If you think Omega-3 is a planet often visited in Star Trek Voyager then perhaps you should read the book! Might save your life or at least help you live longer. The authors, Penny Doyle and Audrey Deane, have both worked either as dieticians or in food development. They are well placed to give you information to enable you to get the best from what you eat.
Omega-3 is famously found in oily fish. It is said to reduce the risk of heart attacks, relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, and encourage brain and optical nerve development in babies and children. The good news is that there are other foods apart from fish that supply omega-3 and this book points you in the direction of a varied, delicious diet.
This is a chunky, spiral-bound volume. Colourful and practical and it stays open on the counter. It’s full of information and recipes. The list of ingredients which contain omega-3 will be heartening to anyone who isn’t a lover of fish… oily or otherwise. Nuts and seeds are a good source as well as soya products, kale, rocket, and spinach. If you enjoy shellfish then you’ll be pleased to know that crab, mussels, prawns and squid all have omega-3.
The recipes are divided by meal. Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day and Top 100 Omega-3 Recipes offers delicious choices that are appealing even if you don’t need an omega-3 boost. Fruity Maple Porridge will keep you going till lunch. Flaxseed and dried apricots make this a healthy start. The Oaty Breakfast Bar is so tasty that it’s hard to believe that it’s good for you… but it is; and anything with yogurt-coated raisins has my vote. All the nutrition information is given for each recipe so you can see it’s no joke.
Seafood is well represented here as you would expect. Seafood Lasagne is smart enough for any bunch of discerning guests even though it uses frozen seafood mix. Makes life easy and keeps the price down. Pissaladiere is a long-time favourite and revives memories of summer in the south of France. It’s almost a pizza and almost a tart, with a tangy topping of anchovies, onion and black olives. You have permission to use bought puff pastry so there is no excuse for not making this dish.
I had expected Top 100 Omega-3 Recipes to be a dessert-free zone but there are some interesting examples. Bread and Butter Pudding gets its omega-3 from Omega Bread (recipe in this book). Baklava is an ideal end to an exotic meal and the omega-3 in this case comes from nuts and flaxseed. I would guess it’s possible to add a few grams of flaxseed to most cakes or puddings to increase your intake.
Top 100 Omega-3 Recipes has simple and tasty food and gives sound advice on how to improve your health by eating rather than swallowing supplements.
Top 100 Omega-3 Recipes
Authors: Penny Doyle and Audrey Deane
Published by: Duncan Baird Publishers
Price: £ 5.99
ISBN 978-1-84483-757-1
Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker © 2018