Flaxseed-oil

[Susan]

I live in a region where it is quite difficult to get good, fresh seafood. You can get good regional fresh-water fish, but not the kinds that always get recommended for the "good" fats you should consume. Also, I'm not so happy with buying and eating a lot of mass-produced, deep-freezed fish that I don't even know where it comes from - but it comes from afar for sure. And it just doesn't taste the way it should.

So I was asking myself - where did people get their essential fats over here before they shipped deepfreezed salmon around the world?
It seems that there was a lot of flax cultivation in our region until the second half of the last century. There are still some small regional oil-mills that produce organic flaxseed-oil.
This oil contains a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids and a unusual high ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids. It should never be heated, so its best used in salad or yoghurt or other cold dishes. It also should be stored cold, you can even put it in the freezer, and used quickly (it gets pressed fresh every week).
From what I read you need about 1 tablespoon of flaxseed-oil to get enough Omega 3 per day.
I bought a small bottle of our regional oil-mill yesterday, it tastes just like flaxseed, and I put some in my salad and some in my oatmeal.

I though I would share this. Of course many of you may live in a region where you can really get good fresh seafood, but if you don't you may want to know alternatives. Regarding essential fats I read a lot about how you should try to eat salmon or other fatty sea-fish as often as possible. This may be a good advice if you live near the sea. But I never read about the possibility to use flaxseed-oil - and living nowhere near the sea this seems to be the better way to go.

There has been a lot of "hype" regarding salmon in the last years, to the point where they sell deepfreezed salmon in the supermarkets under the name "Vitality Omega-3 Wild-Salmon-filet". But thinking of the way this salmon gets fished and is then shipped thousands of miles just because everybody thinks they need it to prevent heart disease etc., because we usually don't know any alternatives, it's sad - and strange. The need to eat salmon twice a week is so omnipresent in the media (and gets even repeated by doctors) that most people don't question it - I didn't question it for a long time. The fact that it's not possible to provide such large amounts of salmon and other seafood to the whole western world without doing major damage to the environment is often overlooked.

[angelaslc]

I use a borage/flax oil combination from Barlean's called Omega Twin with Lignans.

Borage is used medicinally as an anti-inflammatory, for treating arthritis, as well as certain skin conditions and respiratory inflammation. It has one of the highest amounts of gamma-linolenic acid of seed oils.

I use 1 Tablespoon in my morning rice protein shake. And I add 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed. I noticed a huge difference in my digestive health after adding 2 T of ground flax seed daily.

Flax seeds contain high levels of dietary fiber including lignans, an abundance of micronutrients and omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds may lower cholesterol levels, especially in women. Initial studies suggest that flax seeds taken in the diet may benefit individuals with certain types of breast and prostate cancers. Flax may also lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels. There is some support for the use of flax seed as a laxative due to its dietary fiber content.

[Susan]

Oh I never heard of Borage oil before. I use flax seed in my breakfast as well, but read that you can't digest whole flax seeds if you don't mill them, so I thought the oil would be good to use as an addition.

In the meanwhile I read that the Omega 3 fatty acids in vegetable oils can't be used as well by the body as the ones in fatty sea-fish - so I'm not so sure who tells the truth - as often regarding dietary issues you can find a lot of contradicting information on the subject.

[angelaslc]

Oh - You can get vaccum packed ground flax so you don't have to mill it yourself. I like Fiproflax the best - I buy it on-line.

Some of the fish oil companies do make those claims. I don't know if it's true but it's good to cover all your bases. I really like the ground flax for the digestion benefits more than anything. So those claims don't bother me because I know the ground flax works for me.

I have my shakes with the borage/flax oil and ground flax and I usually opt for Wild Salmon or Wild Cod daily. I don't mind them frozen as long as they are Wild - I think farmed fish tastes off.

Plus I consume olive oil, avocados, nuts and coconut daily. So I have my good fats covered.

I think you should use all your tools in the tool box. We have access to foods from all over the world and I think we should take advantage of that. For example - if you build a home, you would want to use all of the tools available for the best home. If you just use a couple of tools, you may be able to build a shelter, but not a home.

Also - if the fish are fed a diet of corn (most farmed fish are - but not all), their omega 3 fat actually changes to bad fats. For example - Tilapia which is usually high in Omega 3's - some farms, give the fish hormones to change the sex of the fish and feed them corn. Avoid farmed Tilapia from China.....actually I dont eat Tilapia all because it's considered a junk fish. But if you like it - make sure it's Wild or from a trusted fish farm.

[angelaslc]

Oh forgot the Chia Seeds - I add them to my shakes now. Good source of Omega3 and fiber.