Camelina, A 'New' Healthy Old Food Oil

I came across this oil in a newsletter from Chefshop.com, and of course had to research it a bit. The oil is pressed from Camelina Sativa seeds and has been around for about 3,000 years as an oil crop for edible oils, also used as lamp oil by the Romans, and feedstocks. Camelina sativa, commonly known in English as camelina, gold-of-pleasure, or false flax, also occasionally wild flax, linseed dodder, German sesame, and Siberian oilseed, is a flowering plant in the Brassicaceae family which includes mustard, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and brussels sprouts. It is native to Northern Europe and to Central Asian areas, but has recently been introduced to North America, possibly as a weed in flax.

The crop is now being researched due to its exceptionally high levels (up to 45%) of omega-3 fatty acids, which is uncommon in vegetable sources. Over 50% of the fatty acids in cold pressed Camelina oil are polyunsaturated. The major components are alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3-fatty acid, approx 35-45%) and linoleic acid (omega-6 fatty acid, approx 15-20%) so there is a decent ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3. The oil is also very rich in natural antioxidants, such as tocopherols, making this highly stable oil very resistant to oxidation and rancidity. It is more shelf-stable than flaxseed oil (and comparable in Omega-3) and the organic, cold-pressed oils are about the same price for each one.

The vitamin E content of camelina oil is approximately 110 mg/100g. It is well suited for use as a cooking oil but because of the expense, better used as a salad oil. It has a delicious nutty flavor like almonds, and a delightful floral aroma. (It may become more commonly known and become an important food oil for the future as more is grown and the price decreases.) The oil is also sought-after as a beauty treatment, and is even being examined as a source of biofuel.

Camelina should be a grower's delight! It needs little water or nitrogen to flourish, it can be grown on marginal agricultural lands, and does not compete with food crops. It can be used as a rotation crop for wheat to increase the health of the soil and some growers plant it mixed with other grain crops, requiring only mechanical separation of seed at harvest.

Sources for purchase:

http://www.esimplythebest.net/camelina_seed.htm
http://chefshop.com/Camelina-Oil-Organic--P6435.aspx
http://www.marxfoods.com/Camelina-Seed-Oil?sc=2&category=13200

Soaps (not the TV kind)

Photo courtesy of Pixel Drip's photostream

Since I can no longer use commercial shampoos and laundry soaps without a skin rash or worse, I have been researching to see what's IN them that affects me. First, most things advertised as soaps are actually detergents.

The difference? Petroleum. Detergents are made from petroleum products, and they contain a high percentage of surfactants, foaming agents and alcohols. Then they add cheap synthetic fragrances to mask the chemical smell. Because these formulations (in liquid form) could spoil, they add preservatives and anti-bacterial agents.

A commonly used preservative is paraben, which has been detected in breast cancer tumors. That doesn't necessarily mean parabens caused the cancer, but the mere presence worries me. Parabens are also found in toothpaste, food additives, cosmetics, shaving gel, personal lubricants and moisturizers.

The chemicals in detergents easily penetrate the surface of the skin and accumulate in our tissues. Although this may not affect most people initially, it causes allergic reactions in a lot of us. And the toxins are accumulative.

Photo courtesy of mwri's photostream

Soaps, true soaps, are made from natural products like fat and lye. Your great-grandmother probably made her own soap, or traded with a neighbor who did. Lye was easily made by dripping water through fireplace ashes, and fats from the butchered hogs and beef was always available. Making soap is actually pretty easy, needs far less energy than commercial soaps, and there's no residue for the landfill.

I urge you to check the ingredients even in hand-made soaps because not all of them have all natural ingredients, especially if there is significant production. They may use animal fats from CAFO's which often contain residues of pesticides and antibiotics, and synthetic fragrances. My digestive system no longer tolerates soybean, canola, sunflower and safflower oils, and if I can't even digest them, WHY would I want to absorb them through my skin?

Castile soaps are made mostly with oilve oils and other natural oils; hand-crafted recipes usually add palm and coconut oils to harden them and create more lather. Since I eat (and tolerate) those oils, they make a safe soap for me.

