Eat up!

Before I lost weight there were many things that I didn’t eat. I didn’t eat tomatoes or onions. I thought I didn’t like sweet potatoes. I didn’t use garlic. And while I ate some shellfish, I didn’t eat regular fish.

After I lost weight, I started trying new foods and found that some things that I previously didn’t like or had never tried became my favorite foods! I think that part of my changing taste had to do with eliminating cheap, addictive processed foods from my diet. With that unhealthy triggering of the “instant pleasure” center of my brain deactivated, it opened my body up to experiencing food in a whole new way.

So I hope that if you are new to this, that you are trying new and different types of food and keeping an open mind about eating things that you thought that you didn’t like. Your tastes may change as you begin changing your body and your mind!

One of the foods I DEMAND you start eating ( ) is SALMON. That’s what I had tonight with brown rice and veggies! Doesn’t it look AH-MA-ZING?  It sure tasted that way!!

Almost all fish is good for you to eat, but let’s talk specifically about the health benefits of Salmon!

First let me calm any fears you have of mercury. Mercury is particularly an issue in large fish such as tuna and shark. Salmon has a relatively low level of mercury, so it is nothing to be concerned about.  On to the amazing health benefits of Salmon!

The heart:

Eating salmon is correlated with a decreased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart arrhythmia and high blood pressure.

Both the extremely high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidant selenium are thought to be the protective factor for the heart.

Joint Health:

Intake of omega-3 has been shown to greatly improve joint health and reduce inflammation.

One of the peptides produced from eating salmon is calcitonin – it is made naturally by the  thyroid, and is known to help regulate and stabilize the balance of collagen and minerals in bone and surrounding tissue.

Salmon also has an extremely high amount of vitamin D which is beneficial for many things, including preventing inflammation.

Eyes, Skin and Hair:

Diabetic?  Worried about your eyes?  Salmon improves vision and helps avoid macular degeneration and fights chronic dry eye. Omega-3’s are known to encourage production of collagen and elastin which make you look more youthful and can decrease the appearance of skin blemishes.  Omega-3’s also provide nourishment to hair follicles, helping hair grow, preventing hair loss and giving the hair a shiny appearance.  

The Brain:

Eating salmon is known to increase the mood and decrease anger and depression.  It is associated with decreased cognitive decline in older people. Some studies have shown that a diet rich in omega-3’s is linked with a higher IQ. 

Cancer Prevention:

Vitamin D, which is so abundant in salmon, is linked to lowering the risk of several types of cancer, including breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer.

Omega-3 fats are also connected to decreased risk of colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer as well as leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Convinced???