Monday, May 22, 2006

Spicy seafood, meat and vegetable hotpot

From

Ong Tao’s Kitchen (21-05-2006)
with chef Jason Vinh of Omni Saigon Hotel

Hotpots feature heavily in Vietnamese cuisine, and like similar Thai dishes, they are often sour, spicy and salty.

Local chef Jason Vinh of Omni Saigon Hotel says this seafood, meat and vegetable hotpot is an especially healthy one, and can be made with ingredients easily found in Viet Nam – pumpkin flowers, Chinese cabbage, oyster mushrooms, water spinach, and herbs like lemongrass and galangal. A hearty dish, it can be served as a first course or eaten alone for a light meal.

Ingredients:

* 2kg pork bone

*150g white radish, sliced

*150g onion, peeled

*100g white leek, sliced

*100g carrot, cubed

*3 litres of water

*10 lemon leaves

*6 pcs small chillis

*120 g ginger, sliced

*7 pcs lemongrass cut in 3-4cm slices

*120 g galangal, sliced

* ½ pkt Tom Yam paste

*3 pcs lemon juice plus 20g fresh coriander

*1 tbs sugar + 2 tsp chicken powder + fish sauce to taste

* 200g choy sum + 200g Chinese cabbage + 150g oyster mushroom + 200g water spinach

* 1 kg fresh noodle + 200g onion + 200g pumpkin flower

* 300g tiger prawn + 300g squid cut in rings + 200g New Zealand beef, sliced + 150 g fish ball cut in half + 150g pork liver, sliced

Preparation:

-Clean pork bone and cut white radish in 6-7cm wide slices; cube the carrot and slice the leeks. Combine the bone and water in the stockpot. Bring the stock to a boil over low heat. Skim the surface of oil, as necessary. Simmer 3 to 4 hours. Add the vegetables during the last hour of simmering. Strain the stock. Add stock to the other stockpot; add lemon leaves, lemon grass, chilli, ginger, galangal and coriander. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes and then add Tom Yam paste and adjust seasoning.

- Wash the vegetables and cut into 3 to 4cm except oyster mushrooms. Place vegetables, seafood and meat on the plate.

- Add stock in clay pot and bring the stock to a boil over low heat. Add meat, seafood and vegetables and simmer 1 minute. Add fresh noodles and serve immediately.

The hot pot is served every day except Sunday at Omni Saigon Hotel’s Cafe Saigon, 253 Nguyen Van Troi Street, Phu Nhuan District, Tel: (08) 844 9222 Story Link

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Eat your heart out

Was reading a story today in the Boston Globe of a study showing that white, middle-aged English people are much healthier than white, middle-aged Americans.

Snip

Eat your heart out, Yank

May 15, 2006

MEDICAL researchers recently set heads to shaking on both sides of the Atlantic with a study showing that white, middle-aged English people are much healthier than white, middle-aged Americans. The English have less cancer, less high blood pressure, less heart disease and stroke, and less diabetes. To make sure that the difference was not just the result of stiff-upper-lip Brits keeping quiet about what ails them, the researchers also examined biological data, which confirmed the disparity.

The results are so striking because there is no ready explanation for them.

Full Story Link

Monday, May 01, 2006

Spring Time Is Seafood Time

Seafood stew recipes:

Here are some favorites seafood recipes from Dr. Gabe Mirkin. He has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties. Dr. Mirkin's latest book is The Healthy Heart Miracle, published by HarperCollins. He wrote the chapter on sports injuries for the Merck Manual (both lay and physicians' editions), the largest selling book worldwide with over one million copies in print

Seafood Stews: Healthful Recipes from Around the World
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

I love the seafood stews that come from almost every region that borders on an ocean! They’re wonderful served over whole grains instead of white rice or pasta. Here are some of my favorites to get you started.

High concentrations of mercury and other toxins have raised concerns about the safety of some seafoods, but this appears to be a turf battle between various fishing interests more than an actual health threat. I believe that the benefits of seafood far outweigh the potential health concerns. If you are pregnant or nursing, check with your doctor for the latest guidance.

