Last SuperFoods Rx post ever, I promise

[flexagon]

First, a tossed salad that is possibly the perfect summer dinner. I highly recommend it.


Superfoods Rx Salad
Serves one; multiply to serve more.

Combine in a bowl:
1 cup spinach torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped romaine
1/4 cup shredded red cabbage (grating or slicing works fine)
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chickpeas; if canned, rinse well
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 avocado, cubed
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds (optional)

Whisk together in a small bowl and then toss with other ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

I've had this twice now in two days, minus the bell pepper. The first time I added some chopped turkey. I also misread the measurements on the dressing, and for two people I used 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. I liked it that way! The second time HLM made the dressing (correctly, I think) and was wondering why it tasted less vinegary. Now I see. Feel free to make the same mistake I did, if you like balsamic vinegar. :)



Also, I just have to share this (rather long) quote about omega-3 fatty acids, because I found it astonishing.


Omega 3 fats come in two distinct forms: plant derived (ALA) and largely marine species derived (EPA/DHA). Unfortunately, many Americans are currently deficient in the omega-3 class of essential fatty acids.... This deficiency has long-term and disastrous health consequences for many people. William S. Harris, writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has said: "In terms of its potential impact on health in the Western world, the Omega 3 story may someday be viewed as one of the most important in the history of modern nutritional science." Dr. Evan Cameron, from the Linus Pauling institute, has said: "Our epidemic of heart disease and cancer may be the result of a fish oil deficiency so enormous we fail to recognize it." The bottom line: it's not just okay to include omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, it's imperative to do so if you want to restore a critical balance in your body that is most likely out of whack.

...

We now also know that without sufficient intake of omega-3 fatty acids, the body cannot adequately build an ideal cell membrane. Membranes that are poorly constructed are not capable of optimizing cellular health, which in turn increases your risk for a host of health problems... this list seems to emcompass the major ailments of the twentieth century.

...

One report estimated that close to 99 percent of Americans do not consume enough omega-3 fatty acids, and 20 percent of us have such low levels of omega-3 fatty acids that they can't even be detected. This EPA deficiency is rarely noticed because the symptoms it produces are so vague. Dry skin, fatigue, brittle nails and hair, constipation, frequent colds, inability to concentrate, depression and joint pain can all result from lack of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. Many of us live with these conditions, never dreaming that we may be suffering from a nutritional deficiency that can ultimately cause chronic disease and even death.



Er, wow. Those are the strongest statements in the entire book. I did know about the omega-3 / omega-6 balance issue, and I eat my fish, but never knew anyone thought it was that big a deal.

P.S. It so happens that I just posted a bunch of fish recipes to cooking recently. It was for entirely unrelated reasons, but if anyone just got convinced to eat their fishies and doesn't know how, the recipes do fit right in with this post. Heavy on the salmon. :)

Comments

[savage-rose.livejournal.com]

I went ahead and bought a copy, and it should be here by Wednesday or so. I'm so excited! :)

[flexagon]

Oh cool. I'll be excited to hear what you think of it. It's not perfect -- for one thing its focus on whole foods keeps it from mentioning dark chocolate as an antioxidant-containing food. But I do think you'll like it a lot. It's all positive, basically... telling you what to eat rather than what not to eat. That's really freeing.

[hiddenbear.livejournal.com]

2-to-1 is what I was always taught for oil & vinegar dressing.

I'll make sure to go out for sushi some time this week. I'm sure the section was pretty long, but did you get a sense of how much fish/canola oil one should be shooting for?

[miyyu.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recipes, I may have to use a few. I have some trout in the freezer, actually. I like fish but I am a lazy cook so that doesn't help. And I am really supposed to be eating fish, taking fish oils, etc. because of my rather extreme eczema. If I eat more of that and take my evening primrose oil to help me digest it, I really do a lot better.

Here's an easy salmon recipe in exchange (loooove salmon, though I wanna eat it raw more than cooked!):

Marinate salmon fillets in: soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a few pinches of brown sugar. It helps if you use good soy sauce and rice vinegar, though white vinegar will do. Mix those three things up until you like how they taste. There's too much brown sugar if it doesn't dissolve with stirring. Marinate the fillets for as long as you have time (the longer, the better) then broil them. It's basically easy teriyaki.

A few vauge notions I have of the psychochemical benefits of omega-3's

[jg26.livejournal.com]

Working where I do, there's a lot of study of brain chemistry. Some of the lunchtable conversation (when people aren't talking about carbs... come on people... seriously... I'm tired of that word) can go in this direction, and here's what I've taken from it.

Trans-fats (Partially hydrogenated oils) are bad. There is a significant correlation between ADHD (among other things) & trans-fats. Omega 3's can counter the the negative effects of trans-fats by strengthening the mylan sheaths of our axons.

[flexagon]

It's going to be hard to get enough with sushi.

The section is long, but to really summarize, the author recommends 1 gram of marine-derived EPA/DHA per day as well as 1.6 grams plant-derived ALA (the amount found in less than one tablespoon of flaxseed. I haven't bought any flaxmeal yet, but I want some! ALAs also occur in leafy green vegetables, but I'm not sure how much it takes... same with canola oil.)

The author's recommending 3-4 servings of fish, especially wild salmon, per week, and he himself takes a supplement on days he isn't eating any.

Re: A few vauge notions I have of the psychochemical benefits of omega-3's

[flexagon]

That fits in with the author's talk about 'ideal cell membranes'. Thanks, very nice to know. I am alllll about having good axons. ;)

[flexagon]

Yum... that'll probably have to wait until next week but we'll definitely give it a try. Thanks. :)

Sorry to hear you're dealing with eczema... skin problems suck. I'd like to think some of these are easy enough to worm in past the laziness -- the first couple don't involve more than 5 minutes of fish handling. I admit the later ones get harder. I can only cook like that about once/week.

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

That sounds like the salad I have for lunch almost every day! Minus the turkey of course...

I love working right next to a souper salad. However, I'm probably still not getting enough omega 3s. Perhaps it's time for some udo's oil again.

[hiddenbear.livejournal.com]

Sheesh, that's a lot! I've heard so many great things about flaxseed. My brother and his wife used to grind it up and put it in their yogurt every morning.

I'll try to bump my intake of fish up to a steady 1 per week, and then see where I can go from there.