Pickled Herring: A Good Source Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids And Vitamin D

Pickled herring is good for you! It is also considered to be a delicacy in many parts of the world, including Scandinavia, Iceland, Holland and Japan, to name just a few countries.

Dozens of tourists and Dutch people, some still wearing wooden shoes, stood in line to buy the delicacy from the elderly Dutch gentleman, behind the counter. With their guilders (the Dutch currency at that time), tightly clutched in their hands, they waited patiently to be served. Then one by one, they would hold their pickled herrings up, throw their heads back and consume them. (I wondered if some people even took the time to chew the herrings!) For me, this was something totally new and different. It certainly sparked my interest in herring!

The herring is a small, oily fish belonging to the genus Clupea. The North Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, North Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean, are all places where herring thrive as huge schools of fish, swimming in the shallow temperate waters. They are generally caught in the spring, as they head towards the shore. (1)

There are approximately two hundred different kinds of herring that have a single dorsal fin lacking a spine. In the Baltic Sea, their size is approximately fourteen to eighteen centimeters in length. These are the ones that I saw when I was visiting Holland. They are much larger in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. (2)

Herring has been a staple food in many countries of the world for over 3000 years.

Pickled herring is only one way that herring is prepared for human consumption. Herring can also be eaten raw, fermented, or cured. (3)

“Why is pickled herring good for you?”

Pickled herring contains Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, as well as vitamin D.

While there is growing concern about PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxin in herring, it appears that as long as the fish are small, or under seventeen centimeters, there does not seem to be a major health risk. If they are larger herring, then limited consumption of herring is recommended. (4)

Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in growth and development, heart health and circulation, etc. Vitamin D is important for calcium and phosphorus absorption, bone formation and a healthy immune system. (5)

Perhaps another reason that herring are good for people has to do with the reality that these fish feed on phytoplankton, when they are young. It is filtered through their gills as they swim. Phytoplankton releases oxygen and diminishes carbon dioxide. At this time, there are an increasing number of studies being done on phytoplankton, with respect to human health.

In today’s society, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are positively identified with diet and lifestyle. Overall, we’ve become smarter and more aware of healthy diet needs; we read product labels looking for low fat and sugar content, but labels only give some of the information we need.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats both fall into the healthy category.

The word “fat” immediately brings visuals of prohibited foods we should eliminate from our diets, but fats are necessary for proper functioning of our bodies, used for cushioning our muscles, for energy, healthy skin, and hair. The problem is, we consume larger amounts of animal fats (trans fats) than we need, especially in the U.S. where fast food is found in abundance.

Polyunsaturated fats (long chain fatty acids) offer more health benefits than monounsaturated fats due to their chemical makeup. Both of these healthy fats contain essential lineolic acid, but polyunsaturated fats offer high lineolic or alpha-lineolic acid, an Omega3 fatty acid.

Omega3 is known lowering cholesterol and promoting healthy hearts and is important for brain growth and development in young.

Diets:

Due in part to our diets, high levels of cholesterol are reaching epidemic levels in the U.S. and heart disease has topped the list as the number one killer for a number of years. [http://sci.tech-arc hive.net/Archive/sci .med.cardiology/2007 -12/msg00693.html] Healthy fats can make a difference in cholesterol levels.

In our normal diets we take in the three types of fats, animal, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. We have a love affair with meat products (animal fat) in the U.S. and who can blame a person for choosing a thick juicy steak over a spinach salad? There’s no comparison to the taste buds, unless you happen to be a vegetarian.

Monounsaturated fats make up most of our diet consumption when in healthy fats because of their availability and abundance. Cooking oils like Olive oil, canola, corn, sunflower, safflower, are the major source of monounsaturated fats, although some contain small amounts of high lineolic acid found in polyunsaturated fats.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in fish and select plants but many diets don’t include fish and plants high in Omega3.

One way to improve and promote cardiovascular health is by including or supplementing polyunsaturated fats in the diet because our bodies don’t manufacture omega 3 and many of us have a negative imbalance of this essential fatty acid. Today, some foods are enriched by fish oil and fish oil gel tabs are available.

As with all things, moderation is the key to diet and even healthy oils have calories that add up. One teaspoon of oil has 120 calories.

Polyunsaturated fats, the healthy choice:

Polyunsaturated fats (alpha-lineolic, omega3) are not as plentiful as monosaturated fats that make up 80 percent of our healthy fat consumption. We must choose to add these essential Omega3 fats to our diets.

