefits.
Labels: alternative treatments, fish farming, Garra Rufa, psoriasis, skin, Spa
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A Story About....Salmon.
We live in a fast-paced consumerist culture, so it shouldn't surprise you that what happened to our poultry and cattle farming over the years is now being mirrored by salmon farming.
Bigger, faster and more always seem to prevail over quality. My girlfriends and I call inexpensive trendy clothing "disposable clothes" — meaning they're mass manufactured and worn only for one season, then tossed — mainly because they don't survive more than two or three washings. In both scenarios, we're sacrificing quality for quantity — something I'm occasionally willing to do with my wardrobe. But when it comes to my diet and health, not so fast.
There are actually six species of Pacific salmon found along the West coast from California to Alaska and all are wild: chum, coho, king, pink, sockeye and steelhead. Each have varied seasons and are available at different times of the year.
Atlantic salmon, which swims in the Atlantic Ocean, is very different than Pacific salmon. For starters, there is practically no wild-caught Atlantic salmon anymore, and the fish is available all year. So when you're at the grocery store or reading a restaurant menu, if you find salmon labeled "Atlantic," you can be certain it's not wild. Of course, you can also tell by the price — on a menu, a salmon entree selling for less than $25 is most likely farm raised.
Salmon's popularity skyrocketed in the 1990s after the government issued warnings about mercury content in other large fish — namely tuna and swordfish. Not long after, salmon itself became a cause for concern, not on account of its mercury content, but for polychlorinated biphenyls. PCBs are industrial chemicals that have been banned since 1977, and although there are no known natural sources of PCBs, they are still evident in the environment. Not easily broken down, they remain in our water, soil and food supply. PCBs are potential carcinogens. There are no acceptable limits, and we don't know for sure if the chemical causes cancer in humans. We do know that it does cause cancer as well as other serious ailments in animals. I don't know about you, but that's all I need to hear. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, levels of PCBs in farm-raised salmon could be high enough to damage the brains of fetuses and infants.
Farm-raised salmon appear to get their dose of PCBs from salmon chow — a mixture of ground-up fish and oil. Farm-raised salmon are contained in small aquatic pens, similar to the way poultry is farmed on land. (There are some salmon farms that are more like free-range systems — still a controlled environment, but resembling life in the free ocean). Salmon chow is formulated to get the fish big and fat fast. PCBs accumulate in the fat. The bigger the fish often means more PCBs.
As for the environmental concerns about fish farming, excess feed escapes the net pens polluting the ecosystem. Additionally, farmed salmon, living in such close quarters, are prone to sea lice and other diseases, requiring medications like antibiotics. These also pool into the ecosystem. Lastly, farmed salmon are swimming around in their own waste. All salmon, being fish eaters themselves, tend to have some toxins in their bodies. In 2004, the Journal of Science commented that farm-raised salmon may contain 10 times more toxins than wild. Studies do show that wild salmon also have PCBs, but because of their varied diet in the wild, they consume much less.
The issue of which salmon contains more heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids still seems to be debatable. Farm-raised salmon are fattier and therefore thought to have an average of double or even triple the amount of omega-3 fatty acids than its wild sister. Other studies show that they have similar amounts, but of course, the farmed variety also come with excess PCBs. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to prevent blood clots, inflammation and lower triglycerides.
There are other sources of omega-3s — for example, flax seed and walnuts. According to the EPA, consumers should stick to one serving of farmed salmon per month (8 ounces). The Food and Drug Administration is a little more lax. They recommend 12 ounces of a variety of fish per week. Why the discrepancy? The FDA monitors commercially sold fish and the EPA, recreationally caught fish. According to the Environmental Working Group, the EPA's current standards are 500 times more protective than the FDA for fish sold commercially. The EPA argues that they have read scientific literature and are more current than the FDA.
Researchers note the FDA's PCB limit is a regulatory advisory, while the EPA limit is based only on health effects.
The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish per week from varied species to gain heart healthy benefits and limit health risks. There are plenty of choices: mahi-mahi, haddock, tilapia, flounder and sole are not only low in PCBs, but mercury as well. Women who are pregnant or of childbearing age need to be extra cautious. I recommend wild and smaller portions. There are no organic regulations for seafood, regardless of what is labeled. When all is said and done, I still purchase wild salmon — always.
Betsy Klein is a registered dietitian and nutritional consultant in Miami.