Cioppino (from Italy)
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green peppers, or 1 green and 1 red, chopped
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped, to taste
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups bouillon or dry red wine, or some of each
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, undrained, broken up
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian spice blend or oregano
3 small zucchini, halved lengthwise, then cut in 1/4" slices
3 pounds (total) seafood -- your choice: shrimp, squid, any firm white fish cut in 1" chunks, clams, mussels, scallops, etc.
1/2 cup chopped flat parsley
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
cooked whole grains of your choice (optional)

Combine the onions, garlic, peppers, celery and bouillon or wine in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and spice blend and cook 10 minutes more. Add the zucchini. Return the liquid to a boil and add the seafood. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and cook, stirring once or twice, until the seafood is done (5-10 minutes.) Add the parsley and black pepper; serve over whole grains if desired.

8-10 servings

Kejenou (from Africa)
1 large onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1 cup bouillon + 1 extra teaspoon bouillon granules
8 parsnips, sliced
1 28 oz. can Italian style (plum) tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 pound fresh green beans, sliced, or 1 cup frozen green beans
1 pound firm white fish fillet of your choice, cut in chunks
Cooked whole grains (optional)

Cook the onion and green peppers in the bouillon for 5 minutes to softern. Add the parsnips, tomatoes and spices and cook 10-15 minutes or until the parsnips are just tender. Add the green beans and simmer 5 minutes; add the fish chunks and simmer 5 minutes more, or until the fish is firm and no longer translucent, and the green beans are crisp-tender. Serve over whole grains.

4-6 servings

Paella (from Spain)
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup bouillon
2 teaspoons oregano
pinch cayenne, to taste
4 cups cooked barley, brown rice or other whole grains of your choice
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, undrained, broken up
1 red bell pepper, cut in 1/2" chunks
1 pound asparagus, cut in 1-2" pieces (reserve the tips)
1 6-ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained
2-3 pounds cleaned mixed seafood of your choice (peeled shrimp, scallops, lobster tails, mussels, clams, 1" chunks of any fish)

Cook the onion, celery and garlic in the bouillon to soften, 5-10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the asparagus tips; bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes or until the asparagus are tender. Stir in the asparagus tips, artichokes and seafood, cover and cook about 5 minutes more, or until the seafood is opaque and any shells are opened.

6-8 servings

Louisiana Oysters and Shrimp
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 pound shrimp
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
2 teaspoon fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 cups okra or green beans, cut in bite-size pieces (fresh or frozen)
1 pint shucked oysters and their liquid
Freshly ground black pepper
Cooked brown rice or barley

Bring the water and bay leaf to a boil in a pot, add half of the shrimp and cook just until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them in a colander. Bring the liquid back to a boil and cook the other half of the shrimp the same way. Run cold water over the shrimp, drain and set them aside. Strain the cooking liquid and return 1 cup of it to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, add the chopped onion, garlic, green pepper and celery, and simmer 5-10 minutes or until they are tender. Add the tomatoes, parsley, hot sauce, thyme and fennel to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the okra or beans and simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the shrimp. Add shrimp and the oysters (with their liquid) and cook just until the oyster edges are curled, about 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice, with ground pepper and additional hot sauce to taste.

6-8 servings

***************
Read his Good Food Book FREE, with 100 healthful recipes.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gabe_Mirkin,_M.D.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

New Milk With DHA Being Marketed

A dairy in Quebec Canada has begun marketing what it claims is the world's first fresh milk to naturally contain docosahexanoic acid (DHA). Docosahexanoic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid felt to be esstentail in healthy development within young children.

They are achieving this by feeding cows food that is specially formulated and contains herring (a fatty fish). It's a patented formula that allows DHA to pass through the digestive system ending up being retained in the milk. The digestion process in Cows normally elimates this fatty acid.

"""This is a newsworthy event," Michel Lucas, a PhD candidate with the medical faculty at Laval University and one of Quebec's leading researchers into omega 3, said about the new 'Oh! Lait' milk brand marketed by Neilson Dairy. "The brains of young children need lots of DHA. Having it available in milk is a huge advantage."""

According to Lucas, who worked on the project with researchers in Guelph, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, halibut and herring offer better and more flexible DHA for use by the brain and heart than the fatty acids provided by vegetable-based linolenic acids.

DHA is found mostly in the membranes of cells with high electrical activity such as the brain, heart and retina. It is known to be needed, among other things, for the development of memory, learning and nerve development.

