Know which is the healthiest fish to eat 1:38
(CNN) -
We all try to make healthier choices, but when it comes to fish, is one type really better than another?
Nutritionally speaking, there is no wrong choice when it comes to fish and shellfish as a food group.
"As an animal source, it has one of the lowest amounts of saturated fat relative to protein," says Lourdes Castro, a registered dietitian and director of the New York University Food Laboratory.
In addition to being a lean protein, fish and shellfish are high in vitamins D and B and minerals such as iron, potassium, and calcium.
Most importantly, they are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for the cellular composition of our body and can support cardiovascular health and the immune system.
Since the body cannot make its own omega-3s, all of our intake must come from the food we eat.
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"Our diets often don't contain a lot of omega-3s," says Mary Ellen Camire, professor of Food Sciences and Human Nutrition at the University of Maine.
Eating fish and shellfish twice a week is a sure way to increase our intake of these essential fatty acids.
Surprise, it's the salmon
From a nutritional point of view, salmon is the clear winner of the healthiest fish competition.
"Fatty cold-water fish are a better source of omega-3s" than other sources, Camire says, and salmon is king when it comes to omega-3s per serving.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend that men consume 1.6 grams and women 1.1 grams of omega-3s per day, and an 85-gram serving of almost all varieties of salmon exceed that quota.
Alaskan Chinook salmon (also known as king salmon), coho salmon, and sockeye salmon are the three wild salmon species with the highest omega-3 content.
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Wild or farm?
Sustainability is the other part of the equation when it comes to calculating the healthiest fish, both for personal health and for the health of fish populations and the planet in general.
"Today, there are environmentally sustainable sources on both the wild and farmed sides," says Santi Roberts, scientific director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch organization.
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Farmed salmon is not only managed more sustainably than in the past, it is taking a leap forward in terms of omega-3s.
"From a nutritional point of view, wild salmon was previously considered superior to farmed salmon," Castro said.
However, Camire said that with advances in aquaculture, fish farmers can adjust the diet of their salmon to produce fish that have a higher proportion of omega-3s than their wild counterparts.
Sustainable aquaculture is also a proactive way for fisheries to cope with the effects of climate change.
"There are not enough fish in the ocean to feed everyone based on the nutritional recommendations for the food group," Castro said.
Camire agrees.
"Wild is an attractive idea," he said, but he wonders how Alaska's wild fish will fare for decades to come.
"If we feed billions of people and the climate warms, we will have to do something different."
Other healthy options and fish to avoid
Oysters are quite rich in omega-3s.
Apart from salmon, there are other varieties of fish and shellfish that measure up both in terms of personal health and planetary sustainability.
Bivalves, a class of mollusk that includes oysters, mussels and clams, are relatively high in omega-3s and are a good choice from an environmental point of view, according to Roberts.
Unlike finfish, bivalves do not need to be fed feed when raised in a farmed environment;
They take all their nutrients from the water around them.
They can also filter out impurities and offset waste that enters the environment, which Roberts says is often a problem in farmed shellfish.
Camire also recommended US-raised rainbow trout as a good alternative to salmon.
"They don't have as many omega-3s as salmon, but they are related," he said, and US farms must follow federal and state food safety regulations.
Tuna, while high in omega-3 fatty acids and a superior nutritional option, is more difficult to obtain sustainably.
Wild tuna populations have been decimated by overfishing, and the fish themselves can be high in mercury.
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Nutrition and sustainability experts don't think we should avoid eating tuna altogether, but it takes a bit of research to make sure we're choosing the most reasonable option.
"We must avoid eating bluefin tuna until we see a significant improvement in the management of those stocks," said Roberts.
If you want to eat tuna, bonito and albacore offer almost the same amount of omega-3s and are the two species most commonly found in tuna cans.
Roberts recommends looking for the phrases "angled" or "trolled" on the label.
Similarly, sardines and mackerel are high in omega-3s, but are no longer recommended as sustainable options due to concerns about overfishing of these species.
How to choose wisely
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the seafood labels at the fishmonger, that's understandable.
But today, apps and websites run by scientific and non-profit organizations can help you make the healthiest choices.
