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Omega-3

Food & Recipes

4 Health Dangers of Farmed Fish

by Guest Blogger January 2, 2020

written by Guest Blogger

Could your body be swimming in toxins thanks to a “healthy” meal?

It may well be, if you believe the old adage “you are what you eat”! Especially when it comes to the fish you buy.

So, do you know where your fish comes from?

There are two kinds of fish you should know about: farmed and wild. Farmed fish is just as it sounds: raised in an aquatic farm setting with unnatural conditions. And wild fish is, well, wild fish caught in open waters.

Unless you know precisely where the fish in your salmon fillet, tuna melt, or even your fish sticks comes from, you might be eating farmed fish. And that’s a bad thing.

Why? Because of the following four health dangers of farmed fish:

Antibiotic Resistance. Farmed fish are fed antibiotics to help them survive their confined compounds. The antibiotics are meant to fend off the bacteria crawling in these spaces. And regardless of the amount, researchers say even low antibiotic levels in food can create drug-resistant bacteria in humans — which is never a good thing!
Pesticide Exposure. Fish farmers also feed their fish pesticides to kill off sea lice. One study showed that cancer-causing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from pesticides are 16x more common in farmed salmon than wild salmon! What does this mean for you? Well, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, it wouldn’t be safe to eat fish more than once a month at the PCB levels found in this study!
Harmful to the Environment. Traditionally, farmed fish have been fed other wild fish. This practice is unsustainable for ocean ecosystems and contributes to overfishing. That’s why the aquaculture industry is shifting to crop-based feed ingredients, like soy, to replace wild fish as a feed source. But this shift comes with its own set of issues! Now, the environmental impact of farmed fish may include nutrient and pesticide runoff from industrial crop production.
Highly Inflammatory. Farmed fish are fattier than wild-caught fish, with higher omega 6 concentrations. Omega 6 fatty acids aren’t bad in and of themselves. You do need them, but when you get far more omega 6s than omega 3s, it can trigger dangerous inflammation. And as you may know, inflammation is the starting point for countless diseases and disorders (including osteoporosis).

So you’ve read the case against farmed fish. But what about wild fish? Why do I strongly recommend you eat wild fish? Well, quite simply because wild fish is the opposite of farmed fish. The four health dangers I mentioned above don’t apply to it!

Wild fish aren’t raised in artificial conditions like farmed fish. They aren’t harmful to the environment, and they’re rich in nutrients your body needs to survive.

In fact, many wild caught-fish are rich in one of nature’s greatest anti-inflammatory agents: omega 3 fatty acids.

They’re also high in protein, plus bone-friendly vitamins and minerals like vitamins D and B12, selenium, phosphorus, and more.

So next time you’re craving fish for dinner, consider going with wild-caught instead of farmed. That way, you’ll skip all the downsides of farmed fish, and get the most health benefits out of your meal!

By Dean Neuls
Dean Neuls is the Co-Founder and CEO of AlgaeCal. He is a natural health author and student of bone health science who is passionate about helping people & bettering lives.

January 2, 2020 0 comment

Diet & Nutrition

Seafood Can Delay Symptoms of Dementia

by Jeff Dailey June 14, 2016

written by Jeff Dailey

Senior home care providers practice all sorts of ways to prevent mental aging. Things like keeping an active social life, playing puzzles and logic games, and physical exercise all play a role in maintaining or improving brain function in seniors. Seafood Can Delay Symptoms of Dementia
Now, new research shows that a seafood-rich diet can also help seniors delay specific types of mental aging. For senior home care providers – particularly those who work with seniors at risk of dementia – this is great news. By encouraging seniors to eat just a single serving of seafood a week, senior home care providers can help delay the onset of memory disorders and other types of cognitive decline. Seafood Can Delay Symptoms of Dementia

Cognitive Function Linked to Omega-3 Acids

Seafood has been a focus of mental aging research for decades. This is because seafood is high in a particular type of Omega-3 fatty acid. This fatty acid is one of the key building blocks of your brain. Studies have repeatedly shown that regular consumption of seafood contributes to strong mental health.
But new research from a group of Dutch scientists has added a new piece to the puzzle. In a study focused on different types of mental function, scientists have isolated which kinds of mental activity seafood helps improve.
Over a five-year period, the scientists tested 915 seniors for five mental abilities that are known to decline with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and natural aging. These abilities were:

Long-term memory
Short-term memory
Language skills
Visual/spatial skills
Mental quickness.

The study found that seafood specifically slowed down cognitive decline in two of these areas – language skills and mental quickness. What’s more, seafood’s ability to slow mental decline was actually stronger in seniors at risk for Alzheimer’s. Based on the data, the researchers suggested that seniors make an effort to eat seafood at least once a week.

