Book Reviews
Live a longer life
Author:By Sophie Scot
Publisher: Published by ABC Books, 2007
This easy to read book promises the scientific secrets for health and wellbeing at any age. This promise is attractive to the baby boomers entering their 50s and 60s who are very interested in avoiding the downsides to the ageing process.
The diets of people living in Okinawa, Japan and the Mediterranean region are used as examples of healthy eating. Both diets are, of course, rich in omega-3s. Ms Scott gives fish and omega-3s a good profile and offers up some delicious-sounding recipes which include great ideas for including plenty of vegetables, fruits, chicken and a few seafood meals over a week’s menu plan.
For example, the recipe for Seared salmon fillet on white bean puree, with roast potatoes and rocket and parmesan salad is fantastic combining the benefits of oily fish with legumes, salad greens and flavours of lemon, garlic, rosemary and chives.
The rest of the book covers common illnesses associated with increased age, the benefits of exercise and sex, anti-ageing products and a focus on the brain and how it can be better used and maintained.
If you need some inspiration and information to kick start your path to good health, this book is a good way to begin.
A postscript – the terminology related to omega-3s and fats is not quite right in this book. To clarify: oils such as fish oil, sunflower oil and olive oil and hard fats such as those found in butter are made up of different combinations of fatty acids. Fish oil is rich in the long chain omega-3 fatty acids known as EPA and DHA but contains a range of other fatty acids as well. Sunflower oil is rich in the omega-6 fatty acid called linoleic acid and olive oil is rich in oleic acid which is a monounsaturated fatty acid – both these oils contain other fatty acids too. Butter has a higher concentration of saturated fatty acids than the oils which makes it solid at room temperature. Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids. The Omega-3 Centre uses the terminology omega-3s as an abbreviation for omega-3 fatty acids.
The CSIRO health heart program
Author: By Dr Manny Noakes and Dr Peter Clifton
Publisher: Published by the Penguin Group, 2008
Bestselling authors and CSIRO scientists, Manny Noakes and Peter Clifton, have once again delivered an attractive and practical program with assistance from many of their colleagues. This time it is aimed at the over 40s who want to manage their cardiovascular risk factors with almost 100 pages of heart healthy recipes and 12 weeks of menu plans.
The basis of the program is CLIP – the Complete Lifestyle Program – which includes an exercise and eating plan as well as sound information on risk factors and motivation.
The Ten Super CLIP Foods list fish and omega-3 fatty acids in the number one spot! It was the CSIRO who first highlighted the role of long chain omega-3s in helping to protect against death from heart attack due to their role in helping to maintain a normal heart rhythm back in the 1980s. This is one of the key roles for omega-3s in heart health.
There are over 25 fish and seafood recipes for snacks, main meals and even cocktail parties. The variety of seafood used in the recipes is huge and offer some good ideas for experimenting with foods you may not have tried before such as fresh and smoked trout and squid.
We recommend this book for its sound science, easy to understand content and wide range of recipes with mouth-watering photographs.
The omega-3 diet revolution
The Omega-3 Diet Revolution: The Ultimate Health & Weight Loss Solution
Author: Shamala Ratnesar B.Sc., M.Sc., APD
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Available from all good bookstores
The author of this book is an Accredited Practising Dietitian who has conducted her own research into Omega-3 fatty acids. It is a friendly and easy to read book aimed at people who want to lose weight and improve their health with Omega-3s. The scientific content is minimal but there are some excellent recipes and motivational tips.
