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Comment by rdtsc | Hacker News Reader

After reading that, I promptly threw a package of Atlantic wild caught salmon in the refrigerate to thaw for later.

Fish happens to be be one of my favorite foods. I think I am in the minority in US. I also like beet soup (borscht), so hopefully I am getting my share of Fe as well.

A lot of people here love steaks, chicken, spaghetti, pizza, but fish or beets are secondary or fall in the "weird" foods category.

In general I think so many Americans have weight problems because the popular foods happen to be bad for them. An extreme example of this is the Native American food -- fry bread. They have been displaced from their lands, and US govt. is feeding them with lard and flour. No wonder diabetes rates are so high among that population segment.

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/americanindian/

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BTW, most "Atlantic" salmon is farmed, not wild. There is wild Atlantic stuff, but you're probably not getting it unless the sign in the seafood department specifically says so. I've never seen it for sale myself, personally. I've heard on TV it's almost fished-out of the Atlantic too. Per Wikipedia, the amount of farmed vs. wild Atlantic salmon produced was 1,433,708 tons vs. 2,989 tons in 2007, respectively.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_in_aquaculture#Wild_vers...

"Alaskan" salmon tends to be wild-caught. It's also usually more expensive (on the East Coast), and harder to find (Whole Foods is usually you're best bet). Typically, "wild" is better for you than "farmed" salmon:

http://www.paystolivegreen.com/2009/02/wild-salmon-vs-farmed...

It has better nutritional value, including better Omega 3 to Omega 6 fat ratio, higher protein and lower fat quantity, and is usually lower in PCB's. If it's not marked as "Alaskan" or "wild", it's probably farm raised.

Ah, sorry my bad. It was Alaskan not Atlantic.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformati...

Thanks.

To summarize:

    Do eat:
      - Salmon
      - Tilapia
      - Carp
      - Perch
      - Squid
      - Sardines
      - Oysters

     Do not eat:
      - Shark
      - Swordfish
      - Tilefish
      - Mackerel

Thanks for the summary, but I think you just smudged the data... For example: Mackerel from the Gulf of Mexico (study done in 2000) does have high level of mercury, but Mackerel from the N Atlantic and Pacific studies did not. We shouldn't be jumping to simplistic conclusion like 'Do not eat Mackerel' . As always, it's more complex than that, and it pays to look at the source.

When it comes to "do not eat" it is easier to remember "do not eat mackarel" when getting to the store than "do not eat Mackarel from 2009 from Golf of Mexico". Health-wise if we don't eat some kind of Mackerel we'll be OK. In other words as far as mercury levels and safety, my "shopping" list still works. However, if you are a Mackarel fisherman you might not like my shopping list...

You could make the list much simpler still, but you'd be missing out on some good fish: "Avoid predators at all cost".

As a general rule of thumb, the higher you go up the food chain for fish, the higher the mercury content. Fish which eat plants and plankton are on the bottom of the chain and tend to have low mercury levels. Fish which eat other fish which eat other fish (shark) tend to have a higher amounts of mercury, concentrated from all the tiny bits they received from other fish eaten.

Atlantic wild caught salmon

How did you obtain wild Atlantic salmon? It's an endangered species, and fishing is not allowed! If this is really what you have, how did you get it? If it's legal, let me know, I want some too! If not, you should probably stop...

Sorry, just checked the refrigerator and it is Alaskan not Atlantic.

You are very fortunate to like fish so much - you can pretty much eat as much as you want (sensibly cooked) and it can only be good for you (I really don't like fish). My only superpower in food is loving beans/legumes (I could live off them - which is both cheap and nutritious). Well at least in my country there is no lack of vitamin D unless you live and work in a lead screened bunker and never have to go outside (Australia).

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