Health knowledge made personal
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Good evening Beautiful, Tonight I was thinking that I need more things to blog about, more ideas, more “hot topics” on nutrition and health. While I was thinking this, I was also standing beside the stove which had dinner cooking on top. Tonight we are having salmon fillets, I had sweet potato and peas and C had rice with his. The salmon was cooking up beautifully (C was cooking this as I don’t like to touch fresh fish) and the smell was fantastic, which again got me to thinking…. What is SO good about fish? What makes it such a good choice for a protein source? So I decided to do a bit of research and find the nutritional benefits of salmon, and share them with you! It’s like some free education on a Thursday night. You’re welcome!Anyways! Back on the nutritional track…Salmon contains a unique protein and amino acid composition and it’s often overlooked for it’s nutritional values. It contains short protein molecules called peptides that have been shown to be bioactive and may have anti-inflammatory properties. Benefits to our Muscles, Tissues, Enzymes and Hormones Proteins/amino acids are really important to our cells, tissues, enzymes, hormones and basically every other body part. Proteins from the salmon are easily digestible which means the body absorbs them really easily. A good thing about salmon is that it doesn’t contain any adverse side effects or carcinogenic compounds like other corn fed, mass raised meat (always opt for organic, grass fed meat!!). I mentioned some of the vitamins and minerals that are potent in salmon, but selenium is super important because it builds tissues of hair, nails, etc. and its best obtained in salmon although it’s found in other meats as well.Cardio-Vascular Health The omega-3 fatty acids that are found in salmon help reduce blood cholesterol and it maintains the flexibility of our arteries and veins and helps to strengthen the heart which in turn helps lower cholesterol and prevent hardening of the walls of arteries and veins, therefore reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke! With so many people having heart attacks (and the people having heart attacks are getting younger and younger) this delicious fish is perfect for those who are high-risk to heart disease. Eye Care The omega-3’s found in fish (these omega-3’s are quite the little miracle workers!) help to prevent macular degeneration, eye dryness, loss of vision and tired eyes. It’s a proven fact that people to eat fish regularly or more often than average have better vision for longer.Brain & Nerves Omega-3’s increase the efficiency of the brain, they help improve your memory and helps to keep you awake and alert during long work hours (which comes in handy for people who sit at a desk like myself!). The omega-3’s, the amino-acids, vitamins A&D and selenium are helping in treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Other Benefits Omega-3’s reduce inflammation of arteries and digestive system. They reduce the chances of colon cancer, prostate cancer and kidney cancer. They help improve skin texture, adds a beautiful shine to the eyes, skin, hair and nails and helps to grow the good kind of bacteria in the colon! So basically, for anyone that wants to look good au natural… EAT YOUR FISH!The fatter the salmon the more healthier it is, it’s a good protein supplement for older or sicker people as well since it’s so easy to digest, and in some parts of the world it’s a lot cheaper than beef and poultry!Here are the % daily value of some vitamins and minerals in a 4-oz piece of salmon:Vitamin-D – 264.7% Vitamin-B12 – 109.6% Tryptophan – 109.3% Protein – 61.9% Omega-3 Fats – 61.2% Selenium – 61.2% Vitamin-B3 – 37.8% Phosphorus – 31.2% Calories - about half a fillet you buy fresh in the grocery store is about 350 calories from my experience! You can always eat the other half in the morning for breakast.... It's AMAZING for breakfast, holds you over ALL morning! Now that we’ve covered the facts as to why salmon is so healthy for you, let’s go over how to prepare it so you reeeeeeally enjoy it!  Try and buy a whole salmon side or fillet that’s from the thickest part of the fish. I personally prefer salmon with NO skin what so ever. It’s definitely recommended to remove salmon skin if it’s wild-caught (only if it’s NOT Alaskan salmon or if it’s non-organic certified). The reason being is that it reduces the risk of contamination. Research has shown that the skin of the salmon contains a measurable amount of persistent organic pollutants from living in contaminated waters. The best way to cook salmon is by methods that will keep it moist and tender. It can be overcooked really easily and become dry, so keep an eye on cooking times. A really quick way of cooking salmon is the broiling method. Preheat the broiler on high and place an all stainless steel skillet or cast iron pan under the heat for about ten minutes to get it very hot. Place the salmon on the hot pan and broil for 7-10 minutes depending on the thickness. You don’t need to turn the salmon. You can also grill the salmon as we usually do, but make sure it doesn’t burn. It’s best to cook it for longer at a lower temperature. Extra care should be taken to making sure it doesn’t burn because burning the salmon can damage the nutrients and create free radicals that can be harmful for health.  You can serve leftover, cold salmon with greens and vegetables for a great salad, you can serve it seared over whole wheat pasta (or spaghetti squash or potatoes). Top with some lemon, olive oil, dill weed and S&P to taste, you can serve it any way you like… I haven’t found any form of salmon that I’ve never liked. Anyways – I hope that you learned something from this post… I really do believe that eating fresh, whole, clean foods is the best way to keep your body healthy! Eating foods with a high nutritional value a lot, and trying not to eat processed foods (all calories and no nutrition!) is all it takes! With that being said, I’ve been doing really good with tracking and weighing my food, and today is day 10 of my exercise streak! 10 days in a row! Not all of them include weight lifting, but I’ve definitely set aside time, for 10 days in a row specifically for exercise. Today’s workout was this:Pec Dec, 3 sets, 10 reps, 9 reps, 8 reps, 60lbsBack Cable Cross, 3 sets of 10, 7.5 lbs on each side Chest Press, 3 sets, 10 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps, 55 lbs Assisted Pull-Ups, 3 sets, 10 reps, 9 reps, 7 reps with 70lbs of help (lifting 80lbs) Assisted Dips, 3 sets of 10, 55 lbs of help (dipping 95 lbs) Lateral Raise Machine, 3 sets of 10, 55lbs first set and 50lbs the other two Cable Tricep Pressdown, 3 sets of 10, 25lbs for 1.5 sets, 20lbs for the other 1.5 Cable Bicep Curl, 3 sets of 10, 25lbs for 1.5 sets, 20lbs for the other 1.5 15 second plank, 15 second rest for 5 roundsThen I did the stepper for 15 minutes!Also, I wrote a guest blog post for Push.Pump.Progress , click on the title to see my guest post, I wrote about how to make a delicious plate of spaghetti with a squash!Stay sweet, xoxoPS – I want to share this amazing message I got from an old friend of mine about this blog… Hey Sarah! I just wanted to let you know that I fricken love your blog! I just started reading it! What really made me want to say something though is I see that you are helping your friend quit smoking, and I just quit smoking 5 months ago because I could feel my health was really starting to suffer and I quit by reading a book called Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allen Carrs. By the time I was done reading the book I didn’t even want to smoke anymore and I didn’t have any cravings at all! 5 of my friends have read it and all quit too, so tell your friend to check it out, I swear by it!I’m so glad there are people who are really benefiting from my blog! I love this, it means so much to me <3 xoxoxox Resources - Salmon Benefits, www.organicfacts.net , Aparup Mukherjee. - WHFoods: Salmon, www.whfoods.com , The George Mateljan Foundation |
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