Clearinghouse for omega-3 information

With the popularity of omega-3's and increasing research showing their positive effects on and prevention of many health conditions, I have noticed the explosion of omega-3 information on the internet and in written form. I occasionally check in with GOED (), an omega-3 industry trade organization for new trends/research about omega-3's. Under thier "Latest News" category, I noticed a link to "Omega-3 Learning For Health and Medicine" out of Purdue University (http://www.omega3learning.purdue.edu/). This is an excellent source of information for both omega-3 consumers and health care providers. Check it out!

The Economy and Health

Sometimes I may well be moved to write about a health-related topic beyond my omega-3 passion. The past couple of weeks have seen serious economic concerns surface, with a wildly fluctuating stock market, the evaporation of banks and retirement savings, and general worry all around. I thought that an intriguing article in the New York Times ("Are Bad Times Healthy" by Tara Parker-Pope, on October 7, 2008) started to address the idea that economic uncertainty and downswings (I refuse to say "recession") affect people's health, some more than others. On a personal note, these past couple of weeks have reinforced my need to maintain a strong body, mind, and spirit, remembering even more the importance of good nutrition that, yes, includes omega-3's!

First Annual Northwest Chocolate Festival

Kudos to all of the organizers, planners, volunteers, chefs, chocolatiers and presenters for an incredible First Annual Northwest Chocolate Festival (www.nwchocolatefestival.com) in Portland, Oregon, this past weekend! I had the privilege of giving one talk (The Ecology and Ethnobotany of Theobroma cacao), sharing my chocolates during the evening Gala, and tasting numerous incredible chocolate creations from the area. I learned about vegan truffles, Aztec chocolate drinks, and many amazing local chocolatiers. Keep posted for similar festivals that may be held in Seattle and Vancouver this upcoming year!

Ayurvedic omega-3 truffles?

Yes, it's true. Everybody needs omega-3's! For example, if you are Vata dominant, consider a box of Dr. Dave's Mega-O Vegetarian Orange. For the Pitta out there, lean instead towards the Dr. Dave's Mega-O Vegetarian Mint. And, last but not least, Kaphas do great with Dr. Dave's Mega-O Ginger, activating their constitution and helping on many levels. The folks at the Seattle Vida Wellness Spa (www.vidawellness.com), a health and wellness center focused on the Ayurvedic doshas, now offer these versions of Dr. Dave's Mega-O truffles. So, if you are in the area, swing by, buy a box of the relevant flavor, and take advantage of all the great services they offer!

Zingbars.com

Hello all. In the process of tasting foods out there on the market, and, when I'm out and about and hungry, I occasionally run across amazing products. Check out the Zing Nutrition Bars. These struck a chord with me because, as you can read about on their website, they too found a dearth of healthy, nutritionally-sound products out there; I was frustrated with the quality of omega-3 sources available, one of the reasons I wanted to bring you the tasty, high-dose, high-healthy Dr. Dave's Mega-O line. The founders of Zing are nutritionists and use only wholesome ingredients, AND they are delicious. Just a FYI.

Why the corn syrup?

I always encourage people (friends, family, patients, etc.) to read nutrition labels and ingredient lists. Much as Michael Pollan mentions in his books/lectures, I too am nervous when ingredients number more than a few or sound more like chemicals than food. There are also many compounds that we now know or suspect are harmful to human health. I brought an awareness of these points to the development of Dr. Dave's Mega-O truffles: my first goal was to maximize the omega-3 dose per serving, and secondly, I wanted to make the rest of the ingredients high-quality and healthy. The Dr. Dave's Mega-O Original line (using fish oil) has a very small amount of corn syrup on the inside to smooth out the texture of the truffle and keep it fresh longer. This is NOT, I stress, NOT high-fructose corn syrup, a potentially harmful compound. Rather, I use regular corn syrup and in small enough amounts to improve the taste and texture without contributing to any physiologically-relevant effects for most people. I hope this helps to answer some of the questions that have come up regarding this ingredient. And, as an aside: the Dr. Dave's Mega-O Vegetarian line does not use any corn syrup.

Check out www.festivore.com

In the spirit of spreading the word of healthy and locally-made foods, the developers of www.festivore.com have listed Dr. Dave's truffles in their chocolate section. I recommend this site and the related site, www.thefourthelement.org, to anyone interested in healthy eating, sustainability, and finding restaurants that share these ethics. Check it out and let me know what you think!