Is eating wild-caught fish better than consuming farmed fish? If you care about your health, it is very likely that you have asked yourself this question. In this article, we will try to showcase some of the benefits of wild fish, but also some of the risks involved in its consumption. It wouldn’t be fair to say that wild-caught fish is the healthiest of the two.
According to a 1992 study where wild Coho salmon, catfish, and rainbow trout were compared to their farmed counterparts, the latter had way more fat. However, the amount of protein and vitamins between the two was identical, which brings us to the conclusion that farmed fish are not that dangerous in this respect.
Many people tend to think that the nutritional value of farmed fish is lower when compared to that of the wild species. It is true that some of the benefits of wild-caught fish range from a higher level of omega 3 to a lower amount of fat.
But in the end, probably the most important advantage of consuming wild-caught fish is that there is virtually no chance of it being contaminated with antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most significant issues that humankind has been trying to deal with for the past decades. Ever since the 1980s, the development of new antibiotics has come to a halt, while germs have become more and more resistant to the effects of current medications.
Technically, this problem should not address regular people as they don’t typically have access to loads of antibiotics or are allowed to self-medicate so as to develop any type of resistance. Unfortunately, some farmers utilize antibiotics on their animals, and fish included, either to treat various diseases or to prevent them.
In theory, there is a certain period between the last antibiotic administration and the day where the meat or fish can be consumed by a human. Regrettably, this time span is rarely respected, which is why a piece of fish you can buy in a store might just as well contain antibiotics because two days before, the farmer performed a treatment.
So, in this respect, wild-caught fish is always better than farmed one. Nevertheless, there are certain risks that everyone ought to consider before deciding that they’re supposed to eat only wild-caught fish. Even though it is said that lake fish might have pesticides and various other environmental pollutants, the fact is that ocean fish can also contain mercury, which is very dangerous to human health. So, while farmed fish doesn’t contain mercury, it might contain antibiotics.
It’s probably better to get your fishing equipment, some of which can be seen here, and catch the fish all by yourself. If you do that, you’ll at least know that your catch won’t contain any antibiotics. And let’s face it, not all fish are the same. Some have a considerably higher content in Omega-3 compared to others. If you were to focus on keeping your heart and brain health on par, you’d only have to eat salmon and trout.
Brought to you by our friends at fisherpants.com.
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