FISH OIL on a Vegan diet!?

‘But Roshni, what about omega- 3 and fish oil supplements? Are you sure we do not need them?’

It was commonly believed that Eskimos settled in the colder parts of the world with a diet predominantly high in fish and very low in vegetables and fruits had very low prevalence of heart diseases. In fact, a bunch of danish researchers also went to confirm the same. This because big news and high intake of omega 3 fatty acids from fish was linked with lower rates of coronary heart diseases.

However, this was never proved! In fact the Danish team did not even examine the cardio vascular status of the Eskimo's, they just made an assumption due to the low prevalence of the disease.

This concept though has been proven false from as old as a thousand years! Frozen remains of eskimos dating 100s of years back have signs of CVDs.

Now, even with numerous studies and research articles linking fish and sea food to higher rates of heart attacks, the omega- 3 supplemental and food industry seems to be growing yearly on research that was not true to begin with in the first place.

Fish consumption and depression.

Does nutrition intake and food patter have anything to do with depression? If so, it's like the chicken and egg story, which comes first? Do depressed people tend to make bad food choices or does a bad diet lead to depression.

Well studies have linked higher carotinoid and phytonutrient levels (both found in abundance in plant- based food) may prevent the development of depressive symptoms. Countries with the consumption of higher plant- based food and lower consumption of meat and eggs have lower rates of depression.

So where can we get our daily doze of omega- 3’s?

Even if there were a 1% chance for you to develop mercury poisoning or diabetes, why would you risk it?

Ideally, the minimum requirement for short chain omega- 3 fatty acid ALA is about 1/2% of your daily caloric requirements. This is easily fulfilled by a handful of walnuts or a tbsp of ground flaxseed powder per day. Now this ALA is further elongated into long chain EPA and DHA (these are essential for the body).

But new studies come out ever so often that prove that we might not be making enough EPA and DHA, leading to multiple supplemental industries taking advantage of this fact and offering omega 3 supplements. While the 'minimum' requirement changes from person to person, the fact still remains that fishes themselves do not make their own omega 3 fatty acids. Fishes in fact also depend on 'seaweed' to get their daily doze of omega's in.

Just cut the middle mad and include a plant- based supplement made from seaweed itself to get your omega's in. Saves you the risk of dying from diabetes and heart diseases.

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Meal plan for 20th and 21st Jan 2021.

Breakfast: Quinoa Stir fry.

Ingredients:

• 70 grams Quinoa.

• 1 tsp olive oil.

• 0.5 onion.

• 1 tbsp ginger.

• 2-3 chillies.

• 100 grams mushrooms (or other veggies).

• 30 grams soy beans (uncooked weight/ soaked overnight)

Instructions:

Saute ginger and chillies in olive oil. Add the chopped onion’s and mushroom’s and let it cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the cooked quinoa and soy beans. Season to your choice. I like to only add salt and pepper.

Lunch: Chole masala with brown rice and beetroot salad.

Chole masala:

• 50 grams chickpeas (soaked overnight/ raw weight).

• 2 tomatoes.

• Garlic and other dry spices to season.

Instructions:

• Heat a non- stick pot and add dry whole spices of choice. I like to add bay leaves and cumin seeds. Once these start to pop, add 1/2 cup water.

• Once the water comes to a boil, add in the garlic.

• Puree two tomatoes and add to the pot.

• At this time, season according to your liking. I like to add chole masala, red chilly powder and some turmeric.

• Finally add the cooked chickpeas and sprinkle with some lemon and cilantro.

Have the same with 60 grams cooked brown rice.

Beetroot salad:

• Chop 1 and a half beetroot.

• Soak 20 grams of split yellow mung daal for 2- 3 hours.

• Mix the drained and washed mung daal with beetroot and half an onion.

• Season with salt, pepper and lemon.

• Garnish with cilantro.

Dinner: Sweet potato cutlets.

Ingredients:

• 80 grams quinoa or millets (uncooked weight).

• 1/2 onion.

• 120 grams sweet potato.

• 2.5 tbsp ginger/ garlic paste.

• Seasoning as per your liking.

• 1 cup lettuce.

Instructions:

Cook quinoa and sweet potato separately and mix them together with the rest of the ingredients except the lettuce. Bake the cutlets at 180 C for 15- 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. You can brush a little bit of oil to get a beautiful golden- brown coat. If you do not have an oven, they cook really well on the stove top too.

Serve on a plate of lettuce or other roasted veggies with mint chutney and toasted bread. I would also pair this with a bowl of pipping hot soup.