Nutritional Value Of Keta Salmon Vs. Sockeye Salmon

Keta salmon and sockeye salmon are excellent sources of protein and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which may be beneficial to your health. Protein works to build up your bones, muscles and other parts of your body, including your hormones. Both of these types of fish are low in calories. Keta salmon and sockeye salmon originate from the North Pacific. Young keta salmon and the majority of sockeye salmon live in saltwater, but travel to fresh water to reproduce. When not mating, keta and sockeye salmon can be found in marine waters.

Nutritional Facts

There are 120 calories in a 100 g serving of keta salmon, or chum salmon. The total fat content of keta salmon is 3.77 g. Keta salmon also contains 74 mg of cholesterol, 36.5 mcg of selenium, 50 mg of sodium and 20.14 g of protein. Sockeye salmon contains 168 calories per 100 g serving and 8.56 g of total fat. There are 62 mg of cholesterol, 33.7 mcg of selenium, 47 mg of sodium and 21.3 g of protein in 100 g of sockeye salmon.

History

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, just about 50 percent of the total amount of salmonids that lived in the Pacific Ocean before the 1940s was chum salmon. Sockeye salmon was a valuable source of nutrition to the aboriginal people. They consumed sockeye salmon right after catching it, but they also let the salmon dry out for consumption later on.

Significance

Although keta and sockeye salmon are good sources of protein, their nutritional values differ. For someone with a watchful eye on sodium consumption, sockeye salmon may be the better choice since it contains 3 less mg of sodium than keta salmon. Information on the nutritional value of these two types of fish may be important to someone who wants more protein in his diet, in which case, keta salmon would be the better choice. Someone interested in consuming more selenium should choose keta salmon over sockeye.

Benefits

Fish consumption supplies you with omega-3 fatty acids along with vitamins and minerals that are good for your health. Eating keta or sockeye salmon contributes to healthy brain performance and a reduction in blood pressure --- consumption of these fish lowers your chance of developing heart disease. The omega-3 fatty acids in keta and sockeye salmon also help protect you against the development of arthritis. Keta salmon and Sockeye salmon are high in these fatty acids.

Suggestions

Include keta salmon or sockeye salmon in your diet two or three times a week to obtain the health benefits these fish offer. To reduce the amount of contaminants these fish may contain, discard the skin. You may also want to cook salmon by baking, grilling or broiling it. Measure the cooking time by checking how thick the fish is. Each inch requires 10 minutes of cooking. If the salmon is frozen, add 10 more minutes to each inch.