Food for Thought Healthy Cooking Club - Issue 5 – September 23, 2018 Page 1

Food For Thought Issue 5 September 23, 2018

Contact: Dany Raymond – 0417408736 Email: danyraymond@gmail.com

Certified C.H.I.P Facilitator & Certified Depression Recovery Program Director “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers”.3 John 1:2

elcome to the Food for Thought Healthy Cooking

Club ☺. We meet once a month for a cooking demonstration or workshop, and to share a healthy meal or snack and learn about the benefits of a wholefood plant-based diet. All recipes are free from animal products and refined sugar. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let me know… Cost: $10 per person per session, unless otherwise mentioned. Please pay on attendance.

Importance of Omega-3 By Dr. Neil Nedley

Omega-3 fats are emerging as an important

nutritional element in brain science. There are

actually two types of fat that are absolutely

essential in our diets— omega-6 and omega-3

fats. The omega-6 fats are abundant in many

foods, so it is extremely rare to see mental or

physical problems develop due to a shortage of

omega-6. Omega-3 fats are not so abundant,

so it is more common to see adverse effects

from a diet too low in omega-3.

Tryptophan tends to be low in the diet when calorie intakes are low, but omega-3 can be too low in the diet even if calorie intakes are more than adequate. Even a high fat diet can be too low in omega-3, particularly when the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in the diet is low. Interestingly, the ratios of these two fats in the blood do have a direct relationship to rates of depression. The lower the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, the higher the rate of depression.

Recent research demonstrates that bipolar disorder (manic-depression) in addition to major depression (unipolar disorder) can be helped by a diet high in omega-3.

Most people increase their omega-3 fat intake by eating fish. Most fish, however, are not good sources of omega-3 fats. Cold water ocean fish are good sources, not because their bodies manufacture omega-3, but because they eat a lot of cold saltwater seaweed, which is very high in omega-3 fats. It is important to note that the original sources of omega-3 fats are plant sources, and when we obtain our omega-3 from fish we are getting the nutrients second-hand. The omega-3 content of certain fish is listed in Figure 3.Note the wide variation in omega-3 content from one kind of fish to another. For example, drum fish, which has the lowest omega-3 content, has only 25 percent as much as Atlantic mackerel.

There are many benefits of a diet with adequate omega-3 fat, but there is a downside in getting it from fish. I list six major health problems of getting omega-3 fats from fish in the book Proof Positive. For the sake of brevity I will elaborate on only one of these concerns here.

Fish Are Contaminated

Fish collect and concentrate toxins in their fatty tissues. These toxins include pes-ticides, chlorinated hydrocarbons, dioxin, chlordane, and mercury. As of 1996, 47 states had fish consumption advisories that warn against eating certain species. They cover 1,740 rivers and lakes (including all of the Great Lakes) and large chunks of coastal areas. The most common reason for consumption advisories is mercury, which can cause brain and nerve damage especially to fetuses and young children. Large fish like fresh tuna, swordfish, and shark contain the highest levels of mercury. Despite the popular belief that fruits and vegetables have the greatest risk of pesticide contamination, FDA research reveals that domestic fish products contain significantly

W

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more pesticide residues than domestic fruits, grains, or vegetables.

Bluefish, along with lake trout and other freshwater fish caught in inland lakes, are most likely to be contaminated with carcinogens like dioxin or PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)

Contaminated Fish from Contaminated Waters

Pesticides are an extremely important issue. Worldwide, there are more than 900 different active pesticides in some 40,000 different chemical formulations. In the U.S., about 600 pesticide ingredients are used, accounting for some 800 million to 1 billion pounds per year. Huff and Haseman reviewed some 200 rodent studies. They concluded that "there is considerable evidence that exposure to certain pesticides may present real carcinogenic hazards to humans."

How do fish become exposed to pesti-cides? One major cause is agricultural runoff. When a farmer sprays his fields, a portion of the chemicals run off into neighboring creeks and streams, and ultimately into rivers and oceans. Overflows of sewage, faulty septic systems, boating wastes, and poisonous run-off from city streets have also contributed to the pollution of waters. These waters are sometimes considered so dangerous that signs like the one shown in Figure 4, "Swimming Prohibited," are erected on some beaches.