Fish, shellfish, flaxseed, and smaller amounts in walnuts, sunflower, and canola oils are sources of polyunsaturated fats you can easily obtain. If fish is not your dish, maybe a supplement is the answer.

Your body is under your stewardship, and polyunsaturated fats high in Omega3 are the healthy choice for heart protection.

Monounsaturated fat, mostly from olive oil, rape seed oil, nuts and seeds, is healthier than polysaturated fat, from animals.

To simplify the question of which type fat is healthier, calories can be removed from the discussion. Fat, all fat, is high in calorie count, and the count is pretty much the same, no matter which type fat is under question. Whether the fat is butter or olive oil, the calorie count, by weight, is the same, and accounts for the major portion of our energy food consumption.

Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are found in both monounsaturated and polysaturated fat. Their importance in brain and central nervous system development are not to be ignored, but, with a little attention, are easily available as the diet reduces the overall count of calories from fat.

As a nation of eaters, we seem to have arranged ourselves into three groups:

a. Those who ignore the risks of a diet high in animal fats (This is the majority)

b. Those who are gradually reducing their daily intake of total calories from fat

c. And a small group who believe that “Low fat” means “No fat”, and fail to provide enough fat for the fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K.

This group is described as women of child-bearing age who tend toward vegetarianism. There is a special caution to be heeded.

MONOUNSATURATED FATS

Monounsaturated fats are found mostly in olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts and seeds. There are other beneficial oils. Peanut oil is highly recommended as a general purpose oil because of its pleasing flavor.

The high rate of consumption of olive oil in Mediterranean countries is widely believed to contribute to the lower rate of heart disease in that part of the world.

When the sizzling hot temperatures approach, for many of us food lovers, it means it is time to get out our sizzling hot grill out and enjoy some good old sizzling hot grilling.
Who doesn’t enjoy after all some juicy steaks or mouth-watery hot dogs or hamburgers along with a refreshing salad?

Grilling has become almost a synonym with summer and we all look forward to invite family and friends over to spend some time together along with good food. Just the smell and noise of smoking meat is sufficient to provide a nice friendly atmosphere, perhaps inside a nice gazebo or around a pic-nic table.

Most of us enjoy the simple fact of staying outdoors and eating tasty grilled meat but it often doesn’t pass our minds though that what appears to be healthy grilling can turn out being much less than healthy.

Heterocyclic Amines and Polycylcic Aromatic Hydrocarbons may sound as complex words for most of us, but if we look carefully into their meanings we may look at grilling in a whole different way.

Heterocyclic amines are cancer causing compounds that appear linked with the grilling of muscle meat and it has shown potential to cause cancer in animals and very possibly people.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons instead are cancer causing compounds produced by fats leaking onto the hot coals and then being released through the smoke. The smoke produced releases these compounds that coat the meats we eat.

However, the above cancer causing compound do not necessarily mean that you should ban grilling from your summer time get-alongs, rather there are some steps you can take to reduce the amount of these compounds from depositing on your meats.

-Marinate your meats before grilling. It is still not known the dynamics behind why marinades reduce these cancer causing compound but it is good to know and after all marinaded meats are more tender and more flavorful.

-Grill a lot of veggies along with the meat. You want to reduce your meat intake so having corn, beans or grilled Portobello’s on the side will make your guests and yourself less likely to consume only meat based foods.

-Do not overcook or char your meat. The more charring the more cancer causing compounds there will be on your steak. Cook your meat slower and at lower temperatures. If you have a gas grill put the rack higher so it is farther from the smoke and flames.

-Finally, grill occasionally. Once in while, grilling should not pose much health risks when compared to those grilling every other day. Grilling too often also takes away that “uniqueness” and turns it more into a routine, thus a less attractive event.

Continue to enjoy your outdoor grilling, it is a great way to stay with family and friends, just use some moderation and caution and remember to use everybody’s favorite marinade!

Heart Healthy Food and Drink

Wine is healthy for you. However, a big misconception about red wine is that it is loaded with antioxidants. Are there super-foods that lower cholesterol? Physicians and nutritionists seem to be on the same page in some of these areas.

Red wine may delay the aging process, however research states that moderate alcohol use has heart health and benefits. It is the ethanol component that provides these benefits: lowered LDL cholesterol and raised HDL cholesterol. Higher HDL (the good cholesterol) is linked with a lower risk of heart disease. It is stated that moderate intake of alcohol, one serving daily for women and two servings for men, can increase the HDL level by twenty per cent.

Brain power is linked to moderate alcohol intake. Twelve thousand women were tested for mental function. The ages ranged from seventy to eighty-one. Moderate drinkers scored better on the tests. It is estimated that a drink a day can lower the risk of mental decline by twenty-three percent.

