ALA

[robertscott]

should I be supplementing with this? If so, what sort of dose and where from?

Thanks

[stuward]

ALA is a vegetable sourced omega 3. It's not the same as you get from fish and it's bio-availability is limited compared to EPA and DHA which you get from animals. The most common source is flax seed. It goes rancid quickly so it's best to get whole flax seed and grind it in a coffee grinder before consumption.

Although there appears to be a small protective benefit to ALA, it's not clear to me that there is any benefit at all if you already get adequate O3 from animal sources.

Note that although I characterize EPA and DHA as animal source O3s, they actually come from plants. Fish get them from algae and land animals get them from leafy plants. We could do the same but we would have to eat huge amounts. Animals just concentrate it for us.

[robertscott]

ok, so I won't bother with ALA, I already supplement with a few grams of fish oil every day so I'll consider that adequate.

Is there any other fats you would recommend I supplement Stu? Or will a decent diet take care of it all? Bear in mind I can't afford grass fed, organic anything

[stuward]

That's a good question. CLA, GLA, MCTs, lecithin all come to mind. I don't supplement anything and try to get what I need from food.

CLA is found in grass fed animals. There's no proven benefit to supplements. That's probably due to the fact that CLA is a familiy of 28 different isomers and you know they're not all going to be present in supplements. There may even be adverse reactions to supplements.

GLA or evening primrose oil may be effective for some conditions but in most cases it's of no use. There's a Nova Scotian company that makes it so you should always support your local economy.

MCTs appear to help in weight loss. MCT oil is a subset of the fats in coconut oil. I would just use that.

Lecithin used to sold as a supplement and it's included in a lot of industrial products. It used to be made from eggs, but now from soy. It's mainly a source of choline and a little O3 so any health benefits come from that. Eat your egg yolks.

[robertscott]

thanks for your help there Stu. The cheap beef I eat is probably woefully low in CLA, but that's just one of those things. I'd heard that about the supplements not having the right isomers so I was never too keen to buy some.

It appears then that I have my bases pretty much covered. That's good to know.

And I've never once eaten an egg with no yolk. The yolk has all the flavour, why on earth would you torture yourself like that? It's like ordering a pizza and just eating the crust.

[stuward]

Mushrooms and eggs are also sources of CLA. I think CLA is more of a long term benefit. However, I think choline deficiency, brought on by the fat phobic guidelines from the "experts" is a major health risk. I think, as far as fat is concerned, the most effective thing you can do for your health and fitness is to eat lots of farm fresh eggs. If you shop around, you can probably buy free range eggs for only slightly more than regular eggs. I can get them for $3.50/doz straight from the farmer compared to $3/doz for grocery store eggs. It's still a pretty cheap food. Liver is also very good and very cheap but it's also probably worth seeking out grass fed liver. Try the farmer's markets.

[robertscott]

i didn't know that about mushrooms. Most shops around here only stock free range eggs. There's a farmers market not far from where I stay, does really good sausages but I've never thought to check prices for eggs.

I wish I could train myself to like liver, it's the texture that gets to me. Too smooth. There must be some way of cooking it that'll make it palatable.

[TimD]

Robert, without hijacking this thread too much, just a note on the liver thing. Having been in the Navy for many years, they used to serve it alot, due to it's cost. I never cared much back then for the usual method, being fry it hard in bacon fat, and dump a bunch of fried onions over the top. Then one day, I walked into the galley, and they had something available called "liver fiesta". This stuff was actually good. They browned it quickly on both sides, and lightly braised it in tomatoes, green peppers and sauteed onions. Didn't come across as shoe leather at all, and I started to like the stuff. Then some years later, I tried grilling it lightly, and pulling it off while still lightly pink. It was good. Might want to just change the cooking methods.
Tim

[robertscott]

that's its main appeal really Tim, I can get a big pack of the stuff for 50 pence! I reckon if I fry it up with enough veg and dump a whole load of hot sauce on it it might be ok. Or maybe I can sneak some into some minced beef or something.

[stuward]

The key is cooking it lightly. It's very tender if you don't overcook it. I like it with just onions but peppers and tomatoes would be good. Hot sauce makes everything better.

[robertscott]

right, I'm going to fry up some onions and tomatoes till the tomatoes make a sauce, add some peppers, fry them a bit, add liver, garlic and a TON of hot sauce. I will endeavour to lower the amount of hot sauce needed as I get used to it. Plus I'll add herbs and seasonings and stuff like that.

How can you tell when it's cooked? Does it have to be cooked all the way through?

any suggested improvements? (Oscar keep them serious)

[Oscar_Actuary]

any suggested improvements? (Oscar keep them serious)

Nah, lol, sounds pretty good. I suspect you are not using fresh garlic because if so, add it earlier, with onions.
I too am going to add liver. Now, mainly just eat at restaurants occasionally, and usually fried chicken livers - probably doing more harm than good.

I got a pork shoulder in the slow cooker as we type.

[Jungledoc]

Liver is disgusting. Period. It's not an issue of cooking it right. It's just disgusting. I don't believe that God intended it to be eaten. It is the garbage pail of the body.

[Paperclip]

Liver is disgusting. Period. It's not an issue of cooking it right. It's just disgusting. I don't believe that God intended it to be eaten. It is the garbage pail of the body.

Working in Papua New Guinea hasn't toughen up your stomach, doc?

[robertscott]

I suspect you are not using fresh garlic because if so, add it earlier, with onions.

Rookie mistake there Actuary, crush some garlic in 5 minutes before serving. Stronger and fresher tasting. My theory regarding garlic is take however much the recipe calls for, and double it.