I like to eat salmon but I am distressed to learn that there is quite a variation in the fat content of different types.

The salmon from Alaska labeled as Chum or as Pink is relatively low fat -- while the rest is high fat.

I believe hum and/or Pink is the kind of salmon you get form a can -- but I prefer to eat all my foods fresh.

And I have not been able to find Chum or Pink. Mostly Coho and Sockey -- which has double the fat content.

I shop at Whole Foods and I see the array of salmon they seel and you can see the ones that are fairly fatty. The Coho and the Sockey that I see there seem to have no visible fat at all.

Could the table be worng? Sometimes, when one place ahs it wrong then other sites just copy that wrong information. I can't believe how often that happens. :rolleyes:

Any thoughts anyone?

Well, I guess I was able to find the answer to my own question.

From Wikipedia:

Ocean caught coho is regarded as excellent table fare. It has a moderate to high amount of fat, which is considered essential when judging taste. Only Spring Chinook and Sockeye salmon have higher levels of fats in their meat.


So that is probably why it is pretty hard to find the lower fat salmon- taste and popularity is the issue. :(

So I decided to make my salmon meals a combo of salmon and scallops to get the rigth macros I want. That's OK :nod:

I like to eat salmon but I am distressed to learn that there is quite a variation in the fat content of different types.


You'll actually find a significant seasonal variation in fat levels of salmon as well.

The body composition of protein and fat in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and brown trout Salmo trutta before and after winter (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119109395/abstract)was investigated in a temperate, small river, normally ice covered from the middle of November until the end of March. Fat, protein and specific energy declined greatly in winter but were replenished rapidly in spring. Rates of decline were slower for the smallest fish, which also had the lowest specific content of fat, protein, and energy, while the differences in absolute amounts were greatest for the largest fish. The mean specific fat content was reduced by 45–70% during winter, relative to the pre-winter period (September). Mean daily reductions in specific enegy of the larger size groups of brown trout (3·7 × 10−3 kJ g−1 day−1) were almost half of the corresponding values for the largest Atlantic salmon (6·3 × 10−3 kJ g−1 day−1) during winter. A minor reduction in protein content was found during winter, with mean reductions of 6–10% in comparison to those in September. During spring the fat content was replenished rapidly, particularly for the smallest salmon fry (a threefold increase from April to June). Fat content in the larger salmon and trout increased by about 1·8 times. Based on estimated metabolic rates, digested energy during wintertime may contribute about two-thirds of the brown trout fry's energy demand.
and a significant variance between different fish of the same species at the same time of year as well.

Near-infrared transmittance spectroscopy was used to determine the average fat content in farmed Atlantic salmon fillets (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119203626/abstract)with skin and scales. The fat content was 5.7–17.6% and weight range 1.0–5.4 kg.

I don't think there's any reason to be distressed about this though. I doubt that it's possible to get too much omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Remember, there's a big variation in fat levels in all the different grades of beef as well.

I don't think there's any reason to be distressed about this though. I doubt that it's possible to get too much omega-3 fatty acids in your diet.

X2.

The fat in salmon is very healthy, and many of us (including me!) eat salmon specifically for the fat content. :nod:

Guava - that was very interesting. It is also consistent with the theory of building up the fat stores to consume over the winter when less food will be around. (It's also interesting that there is actually a Journal of Fish Biology -- source of Guava's quote she linked to.)

I guess that explains, since it is March, why the fish I see looks so lean.

WRT the EFA's -- that's why I eat it. The proportion of fat to protein just makes it more difficult to fit it into my food plan for the time of day when I want to eat it -- so I will still be eating a lb a week just spread out over more meals and supplemented with scallops (which I also love :drool:)

Justita,
Do you buy wild or farm raised salmon? Or does Whole Foods not sell farm raised salmon. They say wild salmon is much more healthier, and I think if it labeled Alaskan or Canadian, then it is wild, since I don't think they are allowed to farm raise salmon in those places. They say the fat in farm raised salmon is not as healthy as wild, since the fish are not feed a diet that is the same as wild salmon.