This week, TargitFit is pleased to bring you an informative health and fitness article from Carnivore Aurelius:
Salmon roe is a real superfood unlike Kale — or what I refer to as green toilet paper.
It’s loaded with almost every vitamin and mineral you need to function optimally.
For thousands of years your ancestors prized superfoods like salmon roe. But western society has replaced them with green smoothies….which is almost like replacing a ferrari with a toyota camry.
What is salmon roe and what are some nutrients it’s high in?
What is Salmon Roe?
Salmon roe are the fish eggs that come from salmon. While the size of them can differ depending on the salmon species they come from, they all showcase the same bright orange hue.
Salmon roe isn’t the same as salmon caviar. A caviar requires the salmon roe to undergo an aging process in a soy sauce type of brine. Salmon roe is usually eaten by itself or placed within sushi, and it has a unique taste.
I think of them like adult gushers.
You may be wondering why you’d want to eat salmon roe when you can simply add a handful of vegetables to your plate. Well, apart from the protein, salmon roe is bursting with a variety of nutrients that you’d struggle to find in other food sources.
If you’re on a carnivore diet, it’s the ultimate sidekick to beef liver and muscle meat. Loaded Let’s look at its full nutritional profile.
Nutritional profile of Salmon Roe
100 grams of salmon roe provides 200 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 2.90 grams of carbs. Let’s delve deeper as to why many people are choosing to eat these fish eggs.
Below is the nutrition content of 100g of salmon roe
High quality source of protein
100g of salmon roe contains 25 grams of protein. As a valuable protein source, these fish eggs fit perfectly into a low carb diet, offering more protein per calorie than almost anything else.
It’s also packed with essential amino acids, including lysine, which has many impressive benefits. Lysine can’t be made by the human body, so the only way to retrieve it is via food or supplementation. As a building block of protein, lysine can enhance wound healing, may promote calcium absorption, and may potentially diminish blood sugar response in diabetics. Pretty good, right?
Another amino acid found within salmon roe is leucine. 100g of salmon roe contains around 2g of leucine; a branched-chain amino acid which helps muscle growth. If you’re hitting the gym and searching for ways to build or maintain muscle, a serving or two of salmon roe is a great solution. Leucine has many benefits, including being a potent mTOR activator.
Packed with Omega 3 fatty acids
Salmon roe is packed with healthy omega 3 fatty acids. You’ll find around 3.5g per 100g serving, providing one of the best natural sources of DHA and EPA – Docosahexaenoic Acid and Eicosapentaenoic Acid. In fact, a study discovered that over 30% of the fatty acids found in salmon roe are either DHA or EPA.
DHA is massively beneficial for optimal brain functioning. So much so that almost 25% of all the fat in your brain is DHA. Unlike some other fish products, salmon roe contains DHA in a phospholipid form, making it easier to cross the blood brain barrier.
If providing brain fuel wasn’t enough, DHA boasts anti-inflammatory effects which could prove useful in treating a number of issues, including heart disease and arthritis.
On the carnivore diet it’s a challenge to obtain adequate DHA. Salmon roe is a great addition to do so.
Contains Omega 6 fatty acids
The majority of us gain way too many omega 6’s from our diets. But, if you’re eating a balanced diet and getting them from healthy sources, there’s no cause for concern.
Omega 6 fats like AA can be beneficial and are great for promoting skin and hair growth, as well as nurturing bone health, regulating metabolism, and potentially reducing the risk of heart disease. Like omega 3, it also has advantages for brain development and functioning.
Vitamin D dietary source
100 grams of salmon roe gives us around 232 IU of vitamin D, or around 58% of the suggested daily intake. If you’re looking for one of the few food sources of this vitamin, salmon roe is a great source.
Depending on where in the world you live, vitamin D is essential if you’re not getting enough exposure to sunlight. That’s because the body creates vitamin D via cholesterol. The energy from UVB (ultraviolet B) rays synthesizes cholesterol, producing vitamin D. If you’ve ever heard the term ‘sunshine vitamin’, now you know why!
