Farm raised salmon vs red meat.

wellbert
wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I -really- want to cut most of my red meat out. I want to eat mostly fish and chicken.
I bought some ahi today, and got a bit of sticker shock when a 12oz of it came up to $24. That's -one- serving for me.
I'll go broke eating like this.

Salmon; however, can be had as cheap as $6.99/lb but it's all farm raised.

What's healthier? That slab of steak, or that farm raised salmon? Cancer or mercury poisoning? :/

Replies

  • Jameslemond
    Jameslemond Posts: 60 Member
    trader joes is a great place to shop for fish if you have one close
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    How about organic, grass-fed beef? I don't pay anywhere near as much for that as you're paying for that 12 oz of ahi!

    P.S. - love your pug profile pic (naturally!)
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
    Wild caught salmon has less mercury/other contaminants than farmed.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Canned salmon is much cheaper and is always wild caught. There are tons of things you can do with it- salads, burgers, etc.

    I also think you should shop elsewhere if possible- I can buy ahi at Whole Foods for cheaper than what you paid!
  • reneegee23
    reneegee23 Posts: 232 Member
    If you're going to buy salmon, buy wild salmon, less omega 6 more omega 3. Shop around, you can get wild catch for a good price, you just gotta look. You won't get mercury poisoning. :)
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
    I get frozen wild salmon. A bag of half a dozen (huge) fillets is $12.99 at Kroger. I split the fillets with my husband, so that's only $1.10/serving.
  • onedayillbeamilf
    onedayillbeamilf Posts: 966 Member
    I've never understood how people can go from eating delicious red meat to eating salmon and chicken and still be satisfied. But if you can do it, more power to ya!!!

    As far as your original question, I have no idea. I don't eat that *kitten*. I eat cows and pigs only.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    Farm raised salmon are fed crap AND are given canthaxanthin to artificially color their flesh.
  • Kissybiz
    Kissybiz Posts: 361 Member
    I love beef. I eat it at least once or twice a week (lean sirloin). It's a good source of iron. I also eat farm-raised salmon, or whatever is on sale, about once a week. I stopped eating beef for a while, but I actually lost weight when I added it back into my diet. If I can get wild caught or sushi grade, I'll buy that, but that's not always available.
  • soymilkcoffee
    soymilkcoffee Posts: 171
    If you're going to eat salmon, definitely go with wild caught. It may be cheaper to buy it in bulk, like in Costco or BJ's. You can also get a lot of different kinds of bulk frozen fish. I can get a 3-lb bag of frozen tilapia or ahi tuna for about $9.99 at BJ's.
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
    If you're going to give up the good tasting meat, why not just give up all of it?
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Whole foods is less than that? Nuts. I should have gone there.

    Isn't wild salmon significantly more expensive? Keeping in mind, I'm going to be eating between 12-16oz of it at one sitting.

    I remember it cost nearly twice as much as farmed, before the grocery store stopped carrying it.
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
    I've never understood how people can go from eating delicious red meat to eating salmon and chicken and still be satisfied. But if you can do it, more power to ya!!!

    As far as your original question, I have no idea. I don't eat that *kitten*. I eat cows and pigs only.

    Some people just don't like red meat. I like steak and bacon fairly well, but that's about it. I always have preferred fish over other meat. It may not be very common, but it's just what my taste buds like. I only eat chicken or turkey when I'm sick of or run out of fish, which is rarely the case.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    I've never understood how people can go from eating delicious red meat to eating salmon and chicken and still be satisfied. But if you can do it, more power to ya!!!

    As far as your original question, I have no idea. I don't eat that *kitten*. I eat cows and pigs only.

    Some people just don't like red meat. I like steak and bacon fairly well, but that's about it. I always have preferred fish over other meat. It may not be very common, but it's just what my taste buds like. I only eat chicken or turkey when I'm sick of or run out of fish, which is rarely the case.

    I -love- red meat. I like my steaks dark red in the middle, too. I just don't want to eat it more than once or twice a week anymore.
  • formersec
    formersec Posts: 233 Member
    Beef and pork are fine if you aim for less fatty versions and trim whatever fat there is. The one advantage red meat has over seafood is a greater iron content. But no reason not to enjoy red meat. I usually vary each day -- red meat one day, seafood the next day, poultry the day after that, even an occasionally vegetarian meal. Variety is the spice of life.
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
    Whole foods is less than that? Nuts. I should have gone there.

    Isn't wild salmon significantly more expensive? Keeping in mind, I'm going to be eating between 12-16oz of it at one sitting.

