Think Quality NOT Quantity

I think its common knowledge these days that free-range eggs are far superior than battery farmed ones. The majority of people recognise a chicken with the ability to roam will lay a better quality more nourishing egg than one that’s been cooped up in a small dark cage.

However, not many people recognise how in other ways the food on our plate is reared/grown can affect our health, nourishment and vitality.

Take for example farm-raised salmon compared to Wild Alaskan Salmon. Salmon is an incredibly healthy food but is a classic example of how with advances in modern farming techniques food can change. In salmon farms, salmon are crowded into pens with hundreds of other fish. In this environment disease can spread rapidly. Salmon are naturally carnivores – feeding off mackerel, sardines and krill, but when raised in pens they are fed on grain. Grain is not the natural diet of the salmon and as a result the fish you eat is vastly different from what you might expect. Grain-fed fish are high in inflammatory omega-6 (something we get far too much of), have a rather unpleasant dose of antibiotics (to prevent disease) and actually contain far less omega-3 fats than you would expect.

Compare this with its wild Alaskan brother and you will see the difference. Immediately you will notice the delicious pink colour. Wild Alaskan Salmon gets its colour from eating krill and shrimp. These foods contain high levels of antioxidants (cancer fighting nutrients). If you find a pink farm reared salmon there is a chance it has got its colour from a different source. In the US (not sure if this happens here…) they use a farmed salmon colour wheel to determine how red or pink you want your salmon to be. Somewhat worryingly they will manipulate the type of food they use to create the type of food the consumer (or supermarket) will prefer.

It’s not all so straightforward mind you. Many people will argue that the benefits of naturally reared fish are counteracted by mercury contamination. Whilst there is an element of truth to this the above should provide the perfect example why paying a little bit more for better quality food is important.

A similar storey can be told for grain-fed cattle, non-organic vegetables and even tap water. I realise that if we listened too much to this stuff we would end up not eating anything but making better decisions in the supermarket (or even better at your local farmers market!) can have big implications on your health and fitness goals. Paying a little bit more will mean you get closer to the real thing.

Therefore, it would seem the storey of the chicken and the egg is just the tip of the iceberg.