I just wanted to share something with you today that I've read in my magazine and it's Algae Oil and its benefits. I didn't realise it was a good mood booster, this may be helpful and it's natural. In my book if it's natural it's sure worth a try.
Consider talking to your Doctor, Show Him the above and see what He recommends.
You could also research it a bit more on the internet
BOB
• in reply to
Hi Bob
Thank you for your reply. I'm definitely going to research it more. I know that natural remedies do work as the low fodmap diet has worked for my IBS, I also took St John's Wort years ago and it worked but unfortunately I had a side effect and that was photo sensitivity so I stopped taking them.
Hope all's okay with you.
Alicia
• in reply to
Hello Alicia
Yes I am fine, just getting older. Having problems with my eyes at the moment and I need my eyes checked. With everything going my eye test is three months to late supposed to be checked every three months, I have cataracts so my lens needs to be changed and supposed to go into hospital as well. An eye test next Monday, then hospital ??.
Hope find something positive regards above,
Look after yourself
BOB
• in reply to
Hi Bob
I've just found this on the internet about Algae Oil which was very interesting, please see link below:
I'm sorry you're having problems with your eyes and that you've had to wait so long, not good that you are 3 months behind. My 4 year old granddaughter fortunately had her eyes checked just before lockdown, she has JIA (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis) and has the Uveitis in her eyes. The chemo medication she's on has stopped her going blind, it's amazing.
I've got an eye test on Thursday and I'm overdue a test but fortunately I do not have cataracts.
Wishing you well for your eye test and hope you get to the hospital soon.
Hello please no need to waste your money use fish oily ones.
You need to realise most times the products like this are a ploy and marketing dream can get the same from OMEGA 3 produce.
Salmon, Pilchards, Sardines, Mackerel, Trout.
If not a cook use frozen freezer ones use tinned ones .
If you make a sandwich use small amount of mayo with tinned Salmon and in a wholemeal bread bun or bread getting OMEGA 3 from the tinned fish, the mayo .
I just can say please also speak to any charity will advise to look at the health of yourself and wellbeing.
All offer floating support advice, guidance information on any aspects of your mental health .
Including diet nutrition, wellbeing heath and social.
One other very important point if you are taking medications please do not take other ones supplements or anything .
As they can interact with the properties in the meds you are taking.
Please also be aware all herb spices and relevant can be toxic if taken in large amounts.
Must stress this because it can in large amounts cause heart liver and kidney damage.
I have met people who consult me over the use for herbs and spices for mental health as have seen some hurt themselves harmed themselves and it is not only painful to see but the damage is unrepairable.
A caution one example being the hype over Turmeric in large quantities can effect the body. Take in small measures fine.
Only dangerous but please always advise speak to your GP first.
Please if I can help with anything happy to help.
Please take care and save your money have lots of simple ideas foodie recipes easy to help your mental health.
Thank you very much for your comprehensive response, it's very much appreciated.
I should have said I'm a Vegan so of course don't eat any fish. I do use herbs and spices but never what I would say in large quantities, just the right amount to flavour food as I don't like using salt much.
Fortunately I'm not on any medication so there's nothing to interact with. I do like natural food as and where possible but do have to take some supplementation, B12 for instance. I do think a good diet is the answer for a lot of things but some conditions do need some help of course.
Hello thank you for reply great to hear this I still eat meat but have meat free days.
Monday being one Home made Minestrone Soup make vast tubs of this and freeze lot easier now.
Many supermarket supply soup packs diced veggies add tomatoes water herbs and freeze add in pulses beans or pasta.
When defrosting.
Please if I can add some alternative suggestions the certain foods you may not be eating but do help.
If you are apologise just meet a lot of those eating a vegan diet forget plant sources have a wide ranges of nutrients.
Good to use Kale and Leafy greens instead of milk and dairy as Kale as useful amounts of iron and calcium.
Also Almonds useful sources. Of Calcium.
You could eat soya yoghurts as they are a good source of helping you to get a balance of calcium and certain minerals .
To get certain nutrients foods contain iron.
Beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Chickpeas, Dried Fruits be aware sugar contents. Use Prunes and Apricots chopped in cereal with almond milk if you using that.
Calcium found in Tofu and soya products nuts mentioned this.
Sesame Seeds and Sunflower Seeds.
