If you fancy joining in the Robert Burn’s Day celebrations with a Burn’s night supper, but would rather not partake of the saturated animal fat drenched bag of sheep’s offal, guts and reproductive precious bits, which is Haggis Pudding then read on.
We have found a vegetarian haggis recipe that has walnuts and red kidney beans rather than scrapie brains and real kidneys.
Walnuts are not as reliable a source of vegetarian Omega-3 as V-Pure Omega-3 DHA rich algae, as walnuts have only ALA, not EPA and DHA, but every little bit helps and it’s more useful to your body than saturated animal fat.
Here’s the recipe for the walnut, oat and kidney bean Scottish Haggis Pudding Recipe (‘great chieftain o the puddin race’).
And here’s some ideas for the perfect Burn’s Night supper.
Of course you could just let someone else do all the work and eat out.
BBC Dr Who’s arch enemies, the Daleks, have a history that is similar to the one humans are creating for themselves (ourselves).
The Daleks were the result of a long toxic war amongst a race called the Kaleds. Just like humans it was a toxic, poisonous, environment and health destroying war on both themselves and their planet.
A Kaled scientist named Davros cleverly predicted that the Kaled race would end up as useless, immobile squidlike mutants and created a time travelling fully armed, armour-plated, walnut whip-shaped, spotty mobilty scooter that they could live and travel about inside.
Having learnt little from this BBC fable-ish parable, humans are busily trashing the planet and the sea and creating , not quite as extreme, but similar problems for earthlings. We get more sickly and more infertile as each new atmosphere, rainforest and ocean destroying day goes past.
Miscarriage during pregnancy is becoming more and more common.
Doctor Who and Scientists have suggested we will end up as a race of morons if we don’t rectify our intake of essential fatty acids , in particular Omega-3 DHA. Some claim that like the Daleks we risk ‘devolution’ not evolution.
Certainly there is little doubt that humans are as arrogant and conceited as Daleks believing we are the supreme beings in the universe.
Will we survive?
Fortunately for those wanting to join Dr Who on a different path there is a non-toxic, sustainable, healthy solution to our predicament of destiny. V-Pure is pure algal Omega-3 DHA EPA essential fatty acids approved by the Vegetarian Society, registered with the Vegan Society and, as it is sustainably farmed, it is one of the purest value-for-money forms of EPA and DHA that ethical concious consumers can buy.
Of course it’s going to take more than a few algae Omega-3 capsules to save the planet but it’s not a bad place to start.
Dietary Omega-3 fatty acids and fish consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes.
Are Fish Toxic?
In a Harvard study of 36,328 women who participated in the Women’s Health Study, and who were observed from 1992 to 2008, it was found that marine, but not plant-based Omega-3 fatty acids, increased the risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jan;93(1):143-50. Epub 2010 Oct 27. Diousse et al
We presume this is because Fish oil comes free with saturated animal fat which is abundant in the modern diet whereas, plant sources of Omega-3 escape that hazard. Unless it is due to contamination from toxins in the sea absorbed by the fish.
Another good reason to use plant based Omega-3 essential fats V-Pure
What to look for when you are searching for pure unadulterated quality, uncontaminated purity free of toxins and good value for money in therapeutic strength long chain Omega-3 essential fatty acids DHA and EPA
V Pure Omega 3 DHA / EPA from sustainably farmed algae. Vegetarian / Vegan , toxin-free and good value for money.
So how do you choose from the vast array of Omega-3 essential fatty acid supplements on the market.
Here are some V Pure key factors to look out for when choosing an Omega-3 product
Toxins, Toxicity, Poisons, Contamination
A few years ago a number of retailers including Boots the chemist had to withdraw Cod Liver Oil Fish Oil products because they had levels of toxins ubiquitously found in the sea that were above the safety levels set by the UK Government.
Humans treat the oceans like a giant sewer, a giant global cesspit for all humanity.
The trouble is with contamination, like BSE, if you don’t look for it you won’t find it and it’s quite unusual for products like this to be officially tested.
