A picture speaks a thousand words- or does it miss a few salient parts?! And yes, flaxseed is there again. Plus a few others like pumpkin seeds. Sesame seeds – a note of caution, some people are allergic to sesame seed. Which one is missing though? See *** below.
Broccoli is my all time favourite vegetable. I eat it every day unless I am in France where, paradoxically, they hardly eat any veg but are still very healthy! It’s known as the French Paradox (honestly – it’s a technical term). I’ll write about that another day.
However! Another note of caution even on good ‘ole broccoli! It contains goitrogens, Goitrogenic foods can affect thyroid function. Goitrogens inhibit synthesis of thyroid hormones making the thyroid gland enlarged. If you can feel your thyroid at the front of your neck, it maybe down to ‘drinking’ raw broccoli from a juicer. Possibly a factor behind Hashimoto’s disease, vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips and others have glucosinolates which impairs iodine thyroidal uptake. Just lightly cook or steam it and you are done with the goitrogenic effect.
*** Fatty fish!
Omega 3 science proves that fats from certain fish are the best for brain health, and yet a fish is not even in the picture. Fatty fish like salmon (wild – not farmed) mackerel and herring provide the long-chain fatty acids omega 3 EPA and DHA. These regulate the inflammatory process. Inflammation of the brain is another way of describing dementia.
What if you are vegan or vegetarian. There are other fats, like Echium seed oil. Classified as an invasive species in Australia, the oil in its seed form is a perfect balance of Omega 3, 6 and 9 . Amazingly, it also has healthy amounts of something called stearidonic acid (SDA). While the body still has to convert SDA to EPA, much as happens when flax is ingested, Echium seed does so 5 times more efficiently. Vegans take heart! Echium seed oil is the answer. So valuable in optimising health for those who don’t eat fish.
Make sure it is cold pressed, like any oil, heat pressed destroys nutrient. So a picture speaks a thousand words but still may not give the full picture!
