Smoked salmon is a common accompaniment to scrambled eggs or combined with cream cheese as a tasty bagel topping. Your local grocery store may carry prepackaged or fresh smoked salmon -- most often made from salmon fillet -- but you can also cure and smoke salmon in your own kitchen or in an outdoor smoker. While smoked salmon is considered healthy for most people because of the high nutrient content, the high levels of sodium may put it out of reach for those with heart conditions.
Basic Nutrition
A 100 g serving of smoked salmon -- approximately 3.5 oz. -- contains 161 calories, as well as 8.2 g fat. While this may seem like quite a bit of fat, only 1.5 g comes from saturated fat. Limiting your consumption of saturated fat to 15 g or less per day helps keep your risk of heart disease low. Smoked salmon contains zero g carbohydrates, but it serves as a rich source of high-quality protein. One serving provides you with 23.2 g protein, or 41.1 to 50.4 percent of the 46 to 56 g your meal plan should include each day.
Vitamins
Eat one serving of smoked salmon, and you satisfy a significant portion of your daily needs for vitamin B12; one portion provides 71 percent of the daily recommended intake. You will also take in 44 percent of the niacin, also known as vitamin B1, you require each day. The niacin in smoked salmon is critical for nerve function. Additionally, one serving of smoked salmon contains 32 percent of vitamin B6, important for how your body utilizes the protein in your diet.
Minerals
Including smoked salmon in your diet provides you with 31 percent of the phosphorus you need each day per serving. The phosphorus in this salmon plays a role in helping your body to store the energy it needs. A serving of smoked salmon contains 20 percent of your daily iodine requirements as well, which contributes toward the function of your thyroid. Smoked salmon has 17 percent of the thiamine and 9 percent of the potassium you need each day as well.
Benefits
The American Heart Association recommends you consume at least two servings of fish per week to get your fill of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and smoked salmon contains high amounts of this substance. Salmon contains 1.1 to 1.9 g omega-3 fatty acids per 3 oz. serving, one of the greatest levels of all available fish.
Considerations
A serving of smoked salmon has 1,150 mg sodium, satisfying more than two-thirds of the suggested daily limit of 1,500 mg. Lower your intake of sodium further still -- 1,200 mg -- to reduce your risk of heart problems. If you are pregnant, limit your intake of smoked salmon to only two 6 oz. servings per week. While salmon contains low levels of mercury, it still contains some. Too much mercury can damage your fetus.
References
- Food Network: Smoked Salmon
- FitBit: Salmon, Smoked
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Health Guidelines
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes (PDF)
- Australian Government Dept of Health and Aging: Vitamins and Minerals
- American Heart Association: Fish 101; May 20, 2010
