There’s no denying that eating fish is good for you. One of the key reasons is that it’s a great source of polyunsaturated fat – in particular the omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA. These fats are help reduce inflammation, clotting, high triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood) and help keep the blood vessels flexible. They are a critical part of brain growth and visual and nervous system development. Some parents and teachers swear by fish oil as a solution to lack of concentration and unruly behaviour in kids although the scientific evidence is not so certain about this.

The Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand have a ‘suggested dietary target’ of 610mg per day for men and 430mg per day for women of long-chain omega-3’s.

The short answer is yes – you can eat mussels if you have high cholesterol. Mussels are low in kilojoules, cholesterol and fat. The little fat they do have is mostly healthy unsaturated fat with plenty of omega-3’s to help stabilise the heart muscle, reduce triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), make arteries more elastic (which helps reduce blood pressure) and reduce blood clotting and inflammation.

Douse your mussels with butter, cream or other saturated fat and they will be more of a heart hazard than anything else. But if you eat them as we did at the Boat Shed Cafe in Nelson (northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island) – steamed with garlic, wine and parsley and served with a local pinot gris – your heart and your taste-buds will be very happy.

Last week we jumped on board the Pelorous Sound mail boat which chugs the length of Pelorous Sound three times a week delivering mail

Eighty percent of our adult brain is formed by the age of three. So just at the time when our toddlers have learnt that saying “NO” causes the big people around them to act in all sorts of funny ways, we need to make sure they somehow get enough brain nutrients into them, particularly iron, zinc and omega-3 fats.

Iron carries oxygen around the body. If a muscle is deprived of oxygen, it dies. If a toddler doesn’t get enough iron the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen. It can’t develop so well – and the damage is irreversible.

Here’s some more food ideas to keep your blood pressure under control (continued from part 1)…

4. Lots of fruit and vegetables

For healthy blood pressure we need less sodium and more potassium, magnesium and calcium. Potassium blunts the effect of sodium on blood pressure. The best way to get more potassium into your diet is to eat more fruit and vegetables. Aim for at least 2-3 serves of fruit and 4-5 serves (about 2-3 cups) of vegetables every day. Bananas, grapefruit, oranges, dried fruit, green vegetables, mushrooms, avocado and tomatoes are all high in potassium. And magnesium usually tags along in the same foods.

A word of warning about grapefruit: it can affect some blood pressure medications. If you are taking medication for high blood pressure, check with your doctor before splurging on grapefruit.

If you hope to by-pass the fruit and vegetables by taking a potassium supplement, think again. Too much potassium can be dangerous for your heart, and you will miss out on all the other health benefits of fruit and vegetables.

5. Low fat milk and yoghurt

Low fat dairy foods are important for strong bones and teeth and also for healthy blood pressure. If you don’t like dairy foods, eat sardines and salmon. The bones provide lots of calcium. There is no strong evidence that taking a calcium supplement will help lower blood pressure. It’s better to stick to real food. So whip up a banana smoothie, dollop some yoghurt on muesli or have sardines and sliced tomato on grainy toast for lunch.

6. Legumes, nuts and wholegrains

Dried beans, split peas, lentils, nuts and wholegrains are all rich in magnesium. Eat porridge or muesli for breakfast, snack on a small handful of nuts most days, and make a legume meal a couple of times a week – toss a few red lentils into stews and soups to thicken them, add a can of beans to mince or simply enjoy baked beans on grainy toast.

7. Omega-3 fats

Omega-3 fats found in oily fish, walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil help reduce high blood pressure. These fats help relax the blood vessel walls so they can expand as blood rushes through. One study of 46,500 people aged over 40, some with normal, some with high blood pressure, found that those who ate more omega-3 rich foods had lower blood pressure.  The NZ National Heart Foundation recommends that people get their omega-3’s from food. But if you don’t eat oily fish and are at risk for heart disease or stroke (this includes having high blood pressure) the New Zealand Cardiovascular Guidelines recommend taking an EPA/DHA supplement of 1 milligram per day. Be sure to let your doctor know if you take omega-3 supplements as the blood thinning effects are quite potent.

Part 3 here …