Salmon is generally known for being healthy. It has good nutritional value. Smoked salmon contains many proteins and healthy fats, yet salmon is available in different types. One of these types is smoked salmon. Is smoked salmon actually that healthy?
Cons
Polluted oceans
The oceans today are highly polluted. Ocean fish can contain heavy metals and plastic residues. Farmed fish may also contain antibiotics, chemical dyes and hormones. All this is not very good for your body.
Lots of sodium
Smoked salmon has a lot of sodium. High sodium intake can throw off your blood pressure. This can increase your risk of having a heart attack, especially if you have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
Chemicals
Your intake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons occurs when wood or coal is used to smoke the salmon. The warmer the wood or coal, the more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are created. These are chemicals that can increase your risk of developing cancer.
Bad bacteria
Smoked salmon may harbor pathological bacteria, which can increase the risk of developing a potentially fatal infection.
Smoked salmon can also contain listeria monocytogenes, which can cause the disease listeriosis. Most healthy people do not suffer from this food poisoning. It is therefore also considered safe to eat. But people with a compromised immune system, pregnant women, the elderly and infants have a very high mortality rate from listeriosis. Cooked salmon has a lower risk of harboring this bacteria, but it is not recommended to eat it if you fall into one of the previously described groups.
Advantages
Smoked salmon contains a lot of protein. Protein ensures that your muscles stay strong and healthy. When you don’t get enough protein, your body starts to break down muscle tissue. Smoked salmon also contains a lot of fat, but the good fats. Most fats from smoked salmon are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. It also contains healthy minerals, including iron. Iron is necessary to get through every day healthily. It ensures that your tissues are supplied with oxygen, which helps metabolism. Inadequate iron intake causes a tired and increased heart rate.
Conclusion
Despite the good nutritional value of smoked salmon, the negative aspects outweigh it. Especially the fact that smoked salmon contains antibiotics, chemical dyes and chemicals that can cause illness. Which salmon can you eat? The healthiest salmon is the wild salmon from Alaska, because it lives in one of the cleanest oceans in the world with healthy food. However, this salmon is not for sale in many places, you will not find it in the regular supermarket. It is available in organic supermarkets such as Ekoplaza.
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