For starters, salmon skin is packed with nutrients that can help you reach your recommended daily guidelines if you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Although salmon as a whole is an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acid there is a particular abundance of this essential fatty acid in the skin of the fish. Most western diets are currently deficient in the Omega oils so consuming the skin of the salmon on your plate is an excellent way to top up your Omega 3 levels with a meal you have already prepared and paid for! Meeting your recommended intake of Omega 3 fatty acids each day has a positive effect on the body’s natural ability to treat inflammation.

So What Are Some Salmon Skin Nutrition Facts?

Although not to everyone’s tastes you can also eat most bones found within salmon to boost your calcium intake, if you do intend to do this then be aware that the meal has bones in as salmon bones are small enough to become lodged in your throat if you are not expecting it with your food.

Salmon skin is also a good source of the minerals phosphorus and potassium and also contains trace amounts of various other essential minerals along with various proteins and amino acids and generous helpings of both vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

So What Are Some Salmon Skin Benefits When Consumed?

As previously touched upon the omega 3 pounds in the skin of the salmon is an excellent and natural way to enhance your body’s anti-inflammatory capability. It helps optimize the brain’s working levels as well as reduce inflammation around the whole body.

The regular consumption of omega 3 has also been proven to help prevent osteoporosis. One study published by Ohio State University stated that they noticed a remarkable drop in natural hip fractures in women over a fifteen-year period in those who consumed the recommended amount of omega 3 each day.

Omega 3 is also essential for the brain to carry out various brain functions as well as repairs itself from damage, research into the effects of Omega 3 on the brain has also released papers confirming that long-term omega 3 supplementations can prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

The large helping of Vitamin D found in both the fish itself and its skin can top up your vitamin D levels to that of a normal recommended intake. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to various types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis.

Should I Go With Farmed Salmon Or Wild Salmon?

Although farmed salmon is much more readily available and is also a lot more cost-effective it is, unfortunately, deficient in many of the nutrients found in its wild counterparts. This is largely due to the fact the salmon are reared on an artificial pellet-based diet rather than the crustaceans, flies, and smaller fish they could consume in the wild.

Although research has been widely published stating that farmed salmon has high levels of mercury and other toxins it does depend on where the salmon farm is located. There is constant research going on by organizations such as the FDA to monitor the toxin levels in our food and a recent study stated that farmed salmon can contain not only mercury but pesticides, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls.

Some studies suggest that the farms dose their fish with various anti-bionics to prevent their fish from catching and rapidly spreading disease to the rest of their farm. In theory, this can lower the effect of anti-bionics on your body when prescribed by your doctor when you actually need it.

It is also important that you understand the term “wild-caught” does not always mean you are purchasing wild salmon. Some salmon that are labeled as wild-caught in the supermarkets actually began their life in a salmon hatchery, matured, and then released into the wild to be caught. These fish also poses many of the negatives of their farmed salmon counterparts.

When shopping for salmon always try to find the “Alaskan Wild Caught” badge on the packaging. Due to their remoteness, Alaskan salmon contain very little toxins, their meat is also extremely tasty due to their naturally varied diets.

How To Shop For Salmon?

If you are at your local fishmonger or supermarket’s fish counter then you would hope that the attendant will be able to advise you accordingly on what you are buying but sometimes this is not the case so here are a few ways to check if the salmon you are buying is healthy. On a quick side note, if you do have an experienced attendant just take a moment to ask him ” can you actually eat salmon skin ?” I’m sure his reply will echo that of ours in this article.

Anyway back to business, some of these are not applicable in all cases as the salmon may already have been filtered and packaged but always try to buy a fish with clear eyes. Check to make sure it has consistent coloring with no dark spots. If able poke its flesh if the dent remains to stay away! If the flesh springs back to its previous position after around five seconds it is good to go. Make sure the fish’s flesh is intact and free of any cuts that may not have been made by the fishmonger’s blade. Fresh salmon should not actually smell like the stereotypical fishy smell, if it does then it has started to go off, and although usually still safe to eat I would avoid it if I did not plan to eat the fish that night.