Source
Bigger, faster and more always seem to prevail over quality. My girlfriends and I call inexpensive trendy clothing "disposable clothes" — meaning they're mass manufactured and worn only for one season, then tossed — mainly because they don't survive more than two or three washings. In both scenarios, we're sacrificing quality for quantity — something I'm occasionally willing to do with my wardrobe. But when it comes to my diet and health, not so fast.
There are actually six species of Pacific salmon found along the West coast from California to Alaska and all are wild: chum, coho, king, pink, sockeye and steelhead. Each have varied seasons and are available at different times of the year.
Atlantic salmon, which swims in the Atlantic Ocean, is very different than Pacific salmon. For starters, there is practically no wild-caught Atlantic salmon anymore, and the fish is available all year. So when you're at the grocery store or reading a restaurant menu, if you find salmon labeled "Atlantic," you can be certain it's not wild. Of course, you can also tell by the price — on a menu, a salmon entree selling for less than $25 is most likely farm raised.
Salmon's popularity skyrocketed in the 1990s after the government issued warnings about mercury content in other large fish — namely tuna and swordfish. Not long after, salmon itself became a cause for concern, not on account of its mercury content, but for polychlorinated biphenyls. PCBs are industrial chemicals that have been banned since 1977, and although there are no known natural sources of PCBs, they are still evident in the environment. Not easily broken down, they remain in our water, soil and food supply. PCBs are potential carcinogens. There are no acceptable limits, and we don't know for sure if the chemical causes cancer in humans. We do know that it does cause cancer as well as other serious ailments in animals. I don't know about you, but that's all I need to hear. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, levels of PCBs in farm-raised salmon could be high enough to damage the brains of fetuses and infants.
Farm-raised salmon appear to get their dose of PCBs from salmon chow — a mixture of ground-up fish and oil. Farm-raised salmon are contained in small aquatic pens, similar to the way poultry is farmed on land. (There are some salmon farms that are more like free-range systems — still a controlled environment, but resembling life in the free ocean). Salmon chow is formulated to get the fish big and fat fast. PCBs accumulate in the fat. The bigger the fish often means more PCBs.
As for the environmental concerns about fish farming, excess feed escapes the net pens polluting the ecosystem. Additionally, farmed salmon, living in such close quarters, are prone to sea lice and other diseases, requiring medications like antibiotics. These also pool into the ecosystem. Lastly, farmed salmon are swimming around in their own waste. All salmon, being fish eaters themselves, tend to have some toxins in their bodies. In 2004, the Journal of Science commented that farm-raised salmon may contain 10 times more toxins than wild. Studies do show that wild salmon also have PCBs, but because of their varied diet in the wild, they consume much less.
The issue of which salmon contains more heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids still seems to be debatable. Farm-raised salmon are fattier and therefore thought to have an average of double or even triple the amount of omega-3 fatty acids than its wild sister. Other studies show that they have similar amounts, but of course, the farmed variety also come with excess PCBs. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to prevent blood clots, inflammation and lower triglycerides.
There are other sources of omega-3s — for example, flax seed and walnuts. According to the EPA, consumers should stick to one serving of farmed salmon per month (8 ounces). The Food and Drug Administration is a little more lax. They recommend 12 ounces of a variety of fish per week. Why the discrepancy? The FDA monitors commercially sold fish and the EPA, recreationally caught fish. According to the Environmental Working Group, the EPA's current standards are 500 times more protective than the FDA for fish sold commercially. The EPA argues that they have read scientific literature and are more current than the FDA.
Researchers note the FDA's PCB limit is a regulatory advisory, while the EPA limit is based only on health effects.
The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish per week from varied species to gain heart healthy benefits and limit health risks. There are plenty of choices: mahi-mahi, haddock, tilapia, flounder and sole are not only low in PCBs, but mercury as well. Women who are pregnant or of childbearing age need to be extra cautious. I recommend wild and smaller portions. There are no organic regulations for seafood, regardless of what is labeled. When all is said and done, I still purchase wild salmon — always.
Betsy Klein is a registered dietitian and nutritional consultant in Miami.
Source
Labels: fish farming, healthy eating, Omega-3s fish oil, salmon, tilapia, Wild vs. Farmed
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Avoid the Mercury
The New York City Health Department recently analyzed blood samples for mercury and other heavy metals and found significantly higher levels in people who ate more fish. Levels were also notably higher among wealthy New Yorkers, presumably those who eat more expensive fish such as that found in sushi.