The other problem is that even though low levels of toxins in fish oil may pass the regulatory limits, and not be dangerous on their own, no-one seems to have considered what cumulative amounts of different toxins, added together in a cocktail of poisons, can have on the body. What effects do combinations of these different toxins have on our risk of cancer for instance?
Some known toxins are not even officially tested for despite prolific traces found in fish through independent testing.
The best strategy to avoid risk is to avoid all fish oil products and only choose products that have pure EPA and DHA in them that has been purified. Cod liver oil in particular is from the liver of the fish and is the oil filter that protects the fish, so why would you consume the part of the fish that is likely to have the most amounts of toxins. This may have made sense for your grandmother, but the seas are now so polluted it’s a risk factor you can live without.
Algal oil is farmed in a controlled environment that avoids contamination from the sea and is then filtered to separate the key EPA and DHA parts of the Omega-3 oil that are so beneficial for optimal health.
Sustainability, conservation and protecting the environment
Environmental scientists and researchers now predict that if urgent steps are not taken immediately to halt the rape of our seas and oceans it will now be only a few years before there are no fish left in the ocean. This doesn’t just have aesthetic and ethical implications, the fact that we’ve robbed our children of a rich biological heritage.
In the film ‘Sea The Truth’ by the Sea First Foundation, Dos Winkel and eminent marine biologists reveal that fish have a vital part to play in maintaining the delicate balance, of not just the life in the oceans, but the whole planet.
The oceans, covering two thirds of the planet play an even more important role in cleaning our atmosphere than that of our dwindling rainforests. The algae and plankton that live on the surface of the sea are the true lungs of our planet and we are killing it. New toxic strains of algae are growing out of control as nature uses up organophosphates and nitrogen washed into the sea. Meanwhile the beneficial algae and plankton are following the fate of the coral reefs, dying from over acidification of our sea.
Fish play a vital role in balancing alkaline pH levels as they help neutralise the acid. No fish = more acid= less plankton = more C02 = less oxygen and a grave danger to life on planet Earth.
Not only do we waste fish for human consumption through bycatch , we devastate fish stocks by catching them to feed to chickens, pigs, cows, even other fish. We also scoop up millions of tonnes of fish each year to squeeze out the oil to be used by cosmetic, industrial and pharmaceutical industries.
We need to stop immediately before it’s too late.
Value for money, best buy, cost effective alternatives to fish
As fish become more scarce and smaller fishing fleets and trawlers have to travel further away to find less fish. As fish become more toxic, expensive decontamination and purification methods need to be deployed in an attempt to try to keep fish oil below the government’s maximum levels of permitted toxins.
Beware products promoting Omega-3 supplements which are labelled Omega-3, 6 and 9, this is a waste of money. They are usually cheap blended vegetable oils – Omega-9 from olive oil, Omega-6 from sunflower oil and Omega-3 from flax and or rapeseed oil. This is a ridiculously expensive way of buying these oils and typically it’s only the Omega-3 part that we need more of. If you need more Omega-6 then choose GLA rich safflower, evening primrose or Echium oil. Omega-9 is not an essential fat and most people get plenty from olive oil. Hempseeds have a good mix of Omega-6, Omega-9 and basic short chain Omega-3 and are considerably cheaper than a supplement!
The other thing to consider is that fish oil contains saturated animal fat as well as Omega-3 essential fats. Nutrition London expert Yvonne Bishop-Weston says “I’ve yet to meet anyone who needs extra saturated animal fat in their diet. Essential fats are what most people need more of to obtain personal optimised health, not more saturated fish oil fats. Omega-3 DHA EPA are only a small part of the fat mix in fish. Fish have a far better ratio of Omega-3 than factory farmed meat, but they are still a rich source of saturated fat too.”
Here are some typical fish oil and long chain Omega-3 essential fat products.