If swimming in the water is hazardous for humans, it is ironic that people still go fishing in these areas. The signs are not "crying-wolf." Illnesses such as gastroenteritis, dysentery, hepatitis, and more have resulted in swimming in contaminated water.

Cancer in Fish is Increasing

The risk of spending time in bodies of water on our globe is highlighted by a disturbing trend among fish. Fish are found with more cancer now than 50 years ago. A Canadian biologist, Ron Sonstegard, has examined bottom-dwelling fish in the Great Lakes and the rivers that feed them. He has found tumors in every fish species—often malignant. For example, 30 percent of the bull-heads in Lake Erie had liver cancer.

The Ph.D. nutritionist and author, Dr. Winston Craig, in commenting on these findings, added three more sobering facts: 1) the Great Lakes situation is not unique—cancerous fish turn up from Puget Sound to the Gulf of California and from the Hudson River to the Florida Keys; (2) National Cancer Institute data show an increased death rate from cancer among people living in areas where fish have exceptionally large amounts of tumors; (3) the toxic nature of what is found in some of our waterways is astonishing. When sediments from the bottom of Lake Erie were painted on the skin of mice, the mice developed skin cancers. Although Craig's insights may not necessarily prove human risk, they surely raise serious concerns about the human health hazards related to the "epidemic" of cancers in fish.

Possible links to cancer from contaminated fish are summarized in Figure 5

Rather large amounts of fish die in droves every year throughout our country due

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to pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) of the U.S. government has attempted to trace the amount of fish kills due to pollution as well as other causes. Figure 6 reports by state the number of fish kills caused by pollution in 1993.

Each fish kill in the figure can represent literally thousands of fish. The E.P.A. admits that these statistics greatly underestimate the actual number of fish kills, since 15 states did not report or keep track of their fish kills. Also, many fish kills occur that cannot be definitely proven to be due to pollution. Pesticides were the most frequently identified toxic pollutant causing fish kills, followed by oil and gasoline products, chlorine, ammonia, heavy metals, and other toxic substances. Unfortunately, many ill fish that are suffering from these pollut-ants are caught by fisherman, taken to market, and consumed by humans who think they are eating healthy food.

No Mandatory Inspection of Fish

Dr. Craig has pointed out another seri-ous concern with fish safety. There is no government mandatory inspection program for fish or fish products at this writing. Craig states that only about 10 percent of fish undergo any type of inspection, and this is through a voluntary program. Obviously, there is need for a well-ordered fish inspection system.

If we could find non-fish sources of the beneficial omega-3 fats, wouldn't it be more sensible from all that we have learned, to set fish aside? Such foods would not provide a potential reservoir for cancer, infectious diseases, and other ailments. Foods of this kind do exist, as we shall see later.

Mildly-polluted Water Produces Super-polluted Fish

With cancer being the greatest concern regarding exposure to pesticides and other toxins, we must recognize which toxins pose the greatest long-term exposure risk. Poisons that present the greatest long-term threats to humans have two natural characteristics—a tendency toward both bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Both of these processes cause fish from mildly polluted waters to have large concentrations of toxins in their tissues.

Bioaccumulation is the process by which toxins gradually build up in certain organs of humans or other target organisms. Biomagnification refers to a process where toxins become progressively more concen-trated as they move up the food chain?'

A classic example of biomagnification was discovered in Clear Lake, California, about 90 miles north of San Francisco. The lake had been sprayed several times with an insecticide called DDD to control the insect population. (DDD, a less potent cousin of the infamous DDT, is technically referred to as a halogenated hydrocarbon.) The results of spraying this insecticide are shown in Figure 7.

Notice that the lake water revealed barely detectable levels of this pesticide, at .02 parts per million (2 drops of DDD in every 100 million drops of lake water). Biomagnification, however, caused a dramatic increase in the tissue levels of organisms that lived in the lake. The concentration of DDD in the phytoplankton in the lake measured 5 ppm, which is 250 times

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the concentration in the lake water. In pro-gressing up the food chain, the concentration of DDD approached 2,500 ppm—a whopping 125,000 times the concentration in the water.

One of the most common questions I receive after giving a public health presentation involves the quality of household water. Many people are very concerned about what toxins might be in their tap water. They should be much more concerned about the quality of water in the rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans where the fish that they are eating come from. Low levels of toxins, such as in Clear Lake, California, result in high levels of toxins in the fish that humans consume every day.