Using Seafood in Senior Home Care

If you act as a senior home care provider for an aging relative, you can help your loved one retain cognitive function by making seafood a part of their diet.
There are many types of seafood rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, rainbow trout, and white tuna are some of the types of seafood with the highest levels of docosahexaenoic acid, which is the type of Omega-3 acid used in the above study.
If cooking is part of your role as a senior home care provider, this can make it easier for you to incorporate seafood into your loved one’s diet. Consider making seafood on the same day every week to make it part of your routine. Alternatively, you can keep a log of the meals you make for your loved one. This can also help improve diet in other areas.
Finally, if your loved one has a professional senior home care provider – such as those from Visiting Angels – speak with your loved one’s caregiver about ways to improve seafood intake.
Seafood Can Delay Symptoms of Dementia

June 14, 2016 0 comment

Diet & Nutrition

Five Super Nutrients That Help You Age Well

by Kimberly Johnson February 11, 2016

written by Kimberly Johnson

Parents often use the adage “You are what you eat!” to encourage children to make healthy food choices, but the saying is equally true for mature adults. Providing your body with a variety of nutrients lets you feel your best, and may even prevent disease and help you live longer.
Allison Tannis is a nutritionist, author and professional consultant. She believes that aging well means eating well. She recommends these five super nutrients to help baby boomers and older adults age well and stay healthy.

1. Omega-3s

“It can be hard to see fat as healthy, but omega-3 fatty acids are potentially one of the most important nutrients for our health,” says Tannis. “Omega-3 fatty acids are vital to the maintenance and function of our eyes, brain and nervous system – parts of us that start to weaken with increasing age. In addition, these healthy fats have great ability to fight inflammation that is the cause of painful joints, cardiovascular disease and even wrinkles.”
How can you get your daily dose of 1 to 2 grams of omega-3s, as recommended by the American Heart Association? Wild-caught fish like salmon, sardines and Arctic char are good sources of omega-3s. Plant sources of omega-3s include flax, chia and hemp. It can be difficult to get enough omega-3s from food sources, so supplements are a good alternative.
“Every morning I wake with the best intentions of eating healthy, but then life can get in the way,” Tannis says. “Using daily supplements ensures my body gets all of the essential nutrients it needs to be at its best. I take Nordic Naturals fish oils, available in liquids, soft gels and even an effervescent drink.”

2. Vitamin D

“Vitamin D is really only available to us from the sun,” explains Tannis. “Sure, there are foods such as milk and orange juice that have added vitamin D. For some, these foods are a great choice, but for others, it can be hard to ensure you’re getting enough of this essential vitamin through fortified foods.”
Older people are prone to vitamin D deficiency, and therefore, may experience muscle weakness or impaired intestinal absorption. Tannis suggests that everyone, no matter their age, consider a vitamin D supplement if diet and sun exposure aren’t adequate. From tasteless liquid drops to pills that combine multiple nutrients, there are a variety of options for vitamin D supplementation.

3. Probiotics

“Probiotics fight inflammation, promote digestive health and much more,” says Tannis. “With age, there is a decrease in the most prominent probiotic in the colon, Bifidobacteria, leaving the colon prone to inflammation, which increases the risk of disease and discomfort.”
Foods like kefir and yogurt are common sources of probiotics, but often it’s not enough to get the full benefits. Probiotic supplements are a great way to maintain and rebuild probiotic levels in your digestive tract. “Seek out one with lots of different probiotic species,” recommends Tannis. “You’ve got hundreds of kinds of probiotics in you. Each probiotic offers its own unique health benefits to your body, so having lots of different kinds in your system can help your body be at its best.”

4. Green foods

“Greens are packed with more nutrients per bite than almost anything else on your plate. They are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and more,” says Tannis.
What green foods are the best?
“The best greens to eat are the ones you like – you don’t have to hate your food. Love your food! Choose some greens that you enjoy and then, once a week, try something outside your comfort zone,” Tannis suggests. “If you simply can’t stomach enough greens, there are plenty of powders available, from simple single ingredient products to complex formulas.”

5. Multivitamins

No matter what your age, eating a balanced diet provides your body with plenty of nutrients. “Try to ensure that at some point each day you enjoy foods from each color of the rainbow, and artificial coloring doesn’t count,” says Tannis.
Taking a multivitamin is one way to ensure your body has the minimum amounts of the essential nutrients it needs each day to function properly. If you are considering a multivitamin, look for one that is designed for your age, activity level and gender. –
“Food hasn’t changed, even though it feels that everyone is telling you something new about it,” says Tannis. “Enjoy a well-balanced diet, rich in colorful fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains and fish. Nutrition really can be easy to swallow.”

February 11, 2016 0 comment