Vitamin D is often associated with depression. A study examining depressed subjects found that vitamin D supplementation improved their mood. Additionally, the vitamin is linked to playing a part in other illnesses, including reducing the risk of getting the flu, and multiple sclerosis. This may be partly due to the role vitamin D has in enhancing the immune system.
Vitamin B12 and other B vitamins
If you’ve been feeling anxious, fatigued or simply ‘under the weather’, eating a portion of salmon roe may be a good remedy. Many common cognitive issues are due to vitamin B deficiencies — some of the most important vitamins for cognitive function. In a 100g portion, there is a whopping 20.0mcg or 333% of your recommended daily amount of vitamin B12. One thing to know is that your body can’t produce it, so it needs to come from dietary sources or supplements.
Why is this vitamin important? Well, it keeps nerve and blood cells healthy, supports bone health, and gives you an overall energy boost. Pregnant women are especially advised to intake adequate levels as deficiency has been associated with birth defects and even miscarriage.
Let’s not forget the other nutritious B vitamins found in salmon roe. Each 100g gives around 0.14mg (9.3% of your suggested daily value) of vitamin B1, 0.36mg (21.2% DV) of vitamin B2, 0.40mg (2% DV) of vitamin B3, 3.50mg (35% DV) of vitamin B5, and 0.32g (16% DV) of vitamin B6.
The benefits of these include aiding energy levels, fat burning, digestion, eye health, and much more.
Antioxidants, including Astaxanthin
With 91mcg of vitamin A (10% of your DV) and 2.68mg of vitamin E (13% DV) in 100g serving of salmon roe, salmon roe is high in antioxidants. Oxidative stress occurs via free radical damage. In other words, unstable atoms provoke damage to healthy cells. This can result in premature aging, as well as potentially genetic degenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders, and dementia.
Another antioxidant found in salmon roe is called Astaxanthin, which is the chemical responsible for their orange color. You may be wondering what makes Astaxanthin so special? Well, for starters it’s 500 times more potent than vitamin E, and 6000 times more powerful than vitamin C, providing a multitude of health benefits.
Research has discovered that this substance may enhance the skin’s fight against UV damage. Then, there’s also the possibility that it helps battle liver disease and oxidative stress.
Need something natural to boost athletic performance and diminish muscle soreness after workouts? Astaxanthin has you covered. You could call this a super-antioxidant as it really does boast endless benefits.
Copper
Salmon roe features 5.5% of your daily copper intake (0.11mg) per 100g.
Copper is difficult to find in foods other than beef liver. It aids collagen functioning to help the skin look smoother and firmer. Additionally, it helps to maintain good immune health, bones, and nerves.
Iodine
While it can be a challenge to hit your daily requirement of iodine, salmon roe provides an excellent source. Iodine aids the construction of thyroid hormone. Deficiencies in this often leads to fatigue, low sex drive, digestive problems, brain fog, and much more.
Calcium
100g of salmon roe has 275mg of calcium or 27.5% of your recommended daily intake. If you tend to avoid dairy, getting as much calcium as possible from the rest of your diet is essential. Why? Not only is it great for bone health, it’s also necessary for your heart and muscles to perform correctly.
Additional vitamins and minerals
Salmon roe is high in selenium and choline: two of the most important nutrients for cognitive function. Two that are also only found in substantial quantities in salmon roe and beef liver.
You’ll get around 65.5mg of selenium (roughly 100% of your RDA) from a 100g portion. Selenium is often absent from many peoples diets, yet it’s imperative for cognitive functioning, memory, motor performance, and coordination.
Choline is another vitamin which assists cognition. So much so, a deficiency is often linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. In 100g of salmon roe, you’ll find around 45% of your RDA or 247mg of choline.
Conclusion
Salmon roe is one of the most nutritious foods you’ll come across. While the downside is that it can be difficult to track down the high quality stuff, if you can get your hands on it, you’ll be adding a true superfood to your diet.
This article was originally published at www.carnivoreaurelius.com.
Carnivore Aurelius is a nutrition and biochemistry expert who’s studied for over 5 years. He used the carnivore diet to cure IBS, rheumatoid arthritis and his acne. He’s passionate about distilling complex nutritional information down to actionable advice.