Consumer interest in omega-3 is not as high this year as it was in the 2005-2007 time frame. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been inundated by so many omega-3 messages on the news, web, and supermarket that most of us have simply come to accept the easy to remember association:  “omega-3 = good”.  In the same time period we also learned that “trans-fat = evil”.

It’s a bit like Star Wars , what with the dark and light side of the force. The “force” here is fatty acids, or what dietary fats (animal fat and vegetable oils) are composed of.

While the trans-fat message is quite simple at the practical level – just avoid products containing it – with omega 3 things are a bit more complicated. And when something is not as simple as good/bad, you can be sure there’s lots of money to be made off of the public’s ignorance. Enter the thousands of processed products now marked with “omega-3″ in large font type on the front of the package.

The analogy to Star Wars ends here because not all omega-3’s are created equal. Which means you may be buying a product fortified with omega-3 that has almost no health benefits for you. Yet you will likely be paying more than you would have for the standard, un-enriched version. In order to better understand what’s going on, here’s a quick primer on omega-3, in 10 bullet points. Read more…

As if we don’t have enough to worry about with respect to nutrition, a set of new studies has shown that children are receiving way below their required amount of vitamin D.

What is vitamin D? Why is it important? Why aren’t kids getting enough? And what are its best food sources?

Read more…

In this blog, we often focus on the negative aspects of  processed foods. We take pleasure in warning you of seemingly innocent products that contain exorbitant amounts of salt, sugar and fat. However, we always try to wrap up a post with recommended alternatives for healthier eating.

Today we’ll start positive from the get go. Well, almost.

Let’s take a look at what we should be eating by learning about the nutrients we don’t get enough of.  Based on the USDA’s “What We Eat in America” report, there are quite a few. Here are the “subconsumed seven”:
1. calcium
2. potassium
3. fiber
4. magnesium
5. vitamin A
6. vitamin C
7. vitamin E

Below the fold we’ll provide explanations and suggestions for each…
Read more…

flickr photo: Kevin Lawver

To be labeled USDA Organic, fruit and vegetables must be grown free of pesticide, herbicide, and artificial fertilizers. Organic beef and poultry must be raised with access to open pasture, be free of antibiotics, and fatten up with organic feed. All organic products are raised with sustainability of the land and environment as a central consideration.

What about fish, which grow wild in the ocean? Can they be considered organic?

Actually, most of the fish we consume today is not wild. Most fish are grown in “fish farms” whether in huge artificial fish ponds or in large netted ocean “farms”. This is due to dwindling stocks of wild fish worldwide due to extreme overfishing.

So now that the fish are not wild, and are fed by “farmers”, it is easier to relate to the organic question. Well, not so easy, but after several years of debilitation, a USDA Panel has finally defined Organic Fish. From the Washington Post:

The question of whether farmed fish could be labeled organic — especially carnivorous species such as salmon that live in open-ocean net pens and consume vast amounts of smaller fish — has vexed scientists and federal regulators for years. The standards approved yesterday by the National Organic Standards Board would allow organic fish farmers to use wild fish as part of their feed mix provided it did not exceed 25 percent of the total and did not come from forage species, such as menhaden, that have declined sharply as the demand for farmed fish has skyrocketed.

While the aquaculture industry rejoices (they can now opt to raise an sell higher margin organic fish), consumer groups are troubled by the organic definitions:

Activists questioned why up to 25 percent of fish feed could be made up of non-organic material, while all other animals certified as organic must eat 100 percent organic feed. They also noted that open-net pens can harm the environment by allowing fish waste and disease to pollute the ocean.

It seems like the controversy is not over yet.

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Image by Thai Jasmine via Flickr

Happy Friday everyone. Today, a quick overview of Vitamin D.

What you need to know:
What Vitamin D does:
1. Bone builder – helps our body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus (bone building blocks).
2. Cancer fighter – keeps cancer cells from growing and dividing.
3. Infection fighter – functions in controlling infections.

Sources of Vitamin D:
1. Sunlight – 15 minutes a day is considered a good amount of time. The sun’s ultra-violet rays help our body manufacture vitamin D.
2. Naturally in foods – fatty fish (like salmon, sardines, herring, catfish, tuna, and mackerel), egg yolks, liver
3. Added to certain foods – fortified milk and cereals. Some other dairy products may be fortified as well.
4. Supplements – for example in a multivitamin.

Recent News:
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended doubling the daily amount of Vitamin D for kids. The amount suggested is 400 IUs (international units) which is the equivalent of drinking 4 cups of milk a day.

What to do at the supermarket:

Look at the nutrition labels of your usual dairy milk, soy milk, cereals and take note of the vitamin content. Add fish to your family’s diet. Canned sardines and tuna are a good and quick source of vitamin D as well – 1 ounce of canned tuna will provide 75 IU; sardines – double that.

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