Are there any advantages or disadvantages of eating salmon over chicken breast ?
If you look at nutrition in a purely macronutrient perspective, no… If you look at it as a whole, of course salmon trumps chicken breast… that is not to say chicken breast is worthless though…Don’t forget either, there are many other parts of chicken that are just as good (thighs being one).
chicken breast only ever got the spotlight because of the whole fat being bad era and of course the calories mantra
Chickens eat grain.
Wild salmon eat other fish.
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
Chickens eat grain.
Wild salmon eat other fish.[/quote]
Explain please…I’m confused
It depends on your macro needs.
If you’re following a low fat diet, lean cuts of chicken are better in line with your goal for example.
[quote]chobbs wrote:
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
Chickens eat grain.
Wild salmon eat other fish.[/quote]
Explain please…I’m confused[/quote]
The fat profile of grains is mostly omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids which is not great for human health.
That said, I would take “free range” chicken over “farm raised” salmon.
A few additional things…there seems to be a little bit more variation in salmon’s fat content (including nutritional fatty acids) based on the salmon’s origin (farmed or wild) or how it was raised if farmed. I don’t know if it’s enough to make a difference in your personal diet, but if you’re working with an extremely fine-tuned program it may make a difference. Point is, there’s a lot more standardization in the raising of chickens for food.
Now, from my personal perspective, while I love salmon, I can get tired of it a lot sooner than I will get tired of chicken breast, simply because it’s easier to make chicken breast taste different without adding significant calories. One year I ate so damned much salmon that I ended up not being able to stand it for the next year.
But that’s me…
Oh, the fact that chicken is a hell of a lot cheaper might make a difference, too – especially given that cheap salmon is often farm raised in a way that messes with the taste and the Omega-3 profile…plus I’ve read but haven’t confirmed that some farmed salmon is sometimes not even salmon. This relates to what the Gorilla said, above – farm raised salmon is potentially less than ideal, at least relative to free range salmon (for example, farmed salmon is often given enormous quantities of grain such as corn to grow quickly, which messes with what one would consider salmon’s proper nutrient content).
So, I have no definitive conclusion for you, but the factors above may be significant to your particular situation.
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
(thighs being one).
[/quote]
Chicken thighs, IMO, are not only among the most underrated bodybuilding foods, but underrated foods in general. Even a craptastic chef like me can make them taste absolutely phenomenal.
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
(thighs being one).
[/quote]
Chicken thighs, IMO, are not only among the most underrated bodybuilding foods, but underrated foods in general. Even a craptastic chef like me can make them taste absolutely phenomenal. [/quote]
Yeah, my wife makes some awesome ones out of a Paleo book we have. I actually prefer them w/o the skin too.
at $4.29/lb they are budget friendly too since we buy pastured ones…
I live in Washington, so yea… salmon is a very important part of my lifestyle.
Chicken is obviously a great food to support lean muscle and health.
However, when it comes to recovery, salmon is superior in other lesser known ways. Aside from the omega-3’s and trace minerals, salmon contains unique peptides that mediate inflammation and promote healing of muscle tissue, tendons, ligaments, etc. I definitely notice the difference when I go a few weeks without salmon.
Also, the super power antioxidant astaxanthin (responsible for giving salmon the red/pink color) is always a good thing to include in a diet. Eye health, joint health, CNS recovery… etc.
During season, I buy whole fresh wild Alaskan salmon – usually sockeye and coho later on between $15-$45. Makes 4-8 meals… and then after that I eat chicken for variety.
Sooo it sounds like I’m getting some shitty salmon cause its from kroger and its around 8 ish per bag
First you should determine if it’s fresh vs farmed.
Next you look at the type of salmon. Most likely it is pink salmon, which is the cheapest (compared to coho, sockeye, and king), however there really is nothing wrong with pink salmon. The price reflects more about the texture, taste and availability. Also, less color = less antioxidants.
Moreover, it is probably frozen… which may have very slight nutrient loss but overall is not a bad thing. I eat frozen salmon between October-May also.
So in in conclusion if it is wild, you still have a damn good food packed full of nutrients.
PS if you really want to splurge, look for Fresh Copper River salmon at the beginning of the season next year. Sure, there is a lot of hype… but I have consumed many fresh salmon and I can attest that Copper River salmon is the centerpiece for the some best meals I’ve ever had.
One thing I’ve found with tinned salmon is the varying levels of EPA/DHA. I read on here a long time ago that they are taken from the salmon for the supplement industry, and several times while shopping I’ve noticed the budget brand has next to no EPA/DHA, where a brand-name had what looked like correct amounts.
Pays to read the label, in some instances.
I’ve also gone away from chicken breast to thigh. It’s fattier, far easier to cook and cheaper. Can’t knock that