Common Sense
This is going to make sense when you hear it, but it's possible you've never thought of it before. The nutritional value of the animals you eat is directly effected by the nutritional value of what THEY eat. This concept goes as far back as the Old Testament. The Hebrew laws on "clean" and "unclean" meats are based on what the animal consumes. Marine life that are considered "bottom feeders" are unclean, because they consume waste. Cows are clean because they have four stomachs and digest their food so thoroughly that toxins do not linger in the meaty tissue that we eat. Modern science has proven that the biblically unclean animals pass more toxin on to their consumers that do the clean animals. So this concept applies to fish.
Fish Farming
Remember the Food Chain? Here is an example: Algae and other small sea plants are consumed by small fish. Then these small, oily fish are consumed by larger fish. Then we consume the larger fish.
The amino acids in these oils originate in the algae, as do TONS of other nutrients. Algae is considered a "super food" and you can even buy it in supliment form at the health food store. But before we had the technology for this, we got these nutrients from eating fish. Fish farming, however, has gotten in the way of nature's food chain. Fish in these farms are given diets that are not normal for them. Salmon get their pink color from the krill that they eat, but farmed salmon does not have the same diet so they are grey in color. But don't fear, the industry has started feeding salmon a synthetic pigment so that they will develop their pink color and fool all us consumers. Fish farmers are even experimenting with the use of corn as fish food. Like we need more modified corn in our lives!
My point is, man has gotten in the way of nature's plan. God's plan. And as usual, it is at a price. You will not recieve the same benefits from most fish that you once might have. Farmed fish makes up 30% of fish sold in the United States, and that is mostly going to be in the non-coastal regions. So if you are buying fish, read the labels carefully. (As you should with all food) Buy fish that was not farm raised, AND buy fish that are considered "clean." This is not just a biblical perspective, but a health perspective. I have provided a list below of the kinds of fish you should look for in order to limit your intake of toxins.
Clean Fish
Anchovy | Minnow |
