What are salmon side effects and benefits? Is salmon vegan? Gluten free? Acidic or alkaline? Low fodmap? Good for you? Healthy? Sustainable? Here are salmon pros and cons: all the info on salmon that every ethical consumer wants to know…
Food is something we consume every day and if you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on salmon benefits and side effects.
You are going to learn all about salmon benefits and side effects. This will include salmon benefits for your health and potential risks, salmon water footprint and salmon carbon footprint, salmon sustainability, if salmon is vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if salmon is good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about salmon benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Salmon Benefits And Side Effects
Health
Salmon side effects may include:
- hormonal disruption
- memory loss from PBCs
- sickness from bacterial contamination
- seafood is the number one cause of food poisoning in the United States
- food poisoning causes extreme discomfort
- high levels of mercury can lead to depression and anxiety
- antibiotic resistance (farmed)
- toxic chemicals known to cause cancer and brain degeneration
- toxic contaminants and heavy metals from polluted water habitats
- PBCs may cause liver damage, nervous system disorders, and fetal damage
- dioxins, also linked to cancer and death
- radioactive substances like strontium 90 and other dangerous contaminants like cadmium, mercury poisoning, lead, chromium, and arsenic, which can cause health problems such as kidney damage, impaired mental development and cancer
- high levels of mercury can lead to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism
- mercury exposure can also lead to high blood pressure, an increased risk of heart attacks and higher LDL (bad) cholesterol
- dehydration (smoked salmon, high in sodium)
Salmon benefits for health may include:
- anemia prevention
- lowered risk of rheumatoid arthritis
- lower cholesterol
- lower risk of heart disease
- hair growth
- hair health
- weight loss (unfried, unbuttered)
Additionally, salmon is…
- Acidic 6.0 pH level once digested
- Gluten Free (unbattered, unfried)
- A common Food Allergen: FISH
- Contains low levels of mercury
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Environment
Water footprint: unknown
Carbon footprint: high, 11.9 CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of farmed salmon, a car driving equivalent of 27.5 miles or 44.25 kilometers
Destruction: high, salmon production is relatively destructive, negative impact on marine ecosystems, discarded fishing nets pollute oceans, fishing damages coral, sponges and poses severe threat to marine habitats, farm-raised fish may escape their ponds and compete with local wild salmon, depleting the wild population, farmed salmon’s waste is pumped back into the ocean, polluting and further depleting natural habitats
Salmon is…
Animals
Kills: salmon, a type of fish
Harms: salmon, a type of fish, in salmon farms thousands of salmon are hatched into small spaces and cramped quarters leading to disease and bacteria, farmed fish spend their entire lives (up to two years) confined in tightly packed spaces, most farmed fish are predators and eat smaller fish, billions of wild fish must be caught in order to feed them, it can take several pounds of ocean fish to produce just one pound of farmed fish
Indirectly kills or harms: sea-life, such as dolphins, sea turtles, protected fish, whales, seabirds etc. known as “bycatch”, unwanted marine life that unintentionally get caught, hooked and entangled in fishing nets
Salmon is…
- Not Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems
Laborers
Health and safety: hazardous, fishing workers are at risk of accident, injury, and death, reports show 20% of workers and almost 50% of trafficked victims have been injured on the job, injuries include cuts, broken bone, lost fingers, hands and limbs, head injuries, electrocutions, workers get caught in machinery, get thrown overboard, deaths are reported, boat decks are slippery and in constant motion, there can be hazardous machinery present
Living conditions: poor, fishing boats often lack toilets, intensive labor, rapid exhaustion, workers are held at sea and work against their will, they load catch onto bigger, commercial fishing boats in exchange for food and supplies, seafood caught illegally from slave worker boats gets mixed in with legal, commercial fishing boats in order to remain undetected, boats filled with trafficked migrants do not dock, sometimes for years, keeping slave workers unseen, trapped at sea, continuing forced labor and abuse, fishing industries around the world are responsible for systematic, illegal,
continued…
fishing practices, human rights abuse, fishing workers are vulnerable to human trafficking and slave labor, in countries like Thailand (the third largest seafood exporter in the world), Burma, Indonesia, and Fiji seafood slavery is a major issue for migrant workers originally from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, seafood consumed in the United States is mostly from foreign sources
Wages: low, recruiters promise well paying jobs to poor, unskilled and vulnerable laborers, recruiters trick migrants into thinking they must work to pay off their debts, referred to as “debt peonage”, and little to no compensation for their work is given for long periods and maybe even years and are paid below the minimum wage
Salmon…
- Involves worker exploitation, laborer issues, human rights concerns
The world’s top salmon exporting country is UK, followed by Sweden, Greece, Iceland, Czechia, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Norway and Netherlands.
Chile and Canada are the largest suppliers of salmon, followed by Norway and the Faroe Islands.
About 80% of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported!
Yes and no. Salmon is high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, astaxanthin (a protective antioxidant) and contains potassium, selenium and B Vitamins. However, farmed salmon contains antibiotics, gmos and chemical disinfectants. Wild caught salmon has other issues including mercury and toxins from water pollution. Smoked salmon is high in sodium.
Is salmon alkaline or acidic?
Salmon is acidic.
What is the pH level of salmon?
Salmon has a 6.0 pH level once digested. Fish is an acidic food group.
