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salmon

Reduced anxiety in forensic inpatients – long-term intervention with Atlantic salmon

August 5, 2016 By Trudy Scott 13 Comments

wild-salmon
Wild salmon (picture used with permission: Vital Choice

Seafood is a great source of amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, iodine, iron, calcium, selenium, and vitamins B12, A, and D, many of which are beneficial for mood disorders.

Fish in the diet has a positive impact on depression

A number of studies have found that including fish in the diet has a positive impact on depression, especially those that refer to traditional diets (the famous one is by Jacka and colleagues) and the Mediterranean diet (there are a number of studies by Sanchez-Villegas et al). A study from Finland found that the prevalence of depression was lower in countries where consumption of seafood is high.

When it comes to diet and nutrients there is much more research on depression than anxiety, so when my book The Antianxiety Food Solution was published in 2011, I wrote the following:

Given the link between anxiety and depression, it’s possible that seafood consumption could also help reduce the incidence of anxiety.

A study that now shows reduced anxiety with fish consumption

We have a study that now shows this: Reduced anxiety in forensic inpatients after a long-term intervention with Atlantic salmon

In the study, 95 male forensic patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups:

  • a Fish group where they consumed Atlantic salmon three times per week from September to February OR
  • a Control group where they consumed other protein sources such as chicken, pork, or beef three times per week, also from September to February

The paper lists the incidence of the following disorders amongst the study participants (all sexual offenders) who were in a secure forensic inpatient facility in the USA:

Personality disorders (antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder or personality disorder with antisocial traits) were diagnosed among 76% of the participants. Moreover, about 31% of the participants were diagnosed with some kind of anxiety disorder (GAD, OCD, PD or post-traumatic stress disorder) and about 18% were diagnosed with depression (major depressive disorder or depressive disorder). About 31% of the participants had both a personality disorder and an anxiety or depressive disorder.

The study findings

The study participants consumed salmon for 6 months and the study findings suggest that

Atlantic salmon consumption may have an impact on mental health related variables such as underlying mechanisms playing a key role in emotion-regulation and state-anxiety

And that

The present results showed that fatty fish consumption caused changes in HRV [heart rate variability] which is regarded as an essential underlying biological mechanism involved in anxiety and emotion-regulation.

A few interesting factors about this study

  • The salmon was farmed and mercury and dioxin levels were measured. Despite this, mental health benefits and reduced anxiety was observed. I suspect even more favorable results would have been observed had wild salmon been used
  • The authors mention that a longer intervention as in this study i.e. 23 weeks/6 months is likely to lead to better results than a shorter intervention
  • The Fish group had a significant increase in both omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA
  • The authors speculate about how improved vitamin D status in the Fish group may help regulate serotonin production and thereby help regulate heart rate variability and reduce anxiety
  • The study highlights nutritional benefits of fatty fish other than marine omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D: selenium, iodine, vitamin B12 and high quality proteins. I’d like to add that it is a source of zinc and iron too, both of which are co-factors for making brain chemicals.
  • Although the study found a significant decrease in state-anxiety, it did not find any changes in trait-anxiety (here are the differences in state-anxiety and trait-anxiety). The authors suggest that trait-anxiety may be more difficult to change during a 6-month intervention study. I’d like to add that other concurrent nutritional and biochemical interventions would likely have provided additional mental health benefits. This could include: a gluten-free diet, targeted individual amino acids, addressing dysbiosis, addressing high or low histamine, pyroluria and zinc-copper imbalances and so on.

The authors mention a limitation of the study, in that this group of adult male forensic inpatients may make it difficult to generalize the results to other groups in the population and recommend further similar research in children and women.

I look forward to future research but I feel very comfortable about putting this limitation aside for now, especially with the positive results found with this group of patients with very severe symptoms.

I also feel very comfortable extrapolating these results from salmon to sardines and would expect similar beneficial results. I highly recommend selecting wild salmon or wild sardines rather than farmed.

If you suffer from anxiety and stress, or any mood disorder, I hope this research is further motivation to eat wild fatty fish a few times a week. How much fatty fish do you eat each week and have you observed mood or other health improvements?

And if you’re a practitioner, I hope this research is a bigger incentive to continue to recommend fatty fish to your clients or patients.

If you’re looking for some great recipes check out this yummy summer salmon pate recipe and this delicious pomegranate olive mint salsa to serve on grilled salmon. Vital Choice, a wonderful source for great quality home delivery WILD fish, has great recipes on their site too.

Filed Under: Fish Tagged With: anxiety, fatty fish, salmon, sardines, serotonin, vitamin D

GMO salmon approved – frankenfish?

