Salmon’s claim to fame is that they are rich in healthy Omega-3 fats, in particular the supreme Omega-3, DHA, which makes up 30% of the brain!!! But there’s a catch, and not the good kind… DHA belongs to a class of fragile fatty acids called polyunsaturated fatty acids that are vulnerable to destruction by the harmful free radicals produced by exercise and aging. Oh no!!!
Enter “astaxanthin.” Asta… wha?! Astaxanthin is the pigment that gives salmon their red-pink color, one that they acquire from eating wild krill and swimming against wild currents. It also happens to be among the world’s best antioxidant for 3 reasons:
(1) It’s super strong (think Arnold Schwarzenegger), with an Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) score 6,000-times stronger than that of Vitamin C and 600 times stronger than that of blueberries.
(2) It’s a multitasker, able to fight off up to 20 different free radicals simultaneously using a form of biochemical martial art known as “electron dislocation resonance” (think Bruce Lee).
(3) It’s both water and fat soluble, meaning it can sneak into every part of every cell in the body (think James Bond).
So, let’s summarize… What does a nice hunk of red-pink Wild Alaskan Salmon deliver? It delivers the most important brain fat paired with the ideal (Arnold Schwarzenegger-strong, Bruce Lee-tactful, James Bond-sneaky) antioxidant bodyguard to protect it (along with protecting all your other precious fats, proteins, and even DNA!) from damaging pro-aging free radicals.
So, remember to have two fist-sized portions of salmon per week, to buy wild (Alaskan Salmon are the most trustworthy, even if canned), and “the redder the better.”
– “Hasta la vista, aging”
– “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add salmon to your diet”
– “The name is Astaxanthin…, yes Asta-xan-thin (sigh)”
*The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of MDLingo.com, its affiliates, or its employees.