MACKEREL!!! – For so many reasons
Alternating your food is important to ensure a variety of micro-nutrients enabling optimal enzymatic function.  Variety, even of the smallest kind will activate different pathways of energy in the body.  There is also an ethical call for conscious eating and variety-  sustainability.  How many times has a “new” western “superfood” or fad appeared, only to see farmers unable to meet demands- Kale, Quinoa, two easy examples.  Us westerners are so crazy about quinoa these days, Bolivians are finding they do not have enough to feed their locals a staple that has been in their diet for centuries.  They are already living a third-world existence, only to have the western world come in and say “yep- we will take that too thanks” Quinoa is a staple food of the South American diet.    
It is just as important we alternate our favourite fish and meats- even more so from a sustainability view point.    
There is such a high demand for fatty fish such as Salmon, that unless you have sourced somewhere that can provide you with wild caught fish, you will always get farmed fish.
In Australia, it is very hard to get wild caught Salmon.  You will often see “Atlantic” salmon, which may lead you to assume is wild caught from the Atlantic- please know this salmon is farmed and not wild caught.  
We choose to eat Canadian Sockeye Salmon at our place, always frozen to guarantee freshness as it comes fresh caught- not farmed, from the North Pacific Ocean.
Salmon can get expensive and we want to alternate our fish, for this reason, Mackerel is an excellent alternative.  Mackerel is not farmed here in Australia- so you don’t have to hunt down the rare Canadian Sockeye importer.
Mackerel is wild caught and found in our Australian waters.  Wild caught means it was not fed pellets like farmed fish is.
Wild caught Mackerel have had a life-long diet of feeding off smaller ocean life, giving Mackerel its outstanding fatty acid profile. 
In many any cases as we will see below, Mackerels health benefits outweigh the far more expensive Salmon.
Let’s compare 150grams of Mackerel to Salmon


Nutrient        Salmon        Mackerel
Total Omega 3        1.9        3.3
EPA                           0.5        0.2 – not far off Salmon, yet nearly double the amount of DHA in Salmon.

EPA is the preferred Omega 3 for cardiovascular health.


DHA            1gram               1.8grams    DHA is the preferred Omega 3 fat for brain health.    
Total Fat     8.4grams         15grams      – not forgetting our brain and cardiovascular system LOVES high fat! 


Selenium   45iu                  70.2iu  
– Selenium is anti-viral and has been shown to assist in lowering some forms of cancers. Essential in our DAILY diet-are you getting yours?  
                                            
Zinc            0.6mg        1.3mg – prostrate healthy, strengthens your immune system.

Vitamin D        660iu        685iu –  
Of momentous importance.  Vitamin D deficiency is linked to a higher risk of cancer which is confirmed in over 200 epidemiological studies.

Potassium        514mg        781mg – one of the 3 most important electrolytes when going keto

Magnesium        54mg        165mg – one of the 3 most important electrolytes when going keto


And there you have it-  Mackerels higher nutritional benefits than Salmon- why are we spending our hard to keep dollars on Salmon all the time?  Mix it up folks- and save some dollars.    You won’t find it everywhere because it isn’t a popular fish- great! Exactly the reason why the price isn’t through the roof.  Give it a go, it’s cheaper than red meat, not such a burden on your digestive system or your wallet, and the health benefits to you and your family are worth it.



Sydney Fish Markets at Pyrmont is where I shop for my Mackerel
Cost    per Kilo        Salmon            Mackerel
                                   $19.50             $8.99 


Eastgardens Seafoods in the Eastgardens shopping centre also stock mackerel and a great variety of fish.  
I mention Eastgardens over any other fish market in the Bondi – Maroubra area because their service is outstanding, all we need is a smile and a little help right?  Staff happily fillet and skin your fish for you if that is what you require. They also have knowledge about fish!  The owner will always give you suggestions on various ways to cook your fish, their recommendations and most importantly- the fish at this market are also as fresh as you are going to get it anywhere.


Wild caught Salmon- Oceana Traders in Sydney’s Avalon is a 100% Aussie owned family business- and the only place I shop for Canadian Sockeye Salmon. 





References:
Brozmanova J. Selenium and cancer: from prevention to treatment. Klin Onkol. 2011;24(3):171-9.
Naithani R. Organoselenium compounds in cancer chemoprevention. Mini Rev Med Chem. 2008 Jun;8(7):657-68.
http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1997/articles/1997-v12n04-p227.shtml