Nutrition

Seafood has long been recognized as holding great nutritional value, however, not all seafood holds the same nutritional content. And not all seafood is equally packed with omega 3 fatty acids. Furthermore, it is not just omega 3 fatty acids that consumers benefit from by consuming seafood. Vitamins A, D, B12, E, C and minerals like potassium iron, zinc, and selenium are found in a variety of seafoods.

Like land meats, some seafoods are better for you and some not as much. But how do we know which seafood products to choose? What are the benefits and what are the things we should watch out for?

Scoring nutritional value encompases multiple factors. Some factors are good things like omega 3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamins. However, some factors are undesirable such as mercury, salt, and saturated fats.

1. oysters
2. sardines
3. sockeye salmon
4. octopus
5. mussels
6. Atlantic salmon (farmed)
7. Chinook salmon
8. Atlantic mackerel
9. pink salmon
10. Atlantic herring

The top 10 were based on 20 different chemical factors (such as omega-3s, protein, iron, sodium, and mercury). When possible, try to get seafood products that are fresh or frozen and free from preservatives!

Click the buttons below to learn more about the North Country grocery stores case study, where these nutritional scoring values were used. Or to visit the USDA database where nutritional values for these seafoods were derived from.