If you are trying to limit the amount of red meat you eat, fish like salmon makes a healthful alternative protein source. Salmon is also rich in other nutrients that you need, including heart-healthy omega-3 fats and a number of vitamins and minerals. Although farmed salmon is less expensive, you might be better off getting your protein in wild salmon.
Healthy Protein
Although red meat is high in protein, it is also high in fat and saturated fat. A 3-oz. serving of broiled porterhouse steak contains 19 g of protein and 22 g of fat, 8 g of which are saturated. Vegetable sources of protein, poultry and fish are better options since they contain protein but don't contain as much fat and saturated fat as red meat. For example, 3 oz. of grilled farmed salmon has 19 g of protein, along with 10 g of fat, only 2 g of which are saturated. Most of the fat in salmon is the healthy omega-3 type.
Other Nutrients
That same 3-oz. serving of grilled salmon provides you with 40 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin B-12 for the day, 35 percent of niacin, 30 percent of vitamin B-6, 20 percent of phosphorus and thiamine, 8 percent of folate and riboflavin, 6 percent of vitamin C and magnesium and 2 percent of iron and zinc.
Possible Health Benefits
The omega-3 fats in grilled salmon may help lower your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, abnormal heartbeat, plaque buildup in your arteries and high triglyceride levels. To get these health benefits, eat salmon or other fatty fish containing omega-3 fats at least twice a week, recommends the American Heart Association.
Considerations
Eat wild salmon rather than farmed salmon when possible, as farmed salmon is usually higher in contaminants such as PCBs, reports the Environmental Defense Fund. Wild chum and pink salmon are particularly low in contaminants due to their diet, as are most wild salmon from Alaska. Salmon farms can also cause pollution in nearby areas because of the concentrated waste they produce.
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