Photo courtesy of Kevin's photostream

Besides the goat-milk facial soaps, I also use Dr Bronner's soaps (pure-castile soaps) for laundry, bathing, shampoos, and washing my truck. Soaps DO create a scum, but it is 100% biodegradeable. I can live with that. The fragrances used in Dr. Bronner's soaps are organic essential herbal oils, and are less than 2/10 of 1% by weight anyway. Supposedly you can use Dr Bronner's peppermint soap for toothpaste, just a drop or two... but I'm too chicken to try it.

I used to buy Tom's of Maine's natural toothpaste, succumbing to advertising... but finally having read the ingredients (fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate, aluminum tubes, xylitol, highly refined vegetable glycerine, salicylates, sorbitol, etc.), I stopped. Actually I stopped long before I recently decided if things require an ingredient label, I generally won't buy them, and if it is something claiming to be a food, I won't buy it at all.

My grandfather mixed just fine salt (slightly abrasive) and baking soda (sweetens and deodorizes) and water to brush his teeth, and that works just fine for me. My changes in diet will reduce if not eliminate tooth decay by changing the bacteria in my mouth (and system), so brushing is more for cosmetics and a feel-good mouth.

Fighting Depression with Better Nutrition 1

My friend and neighbor who lost her 19-year old son to a fatal accident in early November is having a rough time with depression. For many years she has worked in the drug and alcohol addiction treatment field, and is naturally adamant about not taking drugs for depression.

For the next few days I am going to try and write about some foods that help fight depression and simultaneously increase overall health.

Today it’s essential fatty acids.

The human body can produce all but 2 of the many fatty acids needed for health. These 2 are linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), called essential fatty acids both because we need them, and because we cannot make them. They must be supplied by food, or by supplements.

Essential fatty acids are important in several body systems including the immune system. They are needed to produce the hormones that regulate blood pressure, blood lipid levels (think cholesterol), cell growth, immune response and injury infection response. Essential fatty acids are necessary in brain functions, and changes in the balance of these essential fatty acids in the brain can affect our dispositions, sometimes severely.

Omega-3 and omega-6 are 2 important types of essential fatty acids we need. They are polyunsaturated fatty acids that differ from each other in their chemical structure and function in our bodies. They must be in balance for optimum function. Unfortunately, the typical American diet no longer provides these essential fatty acids in roughly equal amounts.

Omega-6 essential fatty acids are found in plant oils derived from seeds and nuts. Refined oils such as soy oils, are found in most of the snack foods, cookies, crackers, sweets and fast foods in our diet. Soybean oil alone is now thought to account for more than 20% of our daily caloric intake.

The longer-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA) are found in some fish oils, and walnuts. Cold water fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon and cod are significant sources of omega-3 (unfortunately also a source of mercury from our toxic oceans).

The imbalance of these essential fatty acids is believed to contribute to the rise of diseases like asthma, coronary artery disease, many forms of cancer and neurodegenerative disease, all believed to stem from inflammation in the body. (Omega-6 increases inflammation.) This imbalance of fatty acids is also thought to contribute to obesity, depression, hyperactivity and even violence.

Joseph Hibbein, MD and psychiatrist at the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and perhaps the world's leading authority on the relationship between fat consumption and mental health, recently cited a study showing that prison violence dropped 37% after omega-3’s and vitamins were added to the prisoners’ diets.

Omega-3’s have been have been studied in mental health clinical trials for years, and consistently shown to make significant improvements in many areas. They have proven to fight depression, positively affect even more severe mental illnesses like bi-polar disorder, and improve the behavior of children with ADHD.

“You can cut down on omega-6 levels by reducing consumption of processed and fast foods, and polyunsaturated vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, safflower, soy, and cottonseed, for example). At home, use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and in salad dressings. Eat more oily fish or take fish oil supplements, walnuts, flax seeds, and omega-3 fortified eggs. Your body and mind will thank you.” ~Dr. Andrew Weil