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Farmed salmon more toxic than wild salmon, study finds

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A study of more than two metric tons of North American, South American and European salmon has shown that PCBs and other environmental toxins are present at higher levels in farm-raised salmon than in their wild counterparts.

Researchers at Indiana University and five other research centers say increased toxin levels in farm-raised salmon may pose health risks to people who eat the economically important fish. Their study, which appears in this week’s (Jan. 9) issue of Science, is the most comprehensive analysis to date of salmon toxin concentrations.

“We think it’s important for people who eat salmon to know that farmed salmon have higher levels of toxins than wild salmon from the open ocean,” said IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs Distinguished Professor Ronald Hites, who led the study.

The researchers applied U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fish consumption advisory methods to determine consumption recommendations. Farmed salmon purchased for the study from supermarkets in Frankfurt (Germany), Edinburgh (Scotland), Paris (France), London (U.K.), Oslo (Norway), Boston, San Francisco and Toronto (Canada) triggered consumption recommendations of one-half to one meal of salmon per month. (A meal is defined as 8 ounces of uncooked meat.) Farmed salmon from supermarkets in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Vancouver (Canada) triggered a recommendation of no more than two salmon meals per month. Farmed salmon from Denver and New Orleans supermarkets both triggered a consumption recommendation of two meals of salmon per month. With very few exceptions, farmed salmon samples tested significantly exceeded the contaminant levels of wild salmon, which could be consumed at levels as high as eight meals per month.

The production of farmed salmon has increased 40-fold over the last two decades, thanks in large part to the world’s salmon farms. Over half the salmon sold globally are raised in Northern Europe, Chile and North America.

While the health benefits of eating salmon have been established by numerous studies, concerns about the fish’s tendency to accumulate toxins have gone largely unaddressed. As fish-eaters themselves, salmon occupy fairly high positions in their food chains. As a general rule, carnivorous animals tend to have higher concentrations of toxins in their bodies than herbivores.

To test this ecological principle, Hites and his colleagues measured organochlorine toxin levels in about 700 farmed and wild salmon. Farm-raised Atlantic salmon were purchased from retailers in London, Frankfurt, Edinburgh, Oslo, Paris, Toronto, Vancouver, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., and from wholesalers in North America, Chile and Europe.

For comparison, the researchers collected samples of five wild Pacific salmon species — Chinook, Coho, chum, pink and sockeye — from three different regions in North America. The researchers did not study farmed Pacific salmon or wild Atlantic salmon because fish from the two groups are difficult to obtain.

The researchers analyzed the concentrations of 14 organochlorine toxins in salmon from each collection site, using gas chromatographic high-resolution spectrometry. The toxins they studied were polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, toxaphene, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), lindane, heptachlor epoxide, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, gamma-chlordane, alpha-chlordane, Mirex, endrin and total DDT. Many of these toxins, including PCBs, dioxins and toxaphene, are “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

When samples from all over the world were grouped, the researchers found farm-raised Atlantic salmon had significantly higher levels of 13 toxins when compared with wild Pacific salmon. Breaking it down by region, the researchers found levels of all 14 toxins were significantly elevated in both European and North American farm-raised salmon when compared with wild Pacific salmon. Levels of only six toxins were significantly elevated in South American farm-raised salmon. Levels of two toxins (HCB and lindane) were actually significantly lower in farm-raised South American salmon than in wild salmon species.

Only PCBs, dioxins, dieldrin and toxaphene were used to calculate consumption safety guidelines, because the researchers deemed these four toxins to most strongly impact human health.

The researchers also found that toxin levels in European farm-raised salmon were significantly higher than in North American or South American farm-raised salmon. Levels of PCBs, dioxins, toxaphene and dieldrin were highest in farmed salmon from Scotland and the Faroe Islands (Denmark) and lowest in farmed salmon from Chile and Washington state, though Hites pointed out that even these comparatively uncontaminated South American salmon had high levels of other toxins.

Hites and his colleagues also measured toxin levels in “salmon chow,” a mixture of ground-up fish and oil fed to farm-raised salmon. They found a strong correlation between the toxicities of chow and salmon, suggesting toxins are passed into the salmon from their feed.

