What Fish Should You Avoid At The Supermarket?

There are a lot of ideas, theories, and claims out there as to what fish you should eat and avoid. However, it all becomes muddled very easily and both Devon and I wanted to clarify which fish you should avoid (and why) versus which fish are okay and healthy to eat.

As you tune in, today we’ll cover:

• The difference between Omega 3s and Omega 6s
• Which fish we should be consuming the most on a regular basis.
• Farm-raised fish vs. Wild caught fish and the sustainability of both
• Mercury and radiation poisoning – do we have to be so concerned about it?
• Raw vs cooked fish – Is one better than the other?

 

Omega 3s vs Omega 6s

What’s the difference between fish with Omega 3 fatty acids and those Omega 6 fatty acids? Fish with Omega 6s have pro-inflammatory fatty acid and fish with Omega 3 have anti-inflammatory fatty acid.

So, what’s best? When it comes down to it, we want a good amount of both to help balance the amount. Omega 6 actually comes from a lot of processed foods like soybean oils, fried foods, and canola oil. Therefore, the best thing is to eat fish with lots of Omega 3 fatty acids to balance all the other Omega 6 fatty acids we regularly consume.

 

Farm-Raised vs Wild Caught Fish

Whether commercial fish is farm-raised or wild caught, they both have various cons. On the other hand, when it comes to sustainability, there are different types of fish that are okay and even really beneficial in some cases to eat.

The Cons of Farm-Raised Commercial Fishing

The problems with farm fishing include:

1. Farming carnivorous fish that have to feed on other fish like sardines and anchovies
2. The amount of waste that’s created by the fish in such a tiny environment
3. Using nets too close to migrating fish which will be affected by the excess amount of waste caused by farmed fish
4. Pesticides being used to control diseases which can also leak into surrounding waters in the environment
5. Ichthyophthirius multifiliis commonly called ich or ick which can lead to white spot disease in both the farmed-fish which can also spread to wild fish.
6. Mangroves and wetlands being destroyed to create fish farms.

However, these farm-raised fish are okay to eat as far as sustainability:

• Tilapia
• Catfish
• Arctic Char
• Cobia
• Shellfish

The Cons of Wild-Caught Commercial Fishing

The problems with the fishing commercial industry and wild-caught fish:

1. Over-fishing
2. Illegal fishing
3. Throwing out fish they don’t want
4. Catching endangered species like sharks and turtles
5. The fishing gear itself ruining coral reefs and the ocean environment

 

The Best Fish To Buy

According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, the best fish we can eat are and in the following order:

1. Atlantic Mackeral
2. Salmon
3. Herring
4. Sardines
5. Oysters
6. Anchovies
7. Cavier

Fish that have the lowest amounts of selenium to mercury ratios that you should avoid.

1. Pilot Whale Fish
2. Shark
3. King Mackeral
4. Swordfish
5. Tilefish

As far as in the USA, other great fish we can find here include:

• Arctic Char
• Catfish (USA made)
• Cod (Pacific)
• Clams, Muscles, & Oysters
• Salmon (New Zealand)
• Shrimp (USA farmed)

Good alternatives:

• Cod (Atlantic/Pacific)
• Salmon (Canada Pacific/ USA)

Fish to avoid:

• Salmon (Canada Atlantic, Chile, Norway, Scotland)
• Cod (Atlantic: Canada/ USA)
• Cod (Pacific: Japan, Russia)

 

What You’ll Hear on This Episode

00:00 Open Sky Fitness Introduction

1:15  Opening comments with Rob and Devon

1:30 Check out last week’s show: OSF 221 – 10 Vital Habits For Building Muscle Mass And Losing Body Fat with Jason Leenaarts

3:30 Why it’s so important to drink at least 80 oz of water a day.

5:00 What other habits you can expect to build on to help lose weight during the Sky Fit Challenge including adding more vegetables to their meals.

6:30 What kinds of workouts we do during the Sky Fit Challenge.

7:30 The benefits of focusing on staying away from processed foods and sugars during the Sky Fit Challenge.

11:10  Why we chose to talk about seafood and nutrition today.

12:00 How often you should have fish and what nutrition benefits it has.

13:20 All about Omega 3s vs Omega 6s

16:00 The amount of Omega 6 fatty acids in our system and the cons to that.

16:30 Benefits of balancing our omegas by consuming fish with fatty Omega 3 acids.

17:00 Which fish have the highest amount of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids that we should be consuming the most on a regular basis.

21:30 The differences between farm-raised and wild caught fish, pros and cons, plus which fish are best to eat from each category.

33:00 How fish ranches work and why they’re not a good thing.

36:00 Mercury – When did we become so concerned about it? Should we be concerned about it? Which fish actually have mercury?

36:50 Where mercury actually comes from in our environment and how the fish get it.

37:30 Why mercury isn’t as much of an issue as we used to think it was because of the high amounts of selenium in some fish.

39:00 Which fish have the lowest amounts of selenium to mercury ratios that you should avoid.

1. Pilot Whale Fish
2. Shark
3. King Mackeral
4. Swordfish
5. Tilefish

39:45 How environmental protective agencies led us to be more fearful of mercury in our fish.

40:40 The amount of radiation that’s actually in fish.

44:20 Raw vs Cooked Fish – is there a difference?

45:20 The general list of best fish to consume, different alternatives, and what’s best to avoid

46:40 Final comments with Rob and Devon

1:22:00 Open Sky Fitness Closing

 

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• Check out last week’s episode: OSF 221 – 10 Vital Habits For Building Muscle Mass And Losing Body Fat with Jason Leenaarts
• Learn more about the best fish to buy from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch

 

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Look Out For Our Upcoming

Throw Back Thursday Podcast Episodes!

We’ll be releasing new podcasts episodes on Thursdays that discuss previous episodes we’ve done, but we need your help! Go to the  Open Sky Fitness Facebook Group and tell us what your favorite episodes are. Then, Devon and I will re-listen to that episode, pick out the best parts and share even more insights on the topic.

We won’t just be regurgitating the same information over again. Since we began this podcast, there’s so much more information out their on health, nutrition, fitness, and personal wellness. So, each Thursday we’ll really just be going deeper into your favorite topics!

 

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Thanks for listening/reading episode 222 – What Fish Should You Avoid At The Supermarket! We hope you have gained more knowledge on how to be a healthier you.