Low Quality meat/fish Vs None at all?

Medilia
Medilia Posts: 230 Member
edited November 29 in Food and Nutrition
So I bought a kilo bag of Salmon thinking I was great. Realized it is low quality farmed fish.

Is it still better to eat it rather than throw it and go for something more high quality?

I know I sound wasteful. But I am being very careful about what goes into my body.
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Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,329 Member
    It's not going to do you any harm, so it is entirely up to you whether you want to waste it. I'd eat it because I already spent the money on it, unless it tasted crappy, then I'd figure life's too short to eat crap fish.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't necessarily equate farmed with low quality.
  • Medilia
    Medilia Posts: 230 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't necessarily equate farmed with low quality.

    Farmed & Grain fed. I don't eat grain fed beef or lamb. So I don't think I should be eating grain fed fish.
  • CindyS858
    CindyS858 Posts: 17 Member
    I think that you should go ahead and eat it. Next time you can buy something different if you are really worried about it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Medilia wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't necessarily equate farmed with low quality.

    Farmed & Grain fed. I don't eat grain fed beef or lamb. So I don't think I should be eating grain fed fish.

    Well, I guess you have your answer then...
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    If you don't eat grain fed and it's grain fed, don't eat it.

    Being grain fed does not equal unhealthy though so if it is just some arbitrary reason why you don't eat grain fed meat, then decide which is more important.

    Look at the packaging. Those fish have macros. How do those fit? Will eating a few grain fed salmon hurt in the long run? I think not.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Personally, I'd eat it. I always go for wild caught when it's available. When it's not, I eat what's available and take comfort in knowing that my overall consumption of farmed fish is very low.
  • Melmo1988
    Melmo1988 Posts: 293 Member
    Why can't you return it?
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    edited February 2016
    How do you know that it was grain fed? Salmon are carnivorous, unlike cows. Their feed might have some grain in it (probably does), but I think its usually more heavy on fish meal. Not sure how a salmon would even grow on a diet of grain.
  • Medilia
    Medilia Posts: 230 Member
    Melmo1988 wrote: »
    Why can't you return it?

    Because I opened it and ate a couple of portions before I was informed.
    How do you know that it was grain fed? Salmon are carnivorous, unlike cows. Their feed might have some grain in it (probably does), but I think its usually more heavy on fish meal. Not sure how a salmon would even grow on a diet of grain.

    I was told about it by one of my health conscious friends. I am inclined to believe them as they have been really helping me out with choosing what to eat to get the results I want.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,329 Member
    edited February 2016
    I've just googled and cannot find any results for grain fed salmon... It appears that farmed salmon are mostly fed krill. I think your friend might be mistaken.
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    Medilia wrote: »
    Melmo1988 wrote: »
    Why can't you return it?

    Because I opened it and ate a couple of portions before I was informed.
    How do you know that it was grain fed? Salmon are carnivorous, unlike cows. Their feed might have some grain in it (probably does), but I think its usually more heavy on fish meal. Not sure how a salmon would even grow on a diet of grain.

    I was told about it by one of my health conscious friends. I am inclined to believe them as they have been really helping me out with choosing what to eat to get the results I want.

    Commercial salmon feed is made of ground up fish, fish oil, vegetable matter and enough grain to make it bind together into pellets. Its like pet food. If you want to throw it out, that's your choice.
  • Medilia
    Medilia Posts: 230 Member
    I think I will just eat this lot and not get another load even if it is cheap.

    Back to wild caught from the fish market
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
    Medilia wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't necessarily equate farmed with low quality.

