If you looked-up the best natural food sources of nutrients, you'd find salmon included in the "top 10 list" of riboflavin, vitamin D, vitamin B6, selenium, phosphorus, niacin, vitamin B12 and essential fatty acids. Although some nutritional values change slightly, canned salmon contains essentially the same nutritional value as a fresh fillet.
Definition
Canned salmon is usually wild sockeye or pink salmon from Alaska, states information from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The EDF rates canned salmon as an "eco-best" choice because Pacific salmon are a well-managed fish stock and they're low in contaminants. The nutrition information in this article is obtained from USDA data as provided by NutritionData.com. The values are for a 1-oz. serving of canned pink salmon, drained solids with bone.
Basic Nutrition
For only 38 calories, you gain 6.5g of high-quality protein. This represents 13 percent of the recommended daily value (DV) of protein (based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet). Salmon has no carbohydrates or dietary fiber.
Fats
One serving of canned salmon has 1.4g of total fats. This includes 23mg of cholesterol (8 percent DV), as well as healthier monounsaturated fats (0.2g) and polyunsaturated (0.4g). You'll also receive the heart-healthy fatty acids: 339mg of omega-3 and 26.6mg of omega-6 fatty acids. Although this is a small amount of omega-6, salmon is an excellent source of omega-3; 1 oz. provides 21.25 percent of the recommended adequate intake for men and 30.9 percent for women.
Vitamins
Canned pink salmon is a rich source of vitamin B12, with 1.4mcg, or 23 percent of the recommended value. It supplies 0.008mg of thiamin, 0.1mg of both riboflavin and niacin, 0.2mg of pantothenic acid and 0.029mg of vitamin B6. These values represent between 1 to 3 percent DV. You'll gain 1 percent DV of vitamin E (0.4mg). Even though salmon has 1mcg of folate and 21 IU of vitamin A, these are only trace amounts.
Minerals
Canned salmon is a good source of selenium (11.1mcg or 16 percent DV) and phosphorus (102mg or 10 percent), but it also provides other essential minerals: 0.3mg of iron (1 percent DV), 9.5mg of magnesium (2 percent DV), 87.1mg of potassium (2 percent DV), 0.3mg of zinc (2 percent DV), 0.04mg of copper (2 percent DV) and 0.01mg of manganese (1 percent DV).
Choline
Choline must be obtained through dietary sources because our bodies don't produce enough of this important nutrient. Choline is needed to build the structure of cell membranes, for the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and for the liver to transport fats. A 1-oz. serving of canned pink salmon provides 24.6mg of choline, which is 4.5 percent of the recommended adequate intake for men and 5.8 percent for women.
Comparison
Salmon is a rich source of vitamin D, but canned salmon actually has more than raw. Canned salmon contains 130 IU of vitamin D (33 percent DV) compared to 87 IU found in raw salmon. One nutrient that increases in canned salmon that is not beneficial is salt. Raw pink salmon only has 19mg of sodium, which is a trace amount. In canned salmon, sodium goes up to 112mg, or 5 percent DV. Even though raw salmon only has 4mg of calcium and canned has 78mg, keep in mind that the nutritional values for canned salmon include the bones and they will probably be picked away from the meat before eating.
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