Nutrient Dense

“Nutrient Dense” is a phrase used to describe a food that has a high amount of beneficial nutrients compared to a relatively low number of total calories. Nutrient dense foods have little that goes to waste in your body. Trout and salmon are considered nutrient dense because they consist of a high amount of unsaturated fats and protein, along multiple vitamins, such as D and B12, while having very small amounts of saturated fats.

Omega-3s

Among the unsaturated fats lies another other word often thrown around: “Omega-3”. Omega-3s are fatty acids, specifically a class of long chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs).   Inside our bodies Omega-3’s play numerous and vital roles; they’re part our cell membranes, a starting point for hormones that regulate blood clotting and inflammation, and help to regulate our heart beat.  The list of studies linking higher omega-3 consumption to positive health effects is long and growing. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the two main Omega-3’s supplied by eating trout. Trout are not the only source of EPA and DHA, but they are one of the best.  The ratio of EPA and DHA compared to less desireable saturated fats in farmed trout is very high, similar to that of salmon.

Essential Nutrients

EPA and DHA are considered “essential” fatty acids. The term essential is used to describe any nutrient as one that our bodies require to be eaten in our diet. The human body does not make enough EPA or DHA on its own, making them “essential” to our diets.
Besides being a nutrient dense food source packed full of Omega-3’s, protein, and vitamins, U.S. farm raised trout is an extremely safe food. United States trout farmers operate in a highly regulated environment; We know what is in our water and what our fish are eating. U.S. farm raised fish are raised with monitoring and quality control that cannot be assured in the wild. That is not to say wild fish pose a high risk to eat, the negative health effects of not having fish as part of your diet by far outweigh the low risk involved in eating fish from an less monitored source.