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Supplies of this trial offer are limited, and there may not be more ... click here to order Hot-Smoked Sablefish.

Our skin-on, bone-in Hot-Smoked Sablefish portions contain NO nitrites or artificial additives/preservatives.

We went all the way to Portugal to find the world's finest Sardines. They're custom packed for us in organic extra-virgin olive oil by a family that's been at it for more than a century. And we select only the richest sardines, caught at their peak of omega-3 content.

Available in 4 varieties: Olive Oil pack, organic Tomato Sauce, Spicy (a single organic red chili pepper!), and No Salt Added versions. Pull top cans. Certified Kosher by Earth Kosher (Full Oversight).
 

“Just wanted to tell you that those are the BEST sardines I have ever eaten. They are well worth the extra money. Of course, why would I think the sardines would be any different from all the other tasty and high quality fish you offer?”

--Jean Singer, Eustis, FL

Our wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon offers special appeal to those—like many of us here at Vital Choice—who like their wild salmon firm and flavorful.

These sustainably harvested fish are a super-healthy source of protein, rich in long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids, and potent natural antioxidants.

And sockeye is a nearly unrivalled food source of bone-saving, cancer-curbing vitamin D, with a whopping 1,100 IU per 6-oz serving, or nearly triple the US RDA.

Our flash-frozen portions come vacuum-sealed for superior quality and convenience.

Certified Kosher by EarthK.

Environmental
Stewardship Program

Vital Green™ is our pioneering environmental program, designed to do 3 things:

1) Fight global warming by offsetting the impacts of shipping.

2) Enable recycling of foam shipping cubes via our innovative FREE program.

3) Support seafood sustainability and promote a green partnership with our customers.

To learn more, and get instructions for recycling foam shipping cubes from Vital Choice, visit our Vital Green™ page.

More than nine in 10 Americans surveyed recently echoed the truism that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, but fewer than half reported eating breakfast every day.

The breakfast-skipping majority may be motivated to change their habits, should they hear the results of a small clinical trial.

On average, Americans consume only about 15 percent of their recommended daily protein intake at breakfast.

So the findings from a small clinical trial – which affirm the satiating effects of higher-protein breakfasts – may prompt weight-conscious people to try protein-based breakfasts.

The new pilot study was designed to test the effect of high-protein breakfast fare on appetites throughout the day.

The university researchers involved used eggs and lean bacon to test the effects of protein-based breakfasts on appetites ... probably because the study was funded by the American Egg Board.

 

What's the best protein to start your day? The study reported here was funded by the American Egg Board, so it was unsurprising that the press release announcing it included breakfast protein tips heavily weighted toward eggs and lean bacon.   But there’s little doubt that fatty fish such as smoked fish or Salmon sausage offer healthier protein options.   Note: Our smoked Salmon and Sablefish contain substantially less sodium than supermarket brands: from 300 mg (Salmon Nova Lox) to 445 mg (Smoked Sockeye and Yukon King Salmon) per 2 oz serving, versus 600 to 900 mg in most brands.

However, the results should apply to significantly healthier high-protein foods such as Salmon sausage or lower-sodium brands of smoked fish (like Vital Choice).

Protein at breakfast proves satisfying throughout the day

The protein-for-breakfast study was conducted by scientists from Purdue University and the University of Kansas Medical Center.

The small pilot trial involved nine overweight or obese men who ate reduced calorie diets containing varying proportions of protein (Leidy HJ et al. 2008):

• Normal protein intake (11-14 percent of calories).
• Increased protein (18-25 percent of calories).

The researchers tested the effect of consuming the “increased protein” diet at specific meals – breakfast, lunch or dinner – or spaced evenly throughout the day.

It turned out that the participants’ feeling of fullness was greatest and most sustained throughout the day when the additional protein – from eggs and lean Canadian bacon – was eaten at breakfast, versus lunch or dinner.

The researchers concluded that when people ate these high-protein foods for breakfast they had a greater sense of sustained fullness throughout the day, compared to when more protein was eaten at lunch or dinner.

Lead author Wayne W. Campbell, Ph.D., made this observation in a press release:

“There is a growing body of research which supports eating high-quality protein foods when dieting to maintain a sense of fullness. This study is particularly unique in that it looked at the timing of protein intake and reveals that ...

A new study from Britain further undermines a decades-old medical myth regarding the role of dietary cholesterol in cardiovascular disease.

