I am on a mission to encourage my colleagues to stop recommending so much salmon! Why? Because (1) salmon is not the only omega-3 containing seafood,(2) there is not enough salmon in the world to meet everyone's omega-3 needs,(3)salmon tends to be a seasonal fish, (4) salmon is not affordable to many, and (5) for some cultures, there are other seafoods that can provide DHA that just fit better.
It's not that salmon is BAD…it's just not the best choice for everyone, every time.
Today I wanted to talk about calamari. It's not a scaled fish, it's not even a cold water resident. But…it still contains omega-3's. It's ok to eat if you are trying to eat more of those. Nutritionally, it's a great source of selenium, vitamin B12, and riboflavin. For anyone who likes Greek, Italian, Spanish, or Mexican food, it's a natural!
If you eat calamari in a restaurant, be sure it's not breaded, and if it is fried, that olive oil is the agent.
If you cook it at home, here are some healthy ideas:
Grilled Calamari with Parsley
If breaded is the only way you like calamari, try this recipe at home: Healthy Breaded Calamari (the breading contains flax!)
The way my Mexican clients and neighbors like to eat it, in a seafood stew called Sopa/Zarzuela de Mariscos. A side note: I received a call from a Mexican client one night, she was at a restaurant, and craving this soup, but was afraid to have it because her friends had told her it could cause her to miscarry. I told her to enjoy it. She didn't miscarry, and she and her husband have a healthy baby to enjoy Christmas with this year. She, of all my clients, was the most diligent about omega-3 intake during her pregnancy, and I believe it was important to her overall success story.
So if you're not sold on salmon…but like other seafood, take heart…you're still on the right track. Enjoy!
Quite a bit, it turns out. They're some of the hottest new sources of omega-3 fatty acids available in supplement form.
As the public starts to recognize the importance of omega-3 fatty acids for overall health, the hunt for sustainable sources of this nutrient intensifies. The fact is, there simply is not enough salmon on the planet to nourish every brain on the planet. We're going to have to learn to use other sources for that than relying solely on wild Alaskan salmon.
Here's what we found out about three unique players you're seeing more of: green-lipped mussels, krill, and calamari.
Here's the real reason this shellfish gets its name. As you can see, there is a rim of green pigment on the lip of its shell. This bivalve is a native of New Zealand, and the farming process bringing them to market is sustainable. We love that!
However, there seems to be a bit of hype related to this product. It is related to an anti-inflammatory compound found in these mussels that supposedly helps to relieve arthritis. The studies are sketchy, and seem to concede that the effect is actually due to the omega-3's in these mussels, not any secret special ingredient. The capsules are pretty low dosage wise, about 50 mg EPA and little information about DHA content. Meaning you're going to have to take an awful lot of these capsules to get any effect, and you're going to spend a lot of money in the process. Sixty capsules, in the dose we recommend here, is going to cost you $33. That's more than you need to spend.
This teeny, tiny, shrimp-looking thing is a krill, a creature at the very bottom of the food chain that grows in pretty much all ocean waters. It's an important food source for marine life — 500,000,000 tons are produced each year, and over half of it is consumed by whales, penguins, seals, squid, and fish.
As an omega-3 supplement, it is often touted as the superior source. However, a Norwegian study published in January of this year comparing krill oil to fish oil concluded that the effects of supplementation were comparable. In other words, there was no unique benefit to taking krill that could not be achieved with fish.
The bigger issue is sustainability. Scientists reported an 80% drop in krill supply recently. Given the heavy dependence of much of the rest of the ocean on krill, this is important to note. Whole Foods Market actually stopped selling krill oil over concerns that it was not a sustainable product. One voice countering these arguments is, Dr. Joseph Mercola, the popular natural medicine advocate. It is important to note that Dr. Mercola is personally invested in the krill industry so he has much to lose from consumers heeding the warnings of the National Geographic Society and the well-researched buyers at Whole Foods. He is entitled to his opinion, as you are to yours. All I ask is that you consider the financial influences underlying his opinion before deriving your own.
