Many people eat fish because it has less fat than other kinds of meat, and they think the "good fat" it does have may help prevent coronary artery disease, inflammatory disorders, depression, and Alzheimer's. But fish, like people, are what they eat, and they're leaner and healthier when they exercise.
Farm-raised fish have more total fat than their wild counterparts, and their ratio of good, omega-3 fats to bad, saturated fats is much lower. Why? Wild fish aren't fattened on fish meal, corn, or soy pellets. Instead, they hunt down their food, which makes them leaner and by most accounts tastier.
Wild fish are also not dosed with antibiotics as their cousins are down on the fish farm. Some wild fish, such as salmon, are hard to get year-round, so buy them frozen or choose another in-season variety. But don't overdo it with species such as shark and swordfish that may be contaminated with mercury.
As is often the case with healthier foods, you may pay more per pound for the wild varieties, especially when they're not in season. But you might find it's worth a few extra dollars when it comes to better taste and nutrition.
By Kate Murphy
Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.
Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed.
Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video.
To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here.
Copyright 2003, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
Printer-Friendly Version
Farm-raised fish have more total fat than their wild counterparts, and their ratio of good, omega-3 fats to bad, saturated fats is much lower. Why? Wild fish aren't fattened on fish meal, corn, or soy pellets. Instead, they hunt down their food, which makes them leaner and by most accounts tastier.
