This week on Food For Thought, why you should be getting more essential fatty acids like Omega 3’s in your diet, and how to do it.
Yes, getting two servings of salmon or tuna a week will do it. Listen to Food For Thought as an mp3 by clicking here . For a recent CBC article on Omega 3’s, visit this link. And be sure to visit this page at the Mayo Clinic, because it gives you a good idea of what kind of research has been done into Omega 3’s and helps you sort through the various health claims that are out there.
My guest today was Andrea Holwegner, a registered dietician and president of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting.
Since this column first aired, I received two interesting responses, the first one from Anthea Archer, who along with her husband Darrel, raise water buffalo in BC’s Cowichan Valley:
Hi Don:
We caught your Food for Thought on CBC last week about fish and Omega-3 fatty acids.
Fish is often cited as the primary source for Omega-3, however, all animals raised on grass offer the health benefits derived from a grass based diet.
In Pasture Perfect, Jo Robinson explains that Omega-3 originates in green plants or algae. As you said it is good to consume fish twice a week, however, for people who do not enjoy fish they can eat meat if it is raised on pasture – not feedlot.
Grass fed ruminants also contain conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, a ‘good’ fat that shows promise in the fight against cancer and cardiovascular disease. CLA is not found in pigs and poultry becasue they do not have four stomachs like ruminants.
We have always raised our animals on grass, either on pasture or hay from our own fields, because we believed in the health aspects of this type of farming. We chose water buffalo because they thrive on local natural forages and we grow the best grasses in our temperate climate on Vancouver Island.
Natural Pastures Cheese Company in Courtenay produces cheese from cows raised on pasture known as Natural Farms Ltd. Our water buffalo milk is now taken weekly to the cheese plant and we anticipate mozzarella cheese will be available in the near future. They have been researching for superb and consistent quality plus a reasonable shelf life. Speaking to our friend Andrew in Australia, he says it is a matter of finding the right balance because his mozzarella (Shaw River) takes a week before it arrives in Perth or Brisbane.
If you want more information you can contact Edgar Smith at email hidden; JavaScript is required 250-334-4422 Toll free 1-866-244-4422
It is great to hear your voice on the CBC, you offer excellent information in a most interesting way.
Regards
Anthea
JD & A Archer,
Fairburn Water Buffalo,
Fairburn Farm, Duncan
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The second note came from loyal CBC listener Tom Anderson, with a link from the Food Business Review website titled: Omega-3: Oil Elixir Takes a Tumble.
Happy reading!