One drink is equal to the following:

5 Oz Wine
12 Oz Beer
1.5 Oz of 80 proof distilled spirits

Super-foods are, in essence, those foods that are ‘real’ foods and not processed foods. They include, Beans, Blueberries, Broccoli, Oats, Pumpkin, Salmon, Soy, Spinach, Tea, Tomatoes, Turkey, Walnuts, Yogurt and dark chocolate. All of these are heart healthy foods that help fight disease, maintain weight and give you a longer life.

Avoid fad diets for a healthy lifestyle. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants and can also lower blood pressure.

In addition to a healthy diet a physician may prescribe statins to reduce high level of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. A healthy diet and exercise must be maintained along with the statin drugs to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides. Once the LDL cholesterol has been lowered to acceptable levels, the physician will determine if you need to continue the statin drugs.

You don’t need to eat liver to get enough iron in your diet, though it is the highest source of iron in any food, with a whopping 25 mg per three ounce serving. Actually, you don’t need to eat meat at all to get enough iron. There are many iron rich foods in other food groups.

Most vegetables and fruits contain some iron and many are rich in this mineral that is vital to all life. Today, most milk, bread and cereal are fortified with iron and there are many fruits and vegetables that are high in iron also.

Foods rich in iron give a real boost to your overall health and energy level, as the iron builds the red blood cells needed to carry oxygen throughout the body. Iron is also necessary for the metabolic process, the health of the immune system and regulating our body’s temperature.

1-Three Important Tips

*Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron, so choose foods that will combine both at each meal.

*Cook in cast-iron pots; iron in the pots will leech into the foods.

*The tannins in tea reduce the amount of iron we absorb from our foods, so don’t drink tea with meals.

2-Meat-Seafood-Poultry

*Choose lean cuts of beef, pork and lamb and remember, the darker the meat the more iron it contains.

*Beef and chicken liver as well as other organ meats give you the most iron per serving.

*Clams are second only to liver in the amount of iron they contain. Oysters, tuna, salmon, shrimp, mussels and other fish are also high in iron.

*Egg yolks, though high in cholesterol, are also high in iron. Cut your cholesterol elsewhere and keep eggs in your diet.

3-Vegetables-Fruits-Herbs

*As with meat, the same rule holds true for vegetables: the darker it is, the more iron it contains.

*Eat dark green, leafy vegetables such as collards, turnip greens, spinach, chard, kale, endive, bok choy, and mustard.

*Beans, peas and legumes, dried or fresh, are a good source of iron. Choose from lentils, lima, kidney, soy, navy, pintos, chickpeas, green peas and black eye peas.

*Add peppers and tofu to salads, casseroles and soups to increase the iron in each serving.

*Eat Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes and artichoke at least once a week.

*Fresh or dried, some fruits are high in iron. Use them as snacks to get more iron each day. Try apricots, dates, figs, raisins, peaches and prunes.
Prunes

In addition to these choices, there are nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds and pistachios, which are high in iron. You can also choose dairy products, cereals and breads that are fortified with iron. If you think your iron may be low, try these tips for adding foods high in iron to your diet.

One of four things usually causes low iron; loss of blood, growth spurts, pregnancy or low iron diets. All can be remedied by a change in the diet with the exception of loss of blood due to surgery or an accident.

One of the first signs of low iron is feeling tired and sluggish. A quick look at the inside of your eyelids and your fingernails will give you a clue. If the color is pale instead of a healthy dark pink, you may need to eat more foods rich in iron.

There are very few medicinal herbs that have such a wide range of uses as garlic. It is also one of the longest used herbs, having been used tens of centuries ago. Garlic, as well as other members of the Onion family, have many medicinal values. The leaves are rather like those of grass. The bulbs consist of many smaller bulbs or “cloves”. The flower has a globular head and is usually white or bluish. (Wild garlic, which grows well in most areas with adequate moisture, looks very similar to wild chives, also a member of the Onion family. However, chives have a dark blue or purple flower. Chives can incidentally be used the same way that garlic is, but the flavor is milder, as are the medicinal properties.)

The first of it’s many medicinal properties is that Garlic is a very strong natural antibiotic. It acts to stimulate the growth of cells, and their activity. Garlic also reduces blood pressure.

Garlic is excellent for use in a colds or infections. It has diuretic properties (it encourages expulsion of fluids from the body), it is an expectorant and helps break up nasal and chest congestion, and it is a stimulant, as well as having the ability to sooth the stomach.

