Omega 3s

I previously touched on how important omega-3 fatty acids are to cardiovascular and mental health. Capt. Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD, of the National Institutes of Health, points out that in most modern, western diets “we eat grossly fewer omega-3 fatty acids (in the last century). We also know that rates of depression have radically increased, by perhaps a hundred-fold.” The Japanese and Greenland Eskimos have the lowest rates of depression and highest rates of fish consumption, while New Zealand has the highest rate of depression and lowest fish consumption.^[1] When I read that I was glad to hear that the U.S. wasn’t at the bottom.

Eat wild-caught Alaskan salmon because omega-3s travel up the food chain starting with algae/plankton. Farmed fish are fed grain (corn). Alaskan fish are best because they live in icy cold water where the microalgae are most concentrated and they eat a lot of it to stay warm.

Wild and pasture raised animals produce meat high in omega-3s. Because wild animals feed largely on grass, which is one of the few natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids, their body fat has a higher proportion of the good fats, and less of the bad saturated fats; corn and soybeans, by contrast, do not contain beneficial fatty acids^[2] – nor do their oils.

Flaxseed oil is high in omega-3s, but it doesn’t have a high smoke point (for cooking), and it isn’t absorbed as well as the omega-3s from fatty fish.

Dr. Andrew Stoll, who conducted a 1999 study at Harvard on bipolar disorder, had outstanding results with the omega-3 group staying in remission significantly longer than the placebo patients. He’s in the process of doing a larger and longer (3-year) study now. He says that if you buy fish oil capsules, make sure you receive a 90 percent concentration of fish oil (in the past only 30 percent was available). Be sure it contains more EPA than DHA, and that it has no heavy metal concentrations.^[3] Also fish oil capsules need to be kept cool and not exposed to light.

However, and this is most important, if you consume too many omega-6 fatty acids, they will compete with the omega-3s and you will not benefit from the omega-3. The worst culprit in the American diet of omega-6 is vegetable oil, including corn oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil. In addition, the way canola oil (genetically modified) and these other oils are processed increases inflammation and are damaging. You absolutely should no longer have vegetable oil in your house if you’ve been following this blog (and if you haven’t, it’s fine to start at the beginning at any time). Also avoid all fried foods except those that you make healthfully on occasion at home.

I don’t think I’ve ever posted broiled salmon, so here is a busy workday contribution from Tony. He found this recipe on allrecipes.com (by Deb Swanson) and slightly modified and simplified it. I’m not crazy about plain salmon so I usually have it mixed in creamy pasta, but this sufficiently seasoned it to make it interesting. I served it over the polenta and wilted spinach bed. I spread the layers to show you in the photo; normally I’d have the polenta on the bottom, then the spinach, and stack the fish on top.

Broiled Salmon
3/4-1 pound salmon filet (or individual filets)
1/4 C butter
1 crushed clove garlic
2 T avocado oil
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T lemon juice
1/4 C white wine
1 t ground black pepper
1 t garlic salt
1/4 C chopped fresh dill (or 1 T dry)
Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray. Place the salmon filet skin-side down on the prepared pan.

Put the butter, garlic, and oil in a pan over low heat until butter melts. Remove from heat; stir in the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, white wine, black pepper, and garlic salt. Brush the butter sauce over the filet, and sprinkle evenly with the fresh dill.

Broil in the preheated oven for 3 minutes. Turn salmon filets over, and baste with 1/2 the remaining sauce; broil for 3 minutes. Turn back to skin-side down, baste with the rest of the butter sauce and broil again until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 3 additional minutes.