    Farmed & Grain fed. I don't eat grain fed beef or lamb. So I don't think I should be eating grain fed fish.

    mgtg8tptrcq0.jpeg

    You don't eat "grain fed" all animals eat grain!! You must be a city girl.....I live on a dairy farm and I used to work for a Salmon farm (my daughter with a 14pound Atlantic salmon she caught on a line on the farm).....farmed salmon is more sustainable than wild! We do have strict rules here on sustainable salmon farming and it's the best salmon in the world I'm in Tasmania Australia btw 0870p6hhsc6m.jpeg
    you city people are fed (no punt intended) so much rubbish! Our milk goes to both normal and a grass fed only boutique milk supplier who charges twice the price for the same milk that comes from the same cows. Don't believe the hype about grain fed please! We leave our paddocks till the grass seeds then the cows go eat the seed/grain, some people don't have the luxury of this so they supplement with some grain....but all the animals still eat grain! There are beef farms here as well that also have the same cattle going to market under different names. Grass feed only means it's grazed for a certain amount of hours per day it still eats grain! it's like clothes a brand name is what you pay for the cheaper brand maybe the same garment but because it doesn't carry the brand it doesn't attract the cost!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    edited February 2016
    Medilia wrote: »
    Melmo1988 wrote: »
    Why can't you return it?

    Because I opened it and ate a couple of portions before I was informed.
    How do you know that it was grain fed? Salmon are carnivorous, unlike cows. Their feed might have some grain in it (probably does), but I think its usually more heavy on fish meal. Not sure how a salmon would even grow on a diet of grain.

    I was told about it by one of my health conscious friends. I am inclined to believe them as they have been really helping me out with choosing what to eat to get the results I want.

    So, what specifically did your "health conscious" friends tell you that (nutritionally) is wrong with grain fed? Health conscious and knowledgeable are not necessarily the same, lots of well intentioned people buy into the woo........
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    Medilia wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't necessarily equate farmed with low quality.

    Farmed & Grain fed. I don't eat grain fed beef or lamb. So I don't think I should be eating grain fed fish.

    mgtg8tptrcq0.jpeg

    You don't eat "grain fed" all animals eat grain!! You must be a city girl.....I live on a dairy farm and I used to work for a Salmon farm (my daughter with a 14pound Atlantic salmon she caught on a line on the farm).....farmed salmon is more sustainable than wild! We do have strict rules here on sustainable salmon farming and it's the best salmon in the world I'm in Tasmania Australia btw 0870p6hhsc6m.jpeg
    you city people are fed (no punt intended) so much rubbish! Our milk goes to both normal and a grass fed only boutique milk supplier who charges twice the price for the same milk that comes from the same cows. Don't believe the hype about grain fed please! We leave our paddocks till the grass seeds then the cows go eat the seed/grain, some people don't have the luxury of this so they supplement with some grain....but all the animals still eat grain! There are beef farms here as well that also have the same cattle going to market under different names. Grass feed only means it's grazed for a certain amount of hours per day it still eats grain! it's like clothes a brand name is what you pay for the cheaper brand maybe the same garment but because it doesn't carry the brand it doesn't attract the cost!

    That's fascinating. (Sincerely.) I wonder if there's anything legal that makes the process different in the US? I'll totally admit that "grass-fed" anything has never really been a priority of mine so I've never investigated the requirements and definitions and procedures and such. I do, however, know several people who are dead certain that consumption of "grass-fed beef" is going to lead to world peace and curing cancer and calorie-free gelato and all sorts of miracles, so not that I'm the type of person to throw conflicting information in someone's face, but it's just interesting to hear another perspective from someone who has first-hand experience.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    BarbieAS wrote: »
    Medilia wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't necessarily equate farmed with low quality.

    Farmed & Grain fed. I don't eat grain fed beef or lamb. So I don't think I should be eating grain fed fish.

    mgtg8tptrcq0.jpeg

    You don't eat "grain fed" all animals eat grain!! You must be a city girl.....I live on a dairy farm and I used to work for a Salmon farm (my daughter with a 14pound Atlantic salmon she caught on a line on the farm).....farmed salmon is more sustainable than wild! We do have strict rules here on sustainable salmon farming and it's the best salmon in the world I'm in Tasmania Australia btw 0870p6hhsc6m.jpeg
    you city people are fed (no punt intended) so much rubbish! Our milk goes to both normal and a grass fed only boutique milk supplier who charges twice the price for the same milk that comes from the same cows. Don't believe the hype about grain fed please! We leave our paddocks till the grass seeds then the cows go eat the seed/grain, some people don't have the luxury of this so they supplement with some grain....but all the animals still eat grain! There are beef farms here as well that also have the same cattle going to market under different names. Grass feed only means it's grazed for a certain amount of hours per day it still eats grain! it's like clothes a brand name is what you pay for the cheaper brand maybe the same garment but because it doesn't carry the brand it doesn't attract the cost!

