omg [omega-3s].

  I have finally crawled out from underneath that huge mountain of notes, and I am ready to share a semester worth of nutrition knowledge with all of you. 

I'm here to redeem myself for disappearing from the blogosphere... it happened with good reason!

my brain is full, my tummy is hungry and I'm ready to be 

back on the blog.

soy maple salmon

recipe by: lauren gibson
serves: 4

the goodies:
- 4 6oz wild BC salmon fillets
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 c. soy sauce
- 3 tbsp dark sesame oil
- 2 tsp grainy mustard
- 1/2 tsp hot chili sauce
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

the fun part:
#1.) preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line an 8 x 8 baking dish with tinfoil.

#2.) in a small bowl whisk together maple syrup, soy sauce, sesame oil, mustard and chili sauce.  stir in scallions, garlic and ginger.

#3.) pour marinade into your prepared baking dish and place salmon in marinade, skin up.  allow salmon to marinate for 30 minutes to one hour.

#4.) once marinated, bake for 10-14 minutes, or until white protein appears and fish flakes.

{one day, if summer ever comes, I'll provide you with the bbq method.  however, judging by the hail storm I was caught in during my run yesterday, that won't be any time soon.}

what your body will like:
essential fatty acids: just like our body isn't able to make some of its own protein, it's also not able to make all of the fats necessary for your body to function properly.  there are two classes of essential fatty acids that we need to obtain from our diets:

omega-6s: vegetable and plant based oils
omega-3s: leafy green vegetables, flaxseeds and salmon

the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s in our body is really important.  the more we consume of one, the less we are able to utilize the other.  unfortunately, on average our diets contain more omega-6 rich foods than omega-3s.  this means that not only are we not getting consuming enough omega-3s, but the ones we do eat aren't being used by the body properly, because they are being overpowered by the omega-6s.

omega-3s and omega-6s have completely opposite roles, so balance is key.

so what does this mean?  

pump up the omega-3 intake! 

marine sources, like salmon, are the best way to do this because they have more of the essential acids necessary for:

#1.) important structural and functional cellular components

#2.) roles in prevention of chronic heart disease

#3.) beneficial effects on brain and cognitive functions

#4.) health of women during pregnancy and breast feeding