Q. Which foods are naturally high in Astaxanthin?

A. Some seafood like wild caught salmon, shrimp and krill are particularly high in it. But farmed salmon has very little natural astaxanthin. Why? Wild salmon eat a lot of algae either directly or by eating things that have eaten algae. Farmed salmon eat feed which typically does not contain much, if any algae. You might be interested to know that astaxanthin is a deep red color and is the reason why wild salmon, shrimp, lobster and flamingos are pink. Farmed salmon, which is grown on processed feed, has a grey color unless astaxanthin is added to their feed. Salmon farmers can reduce costs by feeding the salmon a synthetic astaxanthin, derived from petrochemicals, which makes the salmon pink but which may not have the same health benefits for humans, or even the fish themselves.

Next: How much wild salmon would I need to eat to get a 12 mg daily amount of astaxanthin?