    That's fascinating. (Sincerely.) I wonder if there's anything legal that makes the process different in the US? I'll totally admit that "grass-fed" anything has never really been a priority of mine so I've never investigated the requirements and definitions and procedures and such. I do, however, know several people who are dead certain that consumption of "grass-fed beef" is going to lead to world peace and curing cancer and calorie-free gelato and all sorts of miracles, so not that I'm the type of person to throw conflicting information in someone's face, but it's just interesting to hear another perspective from someone who has first-hand experience.

    Pretty good (even-handed) article on the whole thing in the US: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/is-grass-fed-beef-really-better-for-you-the-animal-and-the-planet/2015/02/23/92733524-b6d1-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html.
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    In the U.S., the USDA does require that beef labelled "grass-fed" eat only milk and grass/hay in their lifetime. But generally speaking, I have to agree that most people know exactly diddly over squat about real food production, including the nutrition needs of the animals they eat. Or the plants, for that matter. They get most of their "information" from mockumentaries.
  • Medilia
    Medilia Posts: 230 Member
    I know that grass fed cattle are still fed grain, but from my understanding grass fed is better for the animal, it means they are out in the fields and not factory farmed.

    My other understanding is the quality of food given to your meat effects the quality of the meat. We are essentially eating what the animal has eaten. So if the animal was fed a crap diet the meat is not as good as an animal that spent it's life eating the correct diet.

    So cows in factory farms that are just fed corn and grain are not as healthy as those that are allowed to graze, hence a lower quality of meat.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    This is a bit in the article I cited that relates to the aspect of grain-feeding that people tend to focus on when against it (along with the environmental arguments, also addressed in the argument):
    “Grain is fine as long as there’s plenty of roughage,” says Grandin. Otherwise, the pH in the animal’s system can become too acidic, and that leads to all kinds of health problems. The idea that feeding grain to a ruminant, whose digestive system is fine-tuned for grass, leads to suffering is both right and wrong.

    “The problem comes when you push too hard,” says Grandin. Animals grow faster on grain, she points out, so there’s a financial incentive for the rancher to up the grain ration. Like anything connected with the care of animals, feeding cattle grain can be done well or poorly.

    In this case grass-fed=pastured, and grain-fed=finished on a feedlot.
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    Medilia wrote: »
    I know that grass fed cattle are still fed grain, but from my understanding grass fed is better for the animal, it means they are out in the fields and not factory farmed.

    My other understanding is the quality of food given to your meat effects the quality of the meat. We are essentially eating what the animal has eaten. So if the animal was fed a crap diet the meat is not as good as an animal that spent it's life eating the correct diet.

    So cows in factory farms that are just fed corn and grain are not as healthy as those that are allowed to graze, hence a lower quality of meat.