And these findings add to fast-deepening doubts surrounding the broader, near century-old “lipid hypothesis” of heart disease, which is reflected in public health policies, including the USDA Food Guide Pyramid.

This increasingly discredited hypothesis holds that “excess” dietary saturated fat and cholesterol – and resulting rises in blood cholesterol and lipid (fat) levels – are major contributing factors to cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis) and resulting coronary heart disease.

Key Points UK study finds that two eggs a day did not raise cholesterol levels in overweight dieters. Study affirms prior findings that dietary cholesterol does not cause cardiovascular disease. The idea that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease is increasingly discredited by the evidence.

Last week, we received this query from Curt, a visitor to VitalChoice.com:

“I was wondering why the cholesterol was so high in your shrimp.  Is that normal?

Thank you.”

Our answer

Before you read our answer to Curt, we should note 3 things:

• Only animal foods contain cholesterol.
• Cholesterol is an essential bodily compound needed to form cell membranes, some hormones, and vitamin D.
• Most of the cholesterol in human blood is made in the liver to meet immediate needs.
• The amount of cholesterol people get from foods is much less important to cardiovascular health than once thought. (The only exceptions are uncommon individuals whose blood cholesterol levels are very sensitive to dietary cholesterol intake.)

For more on the increasingly controversial topic of the role of cholesterol in heart disease, see the related article in this issue (“Egg Study Puts Cracks in Anti-Cholesterol Claims”), and two more cited at the end of our reply to Curt.

Here’s how we answered Curt’s question. (We added some information about other foods, to help put the answer in context.)

_________________________________________________

Dear Curt:

All Shrimp and Prawns – including ours – are relatively high in cholesterol, compared with poultry and red meats. Only butter and liver have higher levels.

But our Prawns and Shrimp have no more cholesterol than the average amount reported by the USDA.

The USDA nutrition database gives the following cholesterol values* for a standard, 2 oz serving of shrimp, and for other animal foods. We’ve listed them in descending order of cholesterol content:

Cholesterol (mg) per 2 oz (56 gm) serving

Chicken Liver = 316 mg

Beef Liver = 213 mg

Butter = 120 mg

Shrimp = 109 mg (mix of various species)

Lamb Shoulder = 59 mg

Cheddar Cheese = 59 mg

Beef Sirloin = 42 mg

Pork Sirloin = 36 mg

Sockeye Salmon = 35 mg

King Crab = 24 - 30 mg

Chicken Breast = 23 mg

Scallops = 18 - 20 mg

Halibut = 18 mg

*All cholesterol figures are for raw uncooked food, except the figures for lamb and beef or chicken liver, which are the values for cooked product. These numbers are substantially higher than the cholesterol figures reported for raw lamb and liver.

Source: USDA/ARS Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page at http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-35-45-00

By comparison to the USDA average of 109 mg per 2 oz serving:

• Vital Choice Wild Pacific Prawns (raw) have considerably less cholesterol (85 mg).
• Vital Choice Wild Oregon Pink Shrimp (pre-cooked) have very slightly more cholesterol (111 mg).

But dietary cholesterol probably does not matter as much to heart health as once thought.

You may want to peruse two articles we published on this subject:

"Does Fish Oil Lower Cholesterol? Does it Matter?"

"Cholesterol Fiasco Undermines Accepted Theory" (This article contains links to thorough reviews of the controversy and evidence, published recently in The New York Times and The Boston Globe.)

The term cardiovascular disease (CVD) refers to the cluster of diseases that involve the heart and blood vessels (arteries and veins).

Most people diagnosed with cardiovascular disease suffer from atherosclerosis (plaque-ridden arteries).

The companion term "coronary heart disease" (CHD) means inadequate blood circulation to heart muscles and surrounding tissue, which usually results from atherosclerosis.

Thus, the near-synonymous use of the two terms arose because CHD results from CVD and is considered a form of CVD.

It is increasingly clear that CVD and resulting CHD are caused primarily by chronic inflammation, induced by stress, smoking, and poor diets.

This is why annual physical exams now include a blood test for the immune-system messenger chemical called C-reactive protein (CRP), which serves as a marker for inflammation.

The major villains: Excess inflammation and free radicals
Inflammation is caused by, and promotes creation of, the unstable molecules known as free radicals, excesses of which arise from poor diets, environmental pollutants, and stress.

Free radicals in the blood can oxidize (damage) any fats, cholesterol, blood cells, or connective tissue cells they ...