Fish
As you know, I am convinced that there are TWO food groups in the world, not five.
The five food group things just don’t work for me - that pyramid is far too complicated for the kids and they' keep changing it anyway.
Back to the two food groups. BASIC food is plant and BONUS food is not...and the best bonus food is FISH. Why?
Because fish as great protein, it is one of the richest sources of Omega-3 fatty acids
which offer protection against heart disease, many cancers, and other life-shortening conditions and as well, fish contains most, if not all of the trace elements that are indispensable to human life. “What tens of thousands of people from bowel cancer last year and how many people died from mercury poisoning? Tongue in cheek, but we need to look at the big picture.
I’ll talk more about it in a moment, but if you’re that concerned and it’s you reason to steer clear of fish, make sure you also immediately cease driving a motor ca, don’t live in a city, no more donuts or muffins full of deadly trans-fats, no airports, and don’t go within a mile of anyone smoking cigarette.
Besides, the longest living people in the world consistently eat fish on a regular basis.
Trace elements are essential nutrients your body needs to maintain itself in optimum condition.
Seafood is the most readily and most widely available food which still contains the complete natural range of all known trace elements.
Eating fish every couple of days, or every day is highly effective defence (some say remedy) against a wide range of disease, all the way from acne to arthritis – and many cancers including breast cancer, bowel cancer, prostate cancer, leukaemia – and many neurological and cardiovascular diseases as well as most of the ‘late-onset’ conditions (including diabetes) – and auto immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The bottom line seems to be that having gaps in our consumption of all essential trace elements (because they are not available in most foods we eat) definitely leaves us vulnerable to cancers and other diseases.
If you accept this, why would you choose NOT to eat fish? Zinc, Iron, Selenium, Copper, Iodine – they are all there. Nutritionist also keep hammering on about Vitamin B12 – vegetarians need to be very careful that they consume this important B group vitamin as the body struggle to assimilate the small amount of B12 in some plant foods. There is plenty B12 in fish, including shellfish, and it is well absorbed by the human machine.
The Omega-3 fatty acids include EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). It is interesting that babies ingest DHA and other marine fat from human when we are weaned.
The scientific evidence relating to the effects of marine fats on vascular health is overwhelming – positive news on blood viscosity, blood clotting, artery spasm, blood cholesterol and triglyceride lowering.
If you had to choose between chicken and red meat as the healthiest option, there is an obvious winner…
PS : I often have a little can of sardines or salmon on grain bread for lunch - it’s quite yummy - the best canned fish is packed in olive oil, rather than saline (salt water).
Written by Dr John Tickell