YOU Docs Daily
Is Wild Smoked Salmon as Good as Poached?
Q. Is smoked salmon as healthful as poached wild salmon? I find cooking fish a hassle, and it smells up the house. But I still want salmon's health benefits.
-- Tim, via e-mail
A. Smoked salmon is delicious and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. But for all the flavor and omega-3s, we have two reasons for not liking smoked or grilled salmon as much as the poached wild stuff, or even salmon burgers (SeaPak at Sam’s, Trident at Costco):
- Smoking or grilling fish (meat, too) increases cancer-causing substances known as PAHs (for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -- now you know why it's shorthanded). Although some research suggests the PAH levels in smoked fish are below the scary limit, we'd still rather not have PAH circulating in our bodies.
- Smoked salmon is saturated with salt. Just 3 ounces has 666 milligrams of sodium -- more than a quarter of your daily maximum, and almost as much as a hot dog, which is basically an edible salt lick.
We're not saying you can never, ever have smoked salmon; just think small. A thin slice of smoked salmon topping a schmear of herbed nonfat cream cheese on a 100% whole-grain cracker is a great appetizer.
To get your omega-3s from fish, eat a couple of servings of fresh or canned wild Alaskan salmon each week or, as Dr. Mike does, a few salmon burgers. If salmon’s natural odor puts you off, rub the salmon and everything it touches with lemon, which will neutralize the scent. If fresh salmon smells like the New York Bay, don't buy it. Salmon shouldn't stink.