Holland and Barrett Fish oil up to 264mg DHA per Dose
Seven Sea Cod Liver Oil 85mg per dose
Seven Seas Extra Strong Cod Liver Oil 360 mg DHA per dose
Natures Aid 120 mg DHA per dose
Lamberts Pure Fish Oil 240mg DHA per dose
Higher Nature Omega 3 120mg DHA per dose
Health Aid Omega 3 325mg DHA per dose
Haliborange kids Omega 3 200mg DHA per dose
Eye Q 174 mg DHA per dose (6 capsules)
Boots Omega 3 Fish Oil 120mg DHA per dose
Boots Cod Liver Oil 100mg DHA per dose
V Pure Omega 3 Vegetarian / Vegan DHA / EPA from Algae 400mg DHA per dose
As you can see based on quality, V Pure Omega-3 DHA represents excellent value for money.
Here’s what the University of Maryland Medical Center says about Essential Fats and Diabetes
People with diabetes often have high triglyceride and low HDL levels. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil can help lower triglycerides and apoproteins (markers of diabetes), and raise HDL, so eating foods or taking fish oil supplements may help people with diabetes. Another type of Omega-3 fatty acid, ALA (from flaxseed, for example) may not have the same benefit as fish oil. Some people with diabetes can’ t efficiently convert ANA to a form of Omega-3 fatty acids that the body can use. Also, some people with type 2 diabetes may have slight increases in fasting blood sugar when taking fish oil.
The Physicians Commitee for Responsible Medicine PCRM disagree that fish oil is the solution for diabetes
The high amounts of fat and cholesterol and the lack of fiber make fish a poor choice. Fish are also often high in mercury and other environmental toxins that have no place in an optimal diet.
Fish oils have been popularized as an aid against everything from heart problems to arthritis. The bad news about fish oils is that Omega-3s in fish oils are highly unstable molecules that tend to decompose and, in the process, unleash dangerous free radicals. Research has shown that Omega-3s are found in a more stable form in vegetables, fruits, seeds and beans.7, 8
A number of health organisations are now recommending eating a diet richer in plantfoods to combat diabetes. There is a list of free resources on the One World Day website including a couple that specifically claim to fight the symptoms of diabetes.
In a study looking at Dietary fats and prevention of type 2 diabetes by Walter Willet et al in Collaboration between the Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University, Sweden, the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, Boston they advise
Improving fat quality should be considered part of a dietary lifestyle strategy to prevent or manage type 2 diabetes. In practice, replacing fats from red meats and butter with non-hydrogenated vegetable oils and margarines rich in MUFA and/or PUFA should be encouraged to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce diabetes risk. Such dietary fat composition also lowers cardiovascular risk by reducing the serum LDL/HDL ratio and triacylglycerols [33, 34].
Leading UK Nutritionist in London, Yvonne Bishop-Weston says vegetable oil and margarine is an unreliable way to to alter the balance of essential fats in the diet for a number of reasons.
Studies show that we not only have too much saturated animal fat in our diet but that the polyunsaturated fat that is readily available is usually heavily biased towards Omega 6. This makes it even harder for our bodies to process Omega-3 into longer chain cell building and repairing DHA
Polyunsaturated Omega-3 essential fats are very delicate and prone to deterioration from exposure to air, light and heat. Unless the fats are freshly pressed you could end up doing more damage to your health than good.
An Omega-3 oil can be cold pressed, virgin, fresh as grass but it is still a half food rather than a whole food. It’s missing many of the vitamins and minerals needed for your body to process those essential fats in to cell building compounds.
Consuming oil and margarine is an inefficient use of your daily calorie allowance.
Oil and margarine is not an adequate alternative to meat only an alternative to butter. Polyunsaturated fat rich combinations of vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, fruit and grains are an alternative to saturated fat rich meat, fish and dairy.
“If a reliable test shows you are deficient in Omega-3 long chain essential fats EPA and DHA then you should consider both dietary changes and supplementation with a sustainably produced toxin-free EPA / DHA algae product to help balance levels.” says Yvonne.
