It often costs more to catch wild salmon than to raise them on farms. Some people believe farm-raised fish deliver fewer nutrients when consumed, but recent research has shown that salmon fed almost exclusively on vegetables still contain healthy amounts of vitamins and minerals.

A study conducted at Norway’s National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research found that vegetables like corn may naturally replace 70 percent of salmon’s dietary fish oil and 80 percent of their protein intake.

Scientists at the institute said that a produce-based diet still yields fish with high levels of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for cardiovascular health.

They also noted that the meat of wild fish may contain industrial pollutants, something farm-raised salmon are largely unexposed to.

As a test, the group fed pregnant mothers farm-raised salmon fillets twice a week for three months. They found that after birth, these women and their children had healthy doses of omega-3s in their blood streams.

Lean protein and omega-3s are both important parts of a gestational diet and contribute to brain and nervous system development, according to the American Pregnancy Association.