Such examples of bio magnification are not the exception; they are the rule. The EPA has gone on record saying, "Aquatic organisms may bioaccumulate environmental contaminants to more than 1 million times the concentrations detected in the water. .. ."

From: Depression, the Way Out, Nedley Publishing, Ardmore, OK, 2001, Neil Nedley MD

Here are 7 of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

1. Chia Seeds. Chia seeds are known for their many health benefits, bringing

a hefty dose of fibre and protein with each serving. ...

2. Brussels Sprouts. ...

3. Algal Oil. ...

4. Hemp Seed. ...

5. Walnuts. ...

6. Flaxseeds. ...

7. Perilla Oil.

.

Healthy Recipes

SWEET POTATO MANGO SMOOTHIE

Ingredients

4 oz sweet potato - chopped

½ mango cup

1 orange - peeled

1 lime - juiced

1/2 avocado - pitted

2 Tbs coconut cream

1 cup water

1 cup ice

Avocado and coconut cream give this smoothie a thick

and creamy consistency, as well as an ample amount

of Omega-3s and fibre. Mango, orange and lime provide

tons of vitamin C, while sweet potato contains an

unusually high amount of vitamin A (which, along with

vitamin C, is amazing for your skin). Sweet potatoes also

contain complex carbs and are low on the glycemic

index, which means this smoothie is a great energizer,

and won’t spike your blood sugar.

Food for Thought Healthy Cooking Club - Issue 5 – September 23, 2018 Page 5

BLACK BEAN BURGER Ingredients

5 Tbs of chia seeds with 3 Tbs water.

2 cans black beans, drained

½ cup & 1 Tbs gluten-free bread crumbs.

1 tsp garlic powder.

1 onion, minced.

¼ tsp chili flakes.

Pinch of salt

2 Tbs parsley, chopped

2 Tbs oil, for shallow frying

Preparation:

1. Place the chia and water into a bowl, stir and leave to thicken. This creates a vegan

egg.

2. Place the black beans into a bowl and mash.

3. Add in the breadcrumbs, garlic granules, minced onion, chili flakes, salt, and pepper

and mix until combined.

4. Form the mixture into burgers.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan

6. Add in the burgers and cook for around 4-5 minutes on each side until golden in

colour.

WALNUT EDAMAME QUINOA SALAD Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 cup edamame

½ cup thinly sliced radishes

4 spring onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 Tbs chopped mint

¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup Walnut pieces

And any other veges as desired

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Preparation:

1. Wash quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under running tap water. Transfer quinoa to

a saucepan or rice cooker and add 2 cups water.

2. When cooked, remove cover until quinoa is at room temperature.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables, slicing the onions, spring onion, radish, parsley, and

mint and add to bowl.

4. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients for the vinaigrette and stir to combine.

5. When quinoa is cool, fluff the quinoa with a fork and add it to the vegetables. Add dressing

made with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and Dijon mustard and toss to combine. Serve chilled

or at room temperature.

HEMP CHEEZ

1 cup hemp seeds

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 10

minutes in hot water

½ cup cashews (optional)

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes

2 Tbs liquid aminos

1 Tbs basil

Preparation

1. In your high-speed blender or food processor, add in the hemp and sunflower seeds

(and cashews if using). Add in half the water and process until smooth. Add more

water as needed.

2. Once it is smooth, add in the other ingredients and blend until well incorporated.

You may need to add a bit more water if needed.

DESSERT

CHIA, CAROB & COCONUT BLISS Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup oats

1 1/2 cups dates

2 tablespoons carob powder

Dash of salt and vanilla, if desired

Coating: Coconut flakes, Carob powder,

Chia seeds

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Preparation:

1. To make the balls: process the walnuts, oats and carob in your food processor until they become

a rough flour.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it sticks together. If it is still too crumbly or

dry, add 1 tablespoon of liquid coconut oil or a few more dates.

3. Press the mix into balls with your hands.

4. Roll in the coatings.

Sources: Articles & Recipes Depression the Way Out by Neil Nedley, Dany’s Kitchen – Purely Vegan & One Green Planet

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” 1 Corinthians 6:19