"The best source is breast milk," said Lucas. "But fish is an excellent source, too."

He added that pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under the age of five need "lots" of DHA.

FCC AgriSuccess Source Article

Monday, April 17, 2006

Does Eating Salmon Lower the Murder Rate?

Interesting new story on violent aggression and poor nutrition.

""""National Institutes of Health, published a study, provocatively titled "Seafood Consumption and Homicide Mortality," that found a correlation between a higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids (most often obtained from fish) and lower murder rates.""""

New York Times Story

Friday, April 14, 2006

Omega 3 Brain Fix

Omega-3 moves into medical mainstream

BY JAMIE TALAN
Newsday Staff Writer at Newsday.com

April 11, 2006

""In the days following the Jan. 2 Sago Mine explosion disaster, the only survivor, Randal McCloy Jr., was experiencing multiple organ failure and severe brain damage.

Dr. Julian Bailes, McCloy's neurosurgeon at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and head of the trauma center, was up to speed on the latest benefits of the "miracle molecule" omega-3 fatty acids when he phoned Barry Sears of Zone Diet fame to ask about a recommended dose for the very ill miner."""

""Sears suggested that Bailes administer a total of 18 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the two most important omega-3 fatty acids, via feeding tube. McCloy remained on the supplement via feeding tube until his return home March 30.

This was an extraordinarily high dose, Sears explained, but staff monitored McCloy's blood levels to assure it remained within a certain therapeutic range. The EPA reduced the inflammation caused by the lack of oxygen within the brain, and the DHA was required to repair the damage, Sears said. "I certainly think it played a big role," in his recovery, Bailes said. "How can he rebuild his brain if he doesn't have the substrate to do it?"""

Link to Full Story

This above article is well written. It provides further convincing evidence of what mom said " fish is good for you" well what's in fish anyway.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

US science body confirm health benefits of seafood

Here is an exeret of a news story found today on the Gippsland Aquaculture Industry Network. This story again supports that, exciting discoveries are being made in relation to the health benefits of seafood.

A panel of experts convened by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has confirmed the health benefits of seafood.

In fact, a recommendation has emerged to eat seafood not just the usually suggested two to three times a week but instead four to seven times a week.

"The best science coming out over the last two years has overwhelmingly been in favour of the benefits of seafood consumption," said panel chair Professor Michael T. Morrissey, from Oregon State University's Department of Food Science & Technology.

“The evidence still suggests that seafood plays a role in reducing coronary heart disease – and new studies suggest that it may reduce the onset of Alzheimer's as well as other mental illnesses,” Dr Morrissey said.

The full story can be read at this source link

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

More people want seafood

Patricia Duncan, aquaculture extension specialist and assistant professor at Fort Valley State University, in a recent interview reported by Ayanna McPhail
(Telegraph Staff Writer), said that people are flocking to seafood.

Some of this new demand appears to be driven by the media on mad cow and bird flu. However Duncan also said that more Americans are seeking healthy meals, which sometimes lead their appetites to fish, shrimp and mollusks.

"Each year the demand for seafood grows, and as the population grows, it's predicted that we won't be able to meet seafood needs," Duncan said. "We're going to have to depend on a way to meet our seafood needs in the future."

Further into the article Ducan said "Fishing techniques are so efficient these days that entire stocks of fish have been wiped out, and aren't coming back because the adult fish are taken and can't reproduce".

The same article also talks about Sandy Miller who switched his work and his lifestyle from an information technology consultant to a full-time catfish farmer in Jenkins County.

"My friends say I am a country boy wannabe, so I must admit that it's been a transition," said Miller, a 52-year-old who moved from Atlanta.

The news article titled:
High tide for seafood
Aquaculture going swimmingly in rural Georgia

Can be found at This Link

An interesting read!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Fish oil supplements plus statins protect against heart disease

Exert from:

Meeting Report
11/14/2005
American Heart Association Scientific Sessions late-breaking news:

DALLAS, Nov. 14 – Cholesterol-lowering drugs, combined with a fatty acid found in fish, packs a one-two punch against heart attack, angina and other coronary events, according to a study presented at a late-breaking clinical trials session at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005.