    I remember it cost nearly twice as much as farmed, before the grocery store stopped carrying it.

    I think the frozen bags of wild caught that I buy are about 40 ounces/bag. They're Great Value brand, so maybe they're sold someplace other than Kroger. So at $13, it'd be $4.33/serving for roughly 3 servings. I'm not sure how realistic this is for you, but by golly, that's a lot of meat you eat. :noway:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Are salmon and tuna the only fish options at your market? Wild caught cod, haddock, pollock, tilapia and other white fishes are usually much more affordable. Canned tuna can also be very affordable.

    You can also go for poultry or lean pork as an alternative to red meat.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Yes, yes I do eat a lot of meat. I'm trying to get 200g+ of protein a day.


    Isn't all tilapia farmed?

    I'm not a fan of fish that tastes fishy. Salmon is about my limit.
    I like halibut too.


    I think Great Value is the walmart brand actually.... I should check there.
  • BeetleChe13
    BeetleChe13 Posts: 498 Member
    Oh wow. That's a lot of protein. I hope meat isn't your only source of it though. And as for not liking fishy tastes, try cod or swai. They both had no taste to me whatsoever. Good luck!
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Oh wow. That's a lot of protein. I hope meat isn't your only source of it though. And as for not liking fishy tastes, try cod or swai. They both had no taste to me whatsoever. Good luck!

    Eggs, cheese, protein powder, plus some random plant stuff like nuts, quinoa, and black beans contributes slightly. I am a huge carnivore, hehe.
  • jackiesaurus
    jackiesaurus Posts: 42 Member
    @ Albertson's I can usually get wild caught flash frozen Alaskan coho salmon for $5 for two servings! and I live in a really expensive area of Los Angeles so that's the jacked up price! lol
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Isn't wild salmon significantly more expensive? Keeping in mind, I'm going to be eating between 12-16oz of it at one sitting.

    It is more expensive than farmed but farmed salmon is garbage, IMO. You get what you pay for.

    Farmed salmon has issues with concentrated levels of PCBs; the waste from these salmon "farms" is directly released into open waters, sickening wild fish; it has less omega 3s than wild salmon but more inflammatory omega 6s...and the list goes on.

    I will go cheap in many areas of my life but the food I eat isn't one of them. Again, you get what you pay for.
  • Straitlover1965
    Straitlover1965 Posts: 39 Member
    Re tilapia - as long as it is US farm raised it's OK per Seafood Watch:

    http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx

    If you have an Aldi nearby, they have wild salmon on sale time to time for $3.99/lb.
  • Lightbulb1088
    Lightbulb1088 Posts: 189 Member
    I also like Turkey Breast. I buy fish at Sam's club too! it can be much cheaper there! they have differnent kinds that are fresh and some that are frozen. Just suggestions.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Farmed salmon is better than no salmon, but wild salmon is much better than farmed salmon.
  • raystark
    raystark Posts: 403 Member
    Canned salmon is much cheaper and is always wild caught. There are tons of things you can do with it- salads, burgers, etc.

    I also think you should shop elsewhere if possible- I can buy ahi at Whole Foods for cheaper than what you paid!

    At my office Whole Foods is referred to by its nickname "Whole Paycheck."
  • hamncheese67
    hamncheese67 Posts: 1,715 Member
    I think Great Value is the walmart brand actually.... I should check there.

    I bought a 2 lb bag of frozen Wild Salmon fillets for $10 there.
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,162 Member
    I -really- want to cut most of my red meat out. I want to eat mostly fish and chicken.
    I bought some ahi today, and got a bit of sticker shock when a 12oz of it came up to $24. That's -one- serving for me.
    I'll go broke eating like this.

    Salmon; however, can be had as cheap as $6.99/lb but it's all farm raised.

    What's healthier? That slab of steak, or that farm raised salmon? Cancer or mercury poisoning? :/
    steak, farm raised salmon has a lot of carcinogens.
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    I -really- want to cut most of my red meat out. I want to eat mostly fish and chicken.
    I bought some ahi today, and got a bit of sticker shock when a 12oz of it came up to $24. That's -one- serving for me.
    I'll go broke eating like this.

    Salmon; however, can be had as cheap as $6.99/lb but it's all farm raised.

    What's healthier? That slab of steak, or that farm raised salmon? Cancer or mercury poisoning? :/

    No reason to cut out red meat. Source grass fed and it is far healthier and tastier than the grain fed stuff.

    Wild caught fish also.
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