All fish offer a bounty of nutritional benefits, but salmon is a fin or two ahead of the rest. Its high fat content gives salmon a rich, satisfying taste; surprisingly, it also accounts for salmon's outstanding healing properties.

Salmon is low in calories and cholesterol, but high in the type of fat called omega-3 fatty acids. This is one case in which you can almost say the more fat, the better: omega-3 fatty acids are associated with all kinds of disease-preventing benefits.

Researchers have found that these acids help lower bad LDL cholesterol and triglyceride blood fat in people with elevated levels of these substances, thus reducing the risk of arteriosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke. They appear to work by attacking prostaglandins and other compounds that can cause blood clots and make blood vessels constrict, leading to high blood pressure. They also raise levels of healthy HDL cholesterol, which helps prevent plaque formation in the arteries.

Although it's not yet clear how they do it, omega-3 fatty acids also seem to strengthen the heart muscles and maintain normal heart rhythms. Serious heart irregularities can lead to cardiac arrest.

Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to slow the growth of cancerous tumors. Here again they work by attacking prostaglandins and other compounds that encourage tumors to grow. The fat seems to work particularly well against breast and colon tumors. Studies have shown that people who include fish in their diets are much less liable to get cancer.

Canned and fresh salmon are both great nutritional choices, for slightly different reasons.

Sockeye or red salmon is the type most often sold in cans. Canned salmon eaten with its bones provides 20 percent of the RDA for calcium, as well as vitamin D, which is essential for absorption of calcium.

Coho or Atlantic salmon is sold at fish stores and in restaurants. Any kind of salmon offers a fair amount of fatty fish oil, but Atlantic salmon is by far the best: one 4-ounce serving has 21 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, making it one of the best natural sources of omega-3.

Salmon is delicious and nutritious whether poached, broiled, or baked. Use canned salmon in salads or in a sandwich on whole-grain bread.

Many people think that if certain foods are good, a lot is better.
This is not always the case, and high doses of certain food are actually toxic.

Read about the healthy food, research the vitamins and minerals and check with your health care provider if you are unsure about how much to eat and how much may be too much.

The best way to get the daily requirement of 13 essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods and take a "Standardized" (quality) multivitamin supplement.