Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to overall health and in particular heart, brain and eye function. In fact your brain is almost 60% fat.

There are plenty of fish in the sea, however not all fish are made equal. Fish such as sardines, tuna, salmon, rainbow trout, bass and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients; this means they cannot be manufactured by the body and must be consumed in the diet.

Fish oil supplements can help meet these needs. Cod-liver oil supplements are also rich in vitamin A and D.

Fishy Fish?

Recent reports suggest that some fish may be laced with contaminants such as

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury. A study also found that farmed salmon

contains higher levels of PCBs than wild salmon. Farmed salmon may have higher levels

due to their concentrated feed. Most Atlantic, restaurant and fresh supermarket salmon

come from a farm. You’ll also know by the price; fresh and frozen wild salmon is more

expensive than lower cost farmed salmon. So, what’s a health-conscious fish eater to do?

Food and drug safety inspections have determined that both farmed and wild

salmon fall well below their safe PCB levels of 2,000 parts per billion, so are safe to eat.

As the scales on a fish act like a filter, catching toxins in the water, grilling or cooking

fish without the skin will help reduce the PCB content. If you’re still concerned consider

asking for wild salmon or purchasing canned salmon, which is usually wild. Dine on a

varied selection of fish and take regular fish oil supplements, which are carefully

screened for toxins. You may also prefer to avoid high-mercury seafood such as

swordfish and save the expense of a lobster dinner, which is also surprisingly low in

nutritious omega-3 fatty acids.