Seafood Watch, the grading program run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has been providing seafood purchasing recommendations based on sustainability standards for two decades.
Their system is simple: green is the best option, red is a product to avoid, and it encompasses both wild and farmed options from around the world.
"It's a dynamic and complex world; what we're trying to do is simplify it and go green," explains Roberts.
Clams are a good source of omega-3s and a good choice for the environment.
The simplest option for farmed seafood is to make sure it is actually raised in the United States, which has stricter food safety standards than many overseas operations. "You can say that the national seafood is the Cadillac of seafood when it comes to environmental sustainability," says Joshua Stoll, associate professor of Marine Policy in the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine.
Seafood Finder is a new directory for the Local Catch Network, a program created to support local and community seafood businesses (and of which Stoll is a member).
Its location-based search helps consumers find sustainable fishmongers through various channels, such as local commerce, CSAs and subscription boxes, or nationwide direct shipping.
If you want to reduce your impact on the planet and at the same time take advantage of the health benefits of fish, Stoll suggests that you think about this food group in the same way as local products or meat.
"It doesn't just matter where you get the seafood, but who you get it from," he says.
By purchasing salmon and other seafood options from community fishmongers and companies with sustainable farming methods, you are making the healthiest choice for everyone.
Seafood Watch's Guide to Eating Sustainably
The best:
Abalone (farmed)
Savelino (arctic trout) (farmed)
Sea Bass (grown in the USA)
Catfish (USA)
Clams (farmed)
Cockles
Pacific cod (Alaska)
Crab: King, Snow & Tanner (Alaska)
Lionfish (USA)
Mussels (farmed)
Oysters (farmed)
Red snapper (Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington)
Sablefish / black cod (Alaska)
Salmon (New Zealand)
Sole (California, Oregon and Washington)
Scallop (farmed)
Shrimp (farmed in the US)
Squid (California)
Sturgeon (raised in the USA)
Swordfish (hand lines, harpoons)
Tilapia (Canada, Ecuador, Peru and USA)
Trout (grown in the USA)
Tuna: White tuna (trolling, pole and lines)
Tuna: Bonito (Pacific trolling, pole and lines)
Good alternatives
Clams (wild from USA and Canada)
Cod: Atlantic (hand lines, rods and lines)
Cod: Pacific (Canada and USA)
Crab: King of the South (Argentina)
Lobster: Spiny (USA)
Mahi Mahi (Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and US longlines)
Monkfish (USA)
Oysters (wild in the US)
Pollock (Canadian longlines, gillnets and USA)
Salmon: Atlantic (Canada and Maine, farmed)
Salmon (California, Oregon, and Washington)
Scallop: Sea (wild)
Shrimp (wild in Canada and the US, grown in Ecuador, Honduras, and Thailand)
Squid (Chile and Peru)
Squid: giant (China)
Swordfish (US, trolling)
Tilapia (Colombia, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico and Taiwan)
Trout (Canada and Chile)
Tuna: Albacore (US longlines)
Tuna: bonito (free bank, imported trolling, pole and line, US longline)
Tuna: Yellowfin (free bank, trolling, pole and longline, US longline)
Avoid
Basa / Pangasius / Swai
Sea Bass - Striped (American Gill Net, Pound Net)
Cod: Atlantic (gillnet, longline, trawl)
Cod: Pacific (Japan and Russia)
Crab (Asia and Russia)
Halibut: Atlantic (wild)
Lobster: Spiny (Belize, Brazil, Honduras and Nicaragua)
Mahi Mahi (Peru and Taiwan)
Orange stripe
Octopus
Pollock (Canada, trawls and Russia)
Salmon (Canada, Chile, Norway and Scotland)
Sharks
Shrimp (other imported sources)
Squid (Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand)
Swordfish (imported longlines)
Tilapia (China)
Tuna: White tuna (imported, except trolling, pole and lines)
Tuna: Bluefin
Tuna: Bonito (imported, purse seines and Indian Ocean)
Tuna: Yellowfin (imported longlines, purse seines and Indian Ocean)
Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Seafood Watch
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