Bottom line here is, if there are options that are equally as effective that do not create nutritional hardship for such a wide variety of important citizens of the planet, we prefer to use those. Krill is not on our recommended list.
Which brings me to my last, and favorite, of our three profiles. The unassuming squid!
Last fall inCYST intern Sarah Jones and I were at our local Sprouts Market evaluating omega-3 supplements. Sarah noticed a bottle made from calamari. The supplement clerk told us that this is an up and coming concept, designed to bring a sustainable source of EPA and DHA to a market that is starting to feel ecologically strained in trying to meet the consumer demand for fish oil. Calamari is sustainably farmed and has been for a long time. It is only recently that they have been used as a source for the supplement industry.
Since we first saw their capsules, Carlson's has also released a lemon flavored liquid product called CalaOmega. And it is concentrated — one teaspon contains 800 mg DHA and 400 mg EPA. That dose for most of our readers is completely sufficient.
Squid are not exotic. There is nothing mysterious or magical about them. Since omega-3's are omega-3's, whether they come from salmon, mussels, krill, or squid, many marketing schemes use mysterious hype to differentiate their products. It's really not that complicated. Find a good source of DHA or EPA at a reasonable cost per dose, and be sure that in using it you're a responsible planetary citizen. You'll get benefit from all three options here. One is sustainable, but costs a lot of money. One is costly to the overall stability of the marine ecosystem. One is sustainable and economical. We think it sells itself.
Besides, now you have an extra reason to order that really tasty calamari appetizer at your favorite Italian restaurant.
Ulven SM, Kirkhus B, Lamglait A, Basu S, Elind E, Haider T, Berge K, Vik H, Pedersen JI. Metabolic effects of krill oil are essentially similar to those of fish oil but at lower dose of EPA and DHA, in healthy volunteers. Lipids. 2011 Jan;46(1):37-46. Epub 2010 Nov 2.
This is a tough one. Especially for those of you in our audience who are vegan. Even our PCOS Diva, who loves to cook, admitted she had a tough time this week. You know, that's ok. I have a tough time with this one too. This Nutrition 101 series is not about making anyone feel inadequate. It's about identifying places where you can specifically work to problem solve your personal nutrition situation.
Here are Amy's menus, which turned out really well. I appreciate your hard work on these!
Here's the list. If you're flincing as you read it…best be sure your vitamin supplement contains it. This post is short, but it's really a cut and dry issue. Either you're getting B12 or you're not. It's up to you, given the food lifestyle you choose, to find your own solution for keeping it adequate.
Lent is a good time to remind all of you, Lenten-practicers or not, that even though salmon is a nice source of those omega-3’s, it’s not the ONLY source. Don’t bore yourself out of one of the most important nutrients your PCOS needs by focusing on only one fish! Omega-3’s gain entrance into the food chain at the very bottom, with algae. The smaller fish eat a lot of algae. Bigger fish eat the smaller fish, which is how they get THEIR omega-3’s, and so on and so forth, up the food chain. (Whales defy that, they get their omega-3’s from krill, but they’re technically mammals and unless we live in the Arctic circle we don’t eat them so they don’t count in this blog post.) Anyway, my point is, ANYTHING that comes from the water has omega-3’s in it. You don’t just have to eat salmon. In fact, it would be better if that wasn’t all you ate in the seafood department, because if we all did that… we’d wipe out the salmon population. There just aren’t enough for all of us to do that. Any seafood has omega-3’s, and when you’re eating seafood, provided it isn’t fried in an omega-6 fat, your dinner plate overall is likely more anti-inflammatory than it would be if you ate poultry or meat. Here’s a list of the omega-3 contents of a variety of seafoods for you. Remember, it’s about the balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fats, so total omega-3 is not all that matters. Salmon is nice, but for many of you it’s expensive. It’s also summer-seasonal, which means eating it in the winter is not really a sustainable practice. It’s better for everyone involved, including the fish, and the planet, if you vary your choices. Barramundi… prawns… catfish… they’re all beneficial to your health. Gumbo, sushi, calamari anyone? http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/FishOils-table.pdf