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are found in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
Is salmon gluten free?
Yes, salmon is gluten free. Salmon does not contain gluten when unbreaded or unseasoned. Salmon is a type of fish, therefore making it a naturally gluten free food.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
Is salmon a common food allergen?
Yes, salmon is a common food allergen. Many people experience allergic reactions to salmon.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
- milk
- eggs
- fish
- crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- wheat
- soybeans
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
Is salmon high in mercury?
No, compared to other kinds seafood, salmon is relatively low in mercury but contains mercury nonetheless.
Mercury is metal that produces toxic effects to the body. If consumed in high quantities it poisons the kidneys and nervous system. Mercury occurs naturally at low levels in rock, water and soil…
However, human activity (most notably the burning of fossil fuels) has dangerously increased mercury levels to be around 450% higher than natural.
Which fish have mercury? Read more about Mercury Levels in Fish
Carbon footprint of salmon?
Salmon has a relatively high carbon footprint compared to other foods.
It takes around 11.9 CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of farmed salmon, a car driving equivalent of 27.5 miles or 44.25 kilometers.
Food not only has a water footprint but also a carbon footprint, known as CO2e, which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. Since carbon measurements are a bit more difficult to comprehend, it is common to equate CO2e to the distance which a car drives in miles or kilometers.
When calculating carbon emissions, some factors may include…
- farm equipment
- animal feed production
- hothouses (greenhouses)
- food processing
- packaging
- transport
- refrigeration
- freezing
- package waste and more
But that’s not all!
It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:
- shopping locally reduces transportation emissions
- food without packaging reduces waste as well as the carbon footprint
- refrigerated and frozen foods increase carbon emissions
- seasonal foods reduce carbon emissions from hothouses (greenhouses)
- growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint
Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
Is salmon sustainable?
No, salmon production is relatively unsustainable.
Whether farmed or wild caught, the seafood industry is environmentally destructive due to its direct impact on decreasing marine populations, polluting waters and habitat destruction.
Wild-caught fish and seafood is destructive due to overfishing (when populations die at a greater rate than they are able to replenish). Degraded ecosystems occur as a result and creates an imbalance that impacts important food chains. Consequently, vulnerable aquatic species like sea turtles and coral suffer. Scientists predict oceans will be fishless by 2048. Such a major loss in biodiversity would be catastrophic, as oceans regulate temperature and contribute to half of our oxygen on Earth.
There’s also an alarming amount of plastic pollution in our oceans. Abandoned and lost fishing gear make up more than 85% of all plastic pollution. Nets, traps and hooks continue to kill marine life. According to Greenpeace, “Abandoned fishing nets kill and injure more than 100,000 whales, dolphins, seals and turtles each year”.
Fish farming, or aquafarming, is not a sustainable alternative. Not only do farmed fish need to be fed fish to eat (perpetuating a never-ending cycle of fishing) but waters become contaminated with antibiotics (to prevent disease that inevitably occurs with overcrowded fish confinements), pesticides, parasites and fish feces. The toxic water then spreads to waterways and oceans, polluting ecosystems and eventually killing off wild fish populations.
All of the aforementioned fishing practices occur in order to meet global demand. The obvious solution for protecting our Earth’s oceans and waterways, marine habitats, ecosystems and wildlife is for consumers to significantly reduce or eliminate their seafood demand entirely.
Read more about ‘What Makes Food Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
Is salmon vegan?
No, salmon is not vegan. Salmon is a type of fish, therefore making it an animal-derived food. A salmon fish must be killed in order to produce salmon.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List
Does salmon have human rights issues?
Yes. There are reports of serious worker mistreatment regarding the seafood industry. Salmon is a product that has human rights concerns.
There are high numbers of trafficked people promised work but then held at sea against their will. Boats filled with trafficked migrants do not dock, sometimes for years on end, keeping slave workers unseen and trapped at sea, continuing the forced labor. Recruiters trick migrants into thinking they must work to pay off their debts, referred to as “debt peonage”. There is little to no compensation for their work which is given for long periods -maybe even years. Seafood caught illegally from slave worker boats gets mixed in with legal, commercial fishing boats in order to remain undetected.
Fishing workers everywhere are at risk of accident, injury, and death. Injuries include cuts, broken bones, lost fingers, hands and limbs, head injuries and electrocutions. Workers get caught in machinery, get thrown overboard and deaths are reported. Boats are in constant motion, decks are slippery and there can be hazardous machinery present.
Fishing industries around the world are responsible for systematic, illegal fishing practices and human rights abuse. Fishing workers are vulnerable to human trafficking and slave labor, especially in countries like Thailand (the third largest seafood exporter in the world), Burma, Indonesia and Fiji. Seafood slavery is a major issue for migrant workers originally from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
- Seafood consumed in the United States is mostly from foreign sources. Only 3% of fish and shellfish is caught or farmed in American territory!
- Many developed countries depend on imported seafood.
We improve lives around the world if we boycott problematic foods that are difficult for human rights authorities to regulate.
Be sure to read up on this list of ‘Foods You Should Always Buy Fair Trade‘
This post was all about salmon side effects and benefits.
Sources:
World Wide Fund for Nature: Overfishing
Agriculture marketing resource center: salmon
Animal equality: 4 WAYS THE FISHING INDUSTRY IS DESTROYING THE PLANET