November 27, 2015 By Trudy Scott 8 Comments

salmon
Is this wild salmon or GMO salmon? If you’re eating at a restaurant you may not know the difference

The FDA has just approved GMO salmon, which has already been dubbed frankenfish.

This USA Today story: In historic first, FDA approves genetically altered salmon reports the following:

If you want to find the latest product approved by the FDA, don’t bother with the pharmacy. Try the fish freezer.

The AquAdvantage Atlantic salmon has made history – along with a generous serving of controversy — by becoming the first genetically engineered food animal approved for sale in the U.S.

Because of its genetic modifications, the Food and Drug Administration said the new variety of salmon “meets the definition of a drug.”

It’s sad and also a little crazy – fish is now a drug!

Here is an excellent interview that Jeffrey Smith did on Underground Radio with Sean Croxton 5 years ago when the GMO salmon was pending approval: Say NO to GMO Salmon! with Jeffrey Smith. They talk more about the fact that this fish is now a drug which allows them to keep various aspects secret.

According to this Huffington Post article: FDA OKs Genetically Modified Salmon For Human Consumption

The fish grows twice as fast as normal salmon, so it reaches market size more quickly. It has an added growth hormone from the Pacific Chinook salmon that allows the fish to produce growth hormone all year long. The engineers were able to keep the hormone active by using another gene from an eel-like fish called an ocean pout that acts like an “on” switch for the hormone. Typical Atlantic salmon produce the growth hormone for only part of the year.

Boycotting the AquAdvantage salmon (produced by biotechnology company AquaBounty Technologies) won’t be easy because the salmon may not be labeled as GMO or genetically engineered/GE.  And if you’re eating at a restaurant you may not know the difference.

Many big food stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Aldis and even Costco have said they will not sell this GMO salmon. This is good news!

The Center for Food Safety is ready to fight back and sue the FDA challenging its approval of these untested, unlabeled, and unwanted GMO/genetically engineered salmon and you can support this effort here.

Of course your best choice is wild-caught salmon, which are never genetically modified and have many added benefits over any type of farmed salmon, GMO or not. You may recall the great interview on The Anxiety Summit where Randy Hartnell, fisherman, and owner of Vital Choice talked about the wonderful benefits for seafood. Our topic: What you need to know about seafood—the ultimate brain and mood food

What do you think? Are we being overly concerned about GMO salmon? Or should we be boycotting it? Would you be willing to eat it and feed it to your family? Or are you strictly a wild salmon consumer?

 

Filed Under: GMOs Tagged With: fda, gmo salmon, organic, salmon

Healthy Mind Cookbook and pomegranate olive mint salsa recipe

April 3, 2015 By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

healthy-mind-cookbookI’m excited to have had the opportunity of interviewing Rebecca Katz for season 3 of The Anxiety Summit. She has a new book The Healthy Mind Cookbook and I can’t wait to share our great interview.

Until then I’m sharing why I love this book and a wonderful recipe from her book, the pomegranate olive mint salsa.

Let me share why I love this recipe book:

  • It’s all about food for the brain and how to have a healthy mind and great mood!
  • I really appreciate the Culinary Pharmacy where the science behind the ingredients is shared. If you’ve been following me for awhile you know I love the science!
  • Rebecca’s focus is on yum! The recipes are delicious and the flavors just pop! I would have to say that one of my favorite sections is the Dollops chapter. Rebecca says “these dollops are snazzy surprises, acting as delicious high notes” and “many of the dollops contain healthy fats, which work to make brain-boosting vitamins and minerals more bioavailable” (the recipe below is from the Dollops chapter)
  • The food photos are positively mouth-watering (my only complaint is that there is not a photograph that goes with each recipe)
  • She has a section on Reducing Recipe Reading Anxiety, where she shares how to use these recipes as a blueprint and how not to get overwhelmed when there are ingredients you don’t recognize, can’t find or don’t really like. I’ll share below how I modified this salsa recipe to my liking and how it still turned out great.

Pomegranate Olive Mint Salsa

1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup finely chopped mint
½ cup Kalamata or green olives, chopped
½ cup finely chopped fennel
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of sea salt

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to combine. For optimal flavor, cover and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. For taste, you may want to add another squeeze of lemon or a pinch of salt.