Jeffrey Foran (University of Michigan), David Carpenter (University at Albany), M. Coreen Hamilton (AXYS Analytical Services Ltd.), Barbara Knuth and Steven Schwager (Cornell University), and Amy Matthews Amos (Turnstone Consulting, in West Virginia) also contributed to the study. It was funded by a grant to the University at Albany from the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Environmental Division.

Raw vs Cooked Food

How much of your food should be cooked? Proponents of the newly popular raw food diets claim that cooking ruins vitamins and enzymes, making food difficult to digest and therefore contributing to disease.



All the traditional peoples cooked some or most of their food. Even in the tropics, where people did not have to build fires to keep the food warm, they built fires every day to cook. In addition to cooking grains and legumes, they usually cooked their vegetables, the very foods some recommend to people to eat raw.

Why cooking? Cooking, helps neutralize many naturally occurring anti-nutrients and irritants in food, also breaking down indigestible fiber. Many foods, such as beans and potatoes, are indigestible until cooked.

While cooking, especially at very high temperatures, does destroy some nutrients but it makes minerals more available and it increase the antioxidants; a surprising benefit of cooking is the fact that it makes proteins more digestible by gently unfolding these large molecules so that the digestive enzymes can latch on and do their work.

For example, if you cook a tomato you will be losing 1/3 of the vitamin C it contains but the amount of available antioxidants increase of a 75% fold. Another problem in eating raw vegetables is that they are high in hard to digest fiber cellulose which will negatively affect your digestion, some are high in oxalic acid which bond with calcium and may lead to kidney stones or low bone density. People suffering of any gut related issues should avoid eating raw vegetables and fruits.

Though cooking does destroy enzymes, many foods we cook do not have many enzymes to start with. Consuming lacto fermented condiments, foods and beverages will more than compensate for enzymes lost in cooking.

Interestingly, all traditional cultures consumed at least some of their animal foods raw. Cooking destroys vitamin B6, derived from animal foods, and greatly reduces milk’s nutrients.

Traditional cultures consume some of their foods raw, which include:
Raw milk, butter and cream
Raw cheese
Raw marinated fish
Raw shellfish
Ethnic raw meat dishes
Lacto fermented fruits, vegetables and beverages

It is important to freeze meat for 14 days before using according to the USDA, to ensure that parasites are completely destroyed. Fish to be eaten raw must be marinated in lemon for several hours, equally effective for getting rid of parasites.

We should eat most of our food cooked, especially vegetables, grains and legumes but as traditional cultures did, we should consume some of our foods raw. I think we have so much to learn from the wisdom of past generation, I believe using that wisdom applying to our modern times would allow us to reach such potential that we do not even know, not only in sport or fitness. I think taking any concept or philosophy to the extreme is never the right choice so my answer to eating more raw foods than cooked foods my answer is as always moderation.

©2013 | Shantih Coro
V Art of Wellness
Director Functional Medicine.
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5 Keys to the Pre-Workout Meal Everyone Should Know

Gatorade doesn’t cut it
A few bad bonks have pretty much eliminated the chance of my starting a workout on an empty stomach, and I’m happy to say I hardly ever drink commercial sports drinks from 7-Eleven anymore. Having done a lot of reading on the topic of pre-workout nutrition, I present the five nutritional pillars I use to build the perfect pre-workout drink. (Note: “drink” implies the use of water. I didn’t list it as one of the keys, but for performance and safety’s sake, make sure you include water in your pre-workout meal.)

The 5 essentials of pre-workout nutrition
1. Consume carbohydrates and protein in a 3-to-1 ratio, and include healthy fat (but just a little).

There are few arguments about this point. The 3:1 ratio is almost universally advocated for optimal absorption of nutrients. For a big workout, or if you have some time to let your stomach settle, 30 grams of carbs and 10 grams of protein is great. Otherwise, halve the amounts. Mark Verstegen, of Athletes Performance Institute, recommends a scoop of protein powder in a half-glass of Gatorade or watered-down orange juice.

As for the fat, a teaspoon or so of healthy oil, such as flaxseed or Udo’s blend, is all you need to help deliver nutrients where they need to go. Coconut oil is even better for workouts, as the liver treats it similarly to glucose, a carbohydrate.

2. Include quick-working, high-glycemic carbs for energy now, sustained release (but not starchy!) carbs for energy later.

I first learned about this one from Brendan Brazier’s and Vega Sport. In many of his recipes for pre-workout drinks, Brendan uses dates (glucose) as the high-GI, instant-energy sugar, and agave nectar (fructose) for slower energy release.