“These results appear to justify the use of fish oil/omega-3 fatty acids since they can add to the beneficial effects of statins,” said lead author Mitsuhiro Yokoyama, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the division of cardiovascular and respiratory medicine at Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine in Kobe, Japan.

He presented the results of Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) on Major Cardiovascular Events in Hypercholesterolemic Patients: The Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS). It’s the first large-scale, prospective, randomized trial that combines statins and omega-3 fatty acid therapy. EPA is one of the major omega-3 fatty acids in fish.

Read Full story Here

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

My mother told me to eat Fish

It’s good for you! She Said.

While I was growing up we had fish – lots of fish. We fished for a living. There were 12 kids in my family along with Mom and Dad and an uncle that lived with us.
Being from a rural and traditional Newfoundland community “we had a doors open policy”, meaning that we also had many “a” neighbour drop in to visit and stay for a “Bite to Eat”. Believe me, there was many an opportunity to eat!

Yes! We ate fish of many different kinds, there was Codfish, Salmon, Herring, Mackerel, Turbot, and Trout, to name a few, on our plates any given day.

The meals that we ate often included some type of fish that was cooked using simple recipes and served with vegetables that came from the family garden.
Vegetables that were grown in gardens made possible by poeople that nutured a low yield soil, yet made it productive by using fish and fish waste as a fertizler and compost. Good soil isn’t plentiful when you live in a rocky area, so most people practiced a somewhat crude but very effective form of composting, they used fish wastes. (Today that’s called by-products reuse)

For years I thought that Mom was telling me to eat my fish because it cost less to have. After all it wasn’t hard to get fish for lunch when fishing was our livelihood! There was no doubt some truth in my line of thinking then.

It wasn't until I got older that I realized, the fact that there was wisdom in her words. Looking back now, I firmly believe that she knew more than I did, before or do now, about what was good for me.

So what changed my Mind?

I like other people became more settled in life and I started thinking about my health. Somewhere back along that way, something influenced my thoughts and triggered me to begin thinking about the importance of nutrition. As I got older I started to read more and perhaps even started to learn. I found out there were good points about eating right, many of which I was told about and shown when I was younger, but I didn’t pay attention to. I also found out that I am not alone when it comes to realizing the benefits of fish in a healthy diet.

I found a growing body of evidence that indicates the health benefits of Seafood. Generally good quality fish is high in protein and low in fat. Eating seafood can provide a wide range of health benefits. White-fleshed fish, in particular, is lower in fat than any other source of animal protein, and oilier or fattier fish contain substantial quantities of omega-3s, or the "good" fats, which have been proven as essential requirements in the human diet. Fish doesn’t have the "bad" fats that are commonly found in red meat. It doesn’t have the fats that are part of the group known as omega-6 fatty acids.

Why are omega-3s good for your health?

There are three main omega-3 fatty acids: ALA, EPA and DHA.
EPA and DHA have longer molecules than ALA and by all indications appear to provide the greatest health benefits for us humans. So what does that mean? Or what are those things anyway?

In the ocean, ALA is made by algae, or phytoplankton. Small invertebrate animals or zooplankton live by eating this phytoplankton and in the process they elongate (change) the ALA to EPA and DHA. In turn, when finfish and shellfish that are higher up the food chain eat plankton, they accumulate even higher concentrations of the most beneficial of the omega-3s.

To us "humans" these omega 3 fatty acids are important for prenatal and postnatal neurological development, and may reduce tissue inflammation and alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Other maladies in which omega-3 may play a beneficial role include cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), depression and irritable bowel syndrome.

What are other sources of omega-3 fatty acids?

Alternative sources of the shorter omega-3 fatty acid ALA include flaxseed, walnuts, and wheat germ and the many forms or brands of omega-3 tablets that are made with plant source ingredients. However, since humans do not readily convert ALA to the more beneficial EPA and DHA, the omega 3s in terrestrial plants and the products made or refined from plant sources probably do not provide as a great a health benefit as the longer omega-3 fatty acids found in marine products.

Is fish good for us? I feel that question can only be answered as yes. I found out that it was. Mom told me!

Monday, March 06, 2006

Read and comment on Seafood and Health

This blog is about seafood and our health. Posts will focus on the benefits and concerns associated with eating fish and Seafood. This blog started as an addition to my other blog on aqua farming located at