Garlic & Herb Wild Salmon with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

By now we all know how important omega-3 essential fatty acids are to our health. There are two essential fatty acids (essential meaning we have to get them from our diet): omega-3s and omega-6s. We should consume a diet with a 1:1 ratio of omega-6 EFAs to omega-3s. The Standard American Diet has a ratio of 12:1. We are eating far too many omega 6s (primarily from processed vegetable oils and processed foods containing them) and far too few omega-3s.

Too many omega-6s promote inflammation, and inflammation is the root of many diseases. A balance of omega 3s to omega 6s is absolutely vital for brain health, vision, joint health, cardiovascular health, digestive health and so much more. Trading pro-inflammatory foods for healing foods high in Omega-3s will have a huge impact on your health!

Wild salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 EFAs. The International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids and the US National Institutes of Health both recommend at least 600 milligrams of omega-3s per day. According to Dr. William Sears, a renowned pediatrician, author and nutrition expert, eating 6 oz of wild salmon twice/week would give you the equivalent of this. (Sears, MD, William and Martha, Prime Time Health: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Feeling Young and Living Longer, p. 192-93.).

The health benefits of salmon are so great, even if it’s not your favorite it’s worth the effort to acquire a taste for it. When I was pregnant with my trio and on bedrest, sweet friends brought us dinner and asked if I’d rather have chicken or salmon. I answered chicken–I liked some fish but never really cared for salmon. If only I’d known then how much my babies and I all 4 needed that salmon! The year they turned two, I made a New Years resolution to cook fish once a week. One of my boys liked tuna and any white fish but always found salmon too fishy. For several years I kept making salmon and always made him eat 2 small bites, until one day out of the blue (maybe when I first made this recipe!) he suddenly decided he liked it.

Major mom victory! Persistence pays off!!

If you’re going to go to the trouble of eating salmon, make sure you’re buying wild salmon, not farmed. Even though it’s more expensive, it’s well worth it. Farmed salmon is much lower in omega-3s because the fish isn’t eating its natural diet of sea plants and creatures such as shrimp and krill. Farmed salmon is usually raised with antibiotics in its feed just like commercially raised land animals. And farmed salmon is almost always fed artificial coloring to try to mimic the rich orange color of wild caught salmon. The color of wild salmon comes from two potent anti-oxidants found in its natural diet: astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. Synthetic, petrochemical versions of these anti-oxidants, used to artificially color the salmon’s flesh, has turned into a big and lucrative business. Maybe someday I’ll write a post about all of the concerns with the salmon industry. For now, just know farmed salmon is giving you few health benefits and some harmful things as well. Stick with wild caught Alaskan salmon.

This is my family’s favorite salmon recipe. I get complaints if I try anything new (and I’m so thrilled that all of my kiddos love salmon that I rarely try anything new on them anymore!) It’s quick, really simple, can be prepared ahead of time and bakes in 20-25 minutes. All things I love in a meal. I love it with fresh herbs in the summer when my patio pots are overflowing, but it’s still very good with a generous rubbing of dried herbs, when you don’t have fresh on hand.

Roasted Brussels sprouts are one of our favorite veggies too, but this method is delicious with almost any vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, summer squash, sweet bell peppers …). It’s a great way to introduce new vegetables to resistant family members. Toss just about any vegetable with coconut, avocado or extra virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of sea salt. Add black pepper, garlic powder or dried herbs if you like. Roast til they’re starting to brown and are just al dente. All six of my clan will polish roasted vegetables off without any complaints. Or at least no complaints from the husband and daughters and minimal complaints from the boys, if I let them have ketchup. I still consider that a win!