Tell Big Pharma…”Gone Fishing”

By Linda Neiheisel, CPS

“No time for a chill pill now,
Linda the luna is having lunch
With Charlie the tuna”

I couldn’t forget that little boy’s matter-of-fact observation, ”What’s wrong with Miss Linda?” It was 1980 and my first year of teaching. I had just experienced the famous carbohydrate/caffeine crash right in the middle of our Montessori morning work period. At that moment I decided never to be “cranky with the kids” again and committed to a high protein breakfast every day. I did not suspect that thirty years later I would be writing about the benefits of a diet high in protein as essential for our brain health.

What is brain health? Brain health is achieved by understanding how our food choices affect our brain chemistry and particularly, our mood. This is good news for people diagnosed with any mood disorder because it offers a happy alternative to the pharmacological imperative called antidepressants. Three choices present themselves to those of us who seek to improve our mood. We can take medications, fish oil supplements, or choose a third (delicious) option.

We can eat fish. Any way you slice it, eating fish three times a week significantly increases your health. It also improves your chances of fighting depression, according to recent research studies. Psychotherapy cannot be effective if the brain isn’t nourished properly, says Susan Lord, director of nutrition programs for the Center for Mind-Body Medicine.

The Omega 3 essential fatty acids found in most cold water fish are a part of every single cell membrane that make up our brain cells. When a person’s diet is not rich in magnesium, zinc, and omega 3 fatty acids, our neurotransmitters (which form the basic “wiring” of our brains) are not getting what they need to function.

The 1999 Harvard University pilot study dramatically showcased that Americans eat a lot more damaging fats than good fats and that a healthy diet consisted of five grams daily of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids.

Did you know that other published studies show that countries with a higher fish consumption experienced less cases of depression among its population? Even further, the American Journal of Psychiatry gathered cross-national data correlating seafood consumption with a reduction in bipolar disorder.

Maybe Grandma was right when she said, “you are what you eat”. If you nourish your brain, you strengthen your ability to cope and who couldn’t use that in our stressful lifestyle. Here is a delicious way to make your brain food more delectable. ENJOY!

Spicy Fish Tacos
Ingredients:
Whiting or Cod fillets, Olive oil, Lime juice, Favorite herbs, Cornmeal
Multigrain tortillas, Pre-packaged slaw mix, Reduced fat sour cream
Lime zest and lime juice, Adobo paste

Cooking directions:
Marinate fish in lime juice, olive oil, and herbs no longer than 30 minutes.
Stir in one cup of corn meal and bake on a baking sheet for 7 minutes.
Make a Crema sauce out of sour cream, lime zest, lime juice and adobe paste.
Assemble fish taco by putting a crispy fillet in a tortilla. Add slaw on top and and end with spicy crema on top.