A non-profit environmental group known as the Turtle Island Restoration Network, also analyzed samples of tuna purchased from New York City sushi restaurants, finding nearly half of the 13 samples analyzed contained levels of mercury that exceeded the levels that the FDA considers safe for some women and young children. Some samples even exceeded 1.0 ppm, the level that FDA considers unsafe for human consumption.
Mercury has been used in a wide range of products including dental fillings, electrical switches, thermometers and batteries. Mining metals and the burning of fossil fuels, primarily coal, are among the greatest causes of mercury releases in the environment. Disposal of mercury-bearing consumer products also releases a substantial amount of mercury. While there’s little that can be done to clear the oceans and fish stocks of mercury that’s already out there, cutting back on energy consumption, finding alternative energy sources, and getting mercury out of consumer products are all important ways to help keep the problem from getting much worse.
Consumer Reports
A non-profit environmental group known as the Turtle Island Restoration Network, also analyzed samples of tuna purchased from New York City sushi restaurants, finding nearly half of the 13 samples analyzed contained levels of mercury that exceeded the levels that the FDA considers safe for some women and young children. Some samples even exceeded 1.0 ppm, the level that FDA considers unsafe for human consumption.
Mercury has been used in a wide range of products including dental fillings, electrical switches, thermometers and batteries. Mining metals and the burning of fossil fuels, primarily coal, are among the greatest causes of mercury releases in the environment. Disposal of mercury-bearing consumer products also releases a substantial amount of mercury. While there’s little that can be done to clear the oceans and fish stocks of mercury that’s already out there, cutting back on energy consumption, finding alternative energy sources, and getting mercury out of consumer products are all important ways to help keep the problem from getting much worse.
Consumer Reports
Labels: fish farming, mercury, sushi
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Is that meal eco-friendly? Start texting!!
Blue Ocean Institute, a conservation group, has launched a texting service to send messages to consumers with the information they need to make ecologically savvy seafood choices.Here's how it works: You are at the seafood counter or in a restaurant (put that ringer on mute or vibrate, please) and you are awash in social consciousness.
You are ready to order, but you can't remember if the catch of the day is caught using an environmentally sustainable manner. What to do, what to do?
Technology to the rescue.
Send a text message to Blue Ocean Institute to get the 411 in seconds.
To use the service, send a message to 30644. In the message, type FISH, followed by the name of the seafood in question, such as catfish. The service covers more than 90 species, and suggests alternatives to options that pose environmental concerns.
SOURCE
You are ready to order, but you can't remember if the catch of the day is caught using an environmentally sustainable manner. What to do, what to do?
Technology to the rescue.
Send a text message to Blue Ocean Institute to get the 411 in seconds.
To use the service, send a message to 30644. In the message, type FISH, followed by the name of the seafood in question, such as catfish. The service covers more than 90 species, and suggests alternatives to options that pose environmental concerns.
SOURCE
Labels: eco-friendly, environment, fish farming, innovative, seafood, text
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Smells fishy.......
Something to think about the next time you order fish.
Fish farming is all the rage right now. We have almost endangered every fish in the ocean so getting natural, unfarmed fish in large quantities on a regular basis is out of the question. Since farming has become vastly popular the cost of fish meal (to satiate the fish) has gotten very expensive. In Idaho, scientists are working on feeding farmed trout a diet of manure and maggots instead of fish meal. Idaho has an unlimited suply of manure because the dairy industry reigns supreme. This unique diet is actually closer to what the trout would actually eat in the wild than in the fish meal we feed them. Hopefully this won’t affect the taste of the fish. [ABC News]
Fish farming is all the rage right now. We have almost endangered every fish in the ocean so getting natural, unfarmed fish in large quantities on a regular basis is out of the question. Since farming has become vastly popular the cost of fish meal (to satiate the fish) has gotten very expensive. In Idaho, scientists are working on feeding farmed trout a diet of manure and maggots instead of fish meal. Idaho has an unlimited suply of manure because the dairy industry reigns supreme. This unique diet is actually closer to what the trout would actually eat in the wild than in the fish meal we feed them. Hopefully this won’t affect the taste of the fish. [ABC News]
Labels: fish farming, fish oil, toxins