As an antiseptic, Garlic juice, with water added, have long been used on wounds of various sorts. Used in a salve or lotion, it helps reduce swelling and is useful for sores or ulcerations. It has also been used for this purpose on animals.

There are 6 important components in a diet: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and water. We need them every day as part of a complete nutrition. Each one of them plays an important role in health maintenance. Proteins have many functions in the body: they form the structure of cells, form enzymes and hormones that regulate important metabolic processes, help controlling the balance of fluids, acids and bases within our tissues, provide protection against infections, participate in the coagulation of blood when an injury occurs and many other roles. That’s why it is so important to take the necessary amount of protein day by day. And not only the amount, but the quality is determinant. To be complete, the protein has to provide essential and non essential aminoacids. Proteins are formed by chains of aminoacids. Essential aminoacids are those which the body cannot produce and have to be obtained through the diet. Complete proteins are usually those which come from animals, although soy provides a complete protein. Vegetarian people have to take a variety of products to be sure that they are having all the essential aminoacids. Without these components, some of the proteins we need cannot be form within the body. Does that mean that the most protein we take the better? Not at all. Unfortunately, our body cannot store aminoacids and, when ingested in excess they are converted into glucose or fat after they lose the nitrogen, this nitrogen is then eliminated through the kidneys in the form of urea or ammonia. If we take too much protein then we start producing excess of these products that are thought to waste calcium. Also, too much protein usually comes together with excess of saturated fats that are the cause of heart disease, stroke and other calamities. So, the key is the balance. Not too much, not too few. It is recommendable that 15-20 % of the total energy intake comes from protein. A regular and healthy person with a not very active life should have 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight every day. For persons who a lot of exercise the requirements are 0.6-0.9 grams per pound. This quantity has to be divided in portions throughout the day for better results. The best thing to do when we have concerns about these nutrition issues is to consult a doctor or a registered dietitian. They have the necessary information for our requirements according to our age, sex and health.

Ok, well we all know that nutritionally, brown rice is far more superior to white. I can’t argue with that.

I also know that during the milling process brown rice merely has its outer husk removed, which means that most of the beneficial properties such as fiber, protein, B vitamins, thiamine, potassium, calcium and magnesium are held intact.

White rice is the product of the milling process that goes on to remove the germ and bran of the rice, which goes on to give us the fluffy white rice we love so much (albeit sorely lacking in the “good stuff”)

The FDA has added brown rice to its approved list of whole grains that may make health claims, telling us that brown rice used as part of a proper weight loss program will do wonders for your figure and will help cut down on other nasties such as heart disease, certain cancers, and type II diabetes.

So what are you sacrificing for taste?

What do you really gain?

In real terms, from a personal point of view, you can feed me white rice till the cows come home and I will eat it. I will lose weight on it because I can actually eat it on its own with perhaps a low calorie accompaniment such as a three bean salad or seasoned mushrooms, and feel satisfied that I have eaten something that is enjoyable, fairly good for my health, and helping me stay on my hated diet. Have you forgotten that the nice people in the production industry will put back as much of the stripped food additives as they can?

Give me brown rice (and yes I have tried it) and even though I know it is doing me a power of good, that my bowels will ever thank me for such a sensible choice, and that my blood sugar levels will be kept at a great level and that I am offering my body one of the most healthiest choices that I can, nothing will make me reach quicker for that microwave ready in one minute pizza.

Eating brown rice is extremely good for you if you wish to stick to a healthy diet - with the added benefit that in the long run it will help you maintain your weight at a sensible level, but hang on people, give me a chance, I have to get there first…

Brown rice takes AGES to cook, which is a bit annoying if you were just looking forward to a quick snack and I do actually know a couple of people who will be patient enough enjoy its nutty taste and rough, chewy texture, however, I find it extremely unappetizing on a personal level. This is not the kind of food that will help me stick to my diet. And that is what it is all about at the end of the day.

Sticking to your diet. Which in the long run, will bring the desired results.

Researchers point out that eating chocolate and smooching may reduce your chances of tooth decay and gum disease.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, chocolate contains tannins(a chemical substance capable of promoting tanning) which,help prevent cavity causing bacteria from adhering to teeth and gums.
When mixed with sugar, tannins reduce the plaque that causes caries (cavities) and periodontal disease But, eating chocolate alone does not mean you do not have to
brush and floss your teeth.

So,remember when you pucker up with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day smooching stimulates salivary flow, which washes out the mouth and helps remove cavity causing food particles that accumulate aftering eating.