Makes: 2 ½ cups.
Prep time: 15 minutes.
Storage: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

healthy-mind-recipe1
The picture from the Healthy Mind Cook book

My comments and modifications to the recipe:

  • When I read the ingredients I was surprised about the quantity of parley and mint but used this amount anyway and the end result is incredibly yum!  
  • We didn’t have all the ingredients so we left out the pomegranates and used raisins instead, we replaced walnuts with almonds and I’m not crazy about raw scallions so just left them out – and it was still amazing! This all ties back to the section on Reducing Recipe Reading Anxiety.
healthy-mind-recipe2
The first time we made it – served on salmon

 

  • We LOVE this recipe – it has become a standard in just a few short weeks. We have had it with both salmon and with lamb chops (it’s the best mint “sauce” for lamb)
  • The salmon above was also one of the recipes in the book: Roasted Ginger Salmon, and was delightful. In this one we left out the cayenne pepper and doubled up on the ginger – I love ginger!  I’ll share this recipe in a future blog post.
  • And now we need to make it with the pomegranates!

So get shopping and chopping and enjoy a delicious salsa for your brain and taste buds!  Let us know how yours turns out and what you serve it with.

 

Filed Under: Books, Food and mood, Recipes Tagged With: anxiety, healthy mind, Rebecca Katz, recipe, salmon, salsa recipe

Eat fish and prevent anxiety, depression, inflammation and insulin resistance

June 27, 2014 By Trudy Scott 16 Comments

Stuffed salmon

How much wild fish is in your diet? Are you eating wild salmon or sardines two or three times a week? If you’re not, there are plenty of good reasons to start doing so!

Research shows “the likelihood of having depressive symptoms was significantly higher among infrequent fish consumers than among frequent consumers”

A 2011 study supports omega-3 consumption for mood disorders.

“DHA modulates some of the same genes targeted by current psychotropic medications, as well as increases myelin-related gene expression. Myelin-related gene expression decrease is a common, if nonspecific, denominator of neuropsychiatric disorders. In conclusion, our work supports the potential utility of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA, for a spectrum of psychiatric disorders such as stress disorders, bipolar disorder, alcoholism and beyond.”

A 2012 animal study shows that sardines lower insulin resistance and has other wonderful health benefits.

“these results support the beneficial effect of sardine protein in fructose-induced metabolic syndrome on such variables as hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and oxidative and inflammatory status, suggesting the possible use of sardine protein as a protective strategy against insulin resistance and related situations.”

I grew up in South Africa eating sardines and love them! I always have a few cans with me when I travel in case I’m stuck somewhere without a good protein source! Here is a blog post I wrote on: Healthy travel food ideas when you have food sensitivities.

Here is a great resource for making the best choices when it comes to seafood: “The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program helps consumers and businesses make choices for healthy oceans. Our recommendations indicate which seafood items are ‘Best Choices’, ‘Good Alternatives’ and which ones you should ‘Avoid’.”

A wonderful source for great quality fish is Vital Choice. They are “a trusted source for fast home delivery of the world’s finest wild seafood and organic fare, harvested from healthy, well-managed wild fisheries and farms.” I have met Randy Hartnell a few times and I love this company and everything that they stand for!

“We capture the fresh-caught quality of fine, sustainably harvested Alaskan salmon and other Alaskan and northwest Pacific seafood by cleaning and flash-freezing it within hours of harvest.

The fisheries that supply most of our seafood are certified sustainable by MSC (look for their blue logo) or the State of Alaska, or are widely considered sustainable.”

Enjoy some beautiful salmon for dinner or have a yummy sardine snack and see mood, blood sugar and overall health benefits!

Filed Under: Anxiety and panic, Food and mood Tagged With: anxiety, depression, salmon, sardines, Vital Choice

Salmon Pate Recipe for Summer

May 29, 2012 By Trudy Scott 9 Comments

2 small cans of wild Alaskan pink salmon (totaling 12oz/340g)
1T gelatin
½ cup chicken stock, heated (home-made is best)
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 t lemon juice
4 small onions, finely chopped
½ cup fresh raw cream
Sea salt and pepper

Mix gelatin with hot chicken stock. In a blender, blend the following: gelatin/stock, undrained salmon, onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasoning. Add cream and stir. Pour into lightly oiled fish molds (use one large or 3 small fish molds). Refrigerate and tip onto the serving plate just before eating. Serve with rice crackers, whole-grain wheat crackers (if tolerated) and fresh veggies like chopped carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and celery.

I’d like to give credit to Suzy for this wonderful recipe (which I have modified slightly). She is an old friend of mine and I’m so thrilled that we just reconnected on Facebook after being out of touch for 20 years! I was so impressed when she served it at a dinner party in Johannesburg, South Africa, a LONG time ago. In fact, everything Suzy served at dinner parties was amazing! Here’s to sitting down together at a dinner party in the near future!

May you enjoy this and other wonderful food with your friends and family!

Filed Under: Real whole food, Recipes Tagged With: anxiety, food, mood, omega-3, recipe, salmon

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