Why no starchy bagels or bread? To convert starch into usable sugar requires your body to work, and during a workout you’d like to use your available energy for movement, not digestion. If you’re going to consume something starchy, a sprouted version is best.

3. If you’ll sweat during the workout, you need lots of electrolytes.

Lack of electrolytes can do more than just bring on a nasty bonk; in fact, it’s downright dangerous. Hyponatremia is the condition of having too much water and not enough sodium (an electrolyte) in your system, and it has proved fatal for endurance athletes who load up on water but don’t replace lost electrolytes.

Lots of salt is lost through sweat, and you should take in electrolytes during your workout. Coconut water contains electrolytes; so do most sports drinks and gels, so most of us get them during workouts. But you can get a head start on electrolyte replacement simply by adding salt or dulse powder to your pre-workout drink.

4. Consider caffeinating for improved performance.

Caffeine has been shown to significantly improve performance in endurance events and workouts. Whether you want to use it is your own decision, but it’s certainly not something you should rely on for every workout—doing so will result in increased adrenal fatigue and slower recovery afterward.

To add caffeine to your pre-workout smoothie, you can replace the water component or your pre-workout drink with brewed yerba mate or tea, or even add ground mate leaves directly to your smoothie. Alternatively, you can drink a cup of coffee as many runners do, but that can be rougher on both your intestines and your adrenal glands.

5. Add optional super-foods to go the extra mile.

While the above guidelines should be enough to give your workout a swift kick in the ass, you can always make your pre-workout drinks even better with the addition of a few superfoods. Chia seeds are a popular one these days, and your body will absorb them in either whole or ground form (be prepared for them to gel though). Maca powder is another one, great for helping the adrenal glands recover from the stress of a workout. Acai, goji, chlorella, greens powder, ground flaxseed, hemp… the list goes on.

Written by Matt Frazier
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Metabolic Typing

Tired? Sluggish? Overweight? Have you tried every fad diet on the market for the last 10 years? Unfortunately, the majority of us can answer yes to these questions. There are diets like Atkins, the Grapefruit Diet, and there is even a diet that involves only powered shakes. Not only have these diets proven unsuccessful in many cases according to governmental research, they haven’t worked for us either.

All is Not Lost
All hope is not lost. It has recently been discovered that a healthy mind and body are not a result of how much you eat. Nor will the same diet work for every person. Each of us has a unique metabolic makeup. This simply means that no 2 people have the same body chemistry. And this makeup determines what you should and should not eat to maintain good health and a perfect weight.

No One Diet is Right for Everyone
Eating a meal that is right for your metabolic type will improve your energy, increase your mental capacities, and boost your emotional well-being.  Each meal should leave you feeling well-satisfied for several hours. If you are already feeling good, eating should, at the very least, help to maintain your energy level.
But if you feel worse in some way an hour or so after eating, such as:
You still feel hungry even though you are physically full
You develop a sweet craving
Your energy level drops
You feel hyper, nervous, angry or irritable
You feel depressed
…then it might be due to an improper combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates at your last meal. You might be eating the perfect foods for your metabolism, but having too much of one type of food in place of another can easily produce the symptoms listed above. 

Everyone Has Their Own Unique Metabolic Type
Many people are eating high-quality nutritious organic foods and are still quite sick. They haven’t touched sugar or junk food in ages and still suffer with many health problems. There are a number of reasons for this, but one of the major physical ones is related to the fact that they are not eating appropriate foods for their metabolic type.

Metabolic Typing is a revolutionary system for optimizing whole body health. Diet and nutritional supplements are used to address the individual at a fundamental metabolic level, allowing for increased energy, weight loss and greater resistance to disease.

By conducting a series of simple tests we are able to determine each individual’s Metabolic Type. This is the fundamental way in which your body produces and processes energy. Armed with this knowledge the individual can knowingly select the foods and nutritional supplements that are tailored to his or her specific metabolism.

Many diets claim to promote energy and weight loss, but they only work effectively in the long term if they are compatible with your Metabolic Type. This explains why one person can lose weight on a particular diet, while another person might gain weight on exactly the same diet! Not all foods and supplements are equally good for all people. Metabolic Typing is the missing link that explains why one person’s food may literally be another person’s poison.