    It does not actually mean that they are out in a field. It means only that they were fed grass or hay. This results in leaner meat, which, depending on who you ask, does not necessarily mean higher quality. And even cattle that are not strictly grass-fed typically eat grass and hay until months or so before they are killed. Then they are typically moved to feedlots and fed corn to fatten them up. Cows love corn. Its cow candy.
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
    xnopu5dd7qxg.jpg
    If it's an ethical thing research the producer don't just look at the pretty picture of lush grass on the packet! Some of the largest producers of milk/beef are the most ethical!! Some of the others are disgusting!! Obviously I'm not speaking for all!! Our cows and our neighbors beef cattle still go to the supermarkets and look where they have grown up!! The size and age of the beast also plays a part in the fat levels (we got in trouble from the vet because our cows where too fat lol and that's all from pasture they don't get supplemented grain so we needed to stop letting them into fresh paddocks) the taste can depend on how long it's been hung....my advise is find a great butcher that kills his own beast you will always get the best meat and most respected animals that way! We love our animals and we thank them everyday for the food they provide! Don't believe all the hype do your research on the actual producer then you can be sure of great meat and respected animals (not all us farmers treat animals bad like some would like to think)
    That cow in the other picture is Bubbles she is a very affectionate girl to humans but she is the boss woman and is mean to the other cows, even tells the boys off lol
  • Medilia
    Medilia Posts: 230 Member
    edited February 2016
    I was living in the country for the last few years and went to a local butcher for all my meaty needs. I have just moved to a city and I am still looking for the best place to get my meat. I keep missing the Farmer's markets on Saturdays. (Parking is a pain. I think I will have to take the big back pack and ride the bike there one day)
  • mjwarbeck
    mjwarbeck Posts: 699 Member
    Farmed salmon is not low quality. I actually prefer it for the higher fat content. Now, I do wish that they did not feed to get the orange colour...but then again, many people pay more to get bright yellow egg yolks from chickens fed with safflower etc...
  • initials1248
    initials1248 Posts: 429 Member
    Dont throw away the fish just because the quality of the farming was poor. I would save it, if it goes bad and nobody has eaten it, then toss it. You can always offer it to someone if you dont like the taste or texture, but the quality of the way it was raised has nothing to do with whether its good or bad for you.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    There are so many things far more important to worry about than a few pieces of farm raised salmon
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Freeze it, and then use it to make some kind of salmon dip for a work party. You haven't wasted it, you don't freak out, b/c it isn't wild-caught, and your co-workers are impressed with your kitchen skills.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    In the U.S., the USDA does require that beef labelled "grass-fed" eat only milk and grass/hay in their lifetime. But generally speaking, I have to agree that most people know exactly diddly over squat about real food production, including the nutrition needs of the animals they eat. Or the plants, for that matter. They get most of their "information" from mockumentaries.

    The USDA no longer certifies grass fed beef. Personally I care much more if an animal is raised on a steady diet of antibiotics much more than if they eat grain. This is why I go for wild caught fish and meat labeled antibiotic free and don't worry much about the diet.
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    edited February 2016
    In the U.S., the USDA does require that beef labelled "grass-fed" eat only milk and grass/hay in their lifetime. But generally speaking, I have to agree that most people know exactly diddly over squat about real food production, including the nutrition needs of the animals they eat. Or the plants, for that matter. They get most of their "information" from mockumentaries.

    The USDA no longer certifies grass fed beef. Personally I care much more if an animal is raised on a steady diet of antibiotics much more than if they eat grain. This is why I go for wild caught fish and meat labeled antibiotic free and don't worry much about the diet.

    As I'm reading it, the Marketing service part of the USDA withdrew their certification, but the Food Safety and Inspection Service part of the USDA is now going to inspect and verify the "grass-fed" claim, and hold producers to basically the same standard. Seems like for a while two departments of the USDA were doing duplicate work, and they're trying to sort out the responsibilities to stop that.

    ETA:
    Here, found this: http://blogs.usda.gov/tag/grass-fed/
    And this is kind of interesting (well, to me). Its the minutes of the meeting where they decided this: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Grass Fed Conference Call Notes 01 14 16.pdf
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Medilia wrote: »
    So I bought a kilo bag of Salmon thinking I was great. Realized it is low quality farmed fish.

    Is it still better to eat it rather than throw it and go for something more high quality?

    I know I sound wasteful. But I am being very careful about what goes into my body.

    You have to go by your values. You value wild/grass fed so highly that you are willing to pay more for that. To you, that means higher quality. To others, it doesn't mean a thing, or they can't afford the markup. You have to decide what is more important - waste food or eat something you don't consider to be good for you. If you are willing to pay more for food, you can afford to throw it away. If this is garbage to you, you should. Or give it to someone who would eat it (I would).
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