Not all (sea)food is created equal
People like to confess their food crimes to me - but eat what you want! Ok, probably not what you expected? That’s not my role, and more importantly not yours either. We’re here to ask ‘why’ not just‘what’ we should eat. Eating thoughtlessly is one of the biggest problems we have. And if we’re not thinking ‘they’ can get us to eat sorts of stuff - the more thoughtful we are, the healthier we’ll be. Simple!
After the confessions, people then quickly ask where I get my food from. I love this question cos it shows thoughtful eating and choosing! I get my veggies delivered from farmers and my meat is 100% grass fed and finished from my fav butcher. Basically I make sure what I eat eats what it’s designed to eat? Unhealthy diet and conditions makes for unhealthy produce which in turn makes for unhealthy humans.
Today I’m just talking seafood – where do I buy it from and what do I buy.
First things first. Like all food, not all seafood is created equal. Some seafood is wild (as nature intended) and some are farmed (in man-made hatcheries). And there is a WORLD of difference between the two!
Farmed fish are commonly dubbed the battery hens of the ocean. In addition to their unnatural environment, farmed fish are fed an unnatural diet of soy pellets (which are often genetically modified), fire retardants (WTF?), wheat byproducts, antibiotics (due to rife disease epidemics in crowded conditions), feather meal, and a heap of other unnatural ingredients. In addition colour dyes are injected into farmed salmon to give them that pink colour. So technically you’re getting a lot more than you paid for right?! Unsurprisingly (and most importantly) the micronutrient content of farmed fish pales in comparison to wild fish especially in relation to the omega 3 /6 balance (farmed fish are low in the anti-inflammatory omega 3s and too high in the omega 6. This imbalance promotes inflammation which is the root cause of all modern disease). Again unhealthy diets and conditions makes for unhealthy fish which in turn makes for unhealthy humans who then consume the fish.
So here’s a breakdown Australia’s seafood. Sorry overseas readers. Having lived in the USA for 8 years I know https://www.seafoodwatch.org allows you to keep up to date, though check ‘sustainable’ seafood as it can mean farmed. Any UK clients I’d love to hear from you! Aussie seafood summary:
- All ocean trout sold in Australia is farmed. Avoid it.
- ALL non-tinned salmon sold in Australia is farmed other than the 100% wild sockeye salmon from The Canadian Way. The Canadian Way also sells wild tuna, halibut, and wild black cod, lobster, prawns, scollops, salmon roe and smoked salmon (all 100% wild). And all with an unparalleled omega 3 to 6 ratio. Basically their salmon has a omega 3 to 6 ratio of 10:1 and the tuna has a ratio that’s even better of 11:1 – so very anti-inflammatory!! Nowadays most people eating a typical Western world conventional diet would consume foods that have an omega 3:6 ratio of 1:20 which is very pro-inflammatory. If you aim for a diet of 1:1 or even 1:2 then you’re doing well).
The Canadian Way products are sold at various stockists AND they also home deliver! Please sure to tell the owner David I referred you. Note- I don’t get any commissions or kick backs at all from promoting this company. I only advocate businesses whose products or services I personally use and trust.
There are a soooo many certified organic salmon options on the market but don’t be fooled by the certified organic label. They are STILL farmed fish. And a farmed fish is never going to be as nutritional as a wild fish. A certified organic label doesn’t avail you of an obligation to do your due diligence. Read more here about my views on organic certification.
- Tinned salmon sold at the supermarket is wild if it says wild or wild caught. Make sure your purchase tinned salmon that is in brine as opposed to industrial seed oils like canola oil or vegetable oil which are highly processed, high in inflammation-promoting omega 6s and basically toxic to the human body (but that’s a whole other discussion).
- Some King prawns and Tiger prawns (Australia only) are farmed. So you will need to ASK if they are wild versus farmed (I love asking cos consumers buy right so they’ll make sure they get what you want if you keep asking!). Oh and you’ll very rarely see a farmed prawn sold raw.
- Oysters and mussels are filter feeders so even though they are technically farmed they are literally as good as being wild. There is literally no truly wild oysters sold in Australia. NZ mussels are best as the colder clean water lends itself better to their needs and high dissolved oxygen.
- Fresh tuna sold in fish shops is mostly wild caught then kept in floating pens and fed a mixture of pellets and fresh pilchards. So it's tantamount to being farmed. The exception is the tuna from The Canadian Way as discussed above. Tinned tuna sold in supermarkets is wild.
- Most barramundi in Australia is now farmed. So you will need to ask if they are wild versus farmed! All farmed barramundi are harvested at the same size (40-45cm) so if they're larger than that it’s typically ok to assume that they are wild. They aren't typically the freshest fish to eat anyway. The netting process and remoteness of where they live means they could be weeks old by the time they even get to the fish monger. Plus you'll always pay a 'name tax' for this national fishing icon.
- Herring, pilchards, whitebait, sardines and anchovies are all wild and will never be farmed. They're cheap and the equivalent of a briny superfood. Head and stomach can be eaten easily.
Apart from always asking (and if you ask enough they will!) I then try to buy the whole fish as opposed to fillets. It gives you a better indication of freshness: inspect eyes and moistness of the skin and lips. Buying whole fish means that you can ask the fishmonger to fillet it for you and ask them to put the head and frame in a separate bag for you to take home to make a stock (not my fav though, full disclosure!).