Once upon a time had an addiction clean sorted but used the vegan diet to gain more insight in increasing the amounts of certain nutrients.
Nuts, Seeds Fruit and Vegetable also helped with my anxiety as well my well being and stomach caused by alcoholism.
I only eat Chicken Turkey certain now and again Fish bit by bit gained the knowledge and expertise got as mentioned qualifications in Understanding Health and other qualifications related to food .
Food science based and all of this means helps me.
Now use the Italian Cook book many recipes plant based and easy to cook.
Spices herbs Parsley being on has useful amounts of iron and Vitamin C.
Folate the production of red blood cells so important for every one . In a Vegan diet can eat Green leafy vegetables, fruit, peanuts if no allergy.
Peanut Butter great one to use when I was ill losing weight muscle loss my support worker who was and still is a vegan suggested Peanut Butter organic ones great essential part of my life .
Please can I ask are you receiving any support for any mental health you may have, of not please look at the organisations suggested.
Many have in house advisors and support many with health diet and wellbeing.
If you reside in the UK.
I read your other post about St. Johns Wort this can happen herbal and spices some can effect people.
When I talk about spices not blow your head off as used for there original purpose flavour food but also medicine.
Cinnamon is used to for calming digestion as is Turmeric and Fennel Seeds.
All well known to add to beans pulses as is Cumin, Ground Coriander and Ginger.
If you take beans and pulses and vegetables they can repeat cause bloating and stomach issues so using spices small amounts helps.
With addiction used to take Fennel Seeds as alcohol can effect stomach and bloating pain and indigestion .
Aniseed flavour helps to relieve.
Take them now as it helps all the time or after ward have fruit and yoghurt with honey helps as well topped with Cinnamon.
Adding Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage , Oregano any of the herbs flavour tomato sauces helps digestion and many are used for that purpose medicine as well flavour food.
That's very good to have meat free days so good for you. Homemade soup, you cannot beast it and I also make a lot of soups and freeze them, I just finding more recipes so that I can make some different ones. I'm very careful so I only pick low fodmap ones at present to keep me on the straight and narrow whilst following the elimination diet.
Of course you can, not a problem at all and very helpful. I made a soup yesterday that had kale in it. I am only allowed to eat a small amount of almonds at present but fortunately I don't think they actually do affect me as I've made almond butter before and could eat that to my hearts content. Unfortunately cashews affect me so I don't eat those at all.
Unfortunately many soya yoghurts are made using the soya bean which unfortunately I react to.
Fortunately I've tested pulses and looks like I'll be fine eating them as long as I don't have too many. I'm very pleased to say that I had no reaction whatsoever with apricots but sadly I did with mango which is a shame.
I'm going to have to have another go with tofu as the last time I bought some I reacted to it but was very surprised as it's low fodmap.
I have seeds on porridge and a low fodmap cereal that I buy and I will be adding them to the spelt sourdough bread I make but I just need to make the bread a few more time before adding them in.
Well done on opening up, that takes a lot of courage to admit alcoholism. I feel for people that have been through difficult times and resort to drink and if they, like yourself, manage to get off drink then you realise how much better you feel with a good diet and how bad you were with drink.
I love herbs, really enjoy the flavour of them and parsley is one I've always enjoyed.
I make my own peanut butter and have been doing for quite a long time now and I cook everything from scratch as I cannot eat any ready made Vegan food because of the ingredients used, in particular pea protein, that makes me quite poorly.
I've had CBT but my main problem is trying to deal with my daughter who is bi-polar, that's what gets me down from time to time. The way I deal with things now is my diet and exercise, I love riding my bike and power walking.
I am from the UK.
I was very sad when I reacted to St Johns Wort as it was working so well but of course I don't take it any longer.
I use Cinnamon and Turmeric a lot, in fact when I cook quinoa (I don't use rice at all), I add in Turmeric, Smoked Paprika, Garam Masala, Cinnamon, Chinese 5 Spice, black pepper, Pumpkin and Sunflower seeds and raisins to sweeten it a little more.
I use Ginger, Coriander and Cumin in a lot of my dishes as I love curries.
Fortunately I do not drink as I don't really enjoy it, I drink decaf coffee, Three Ginger Tea, Spearmint Tea and water.
Once again, thank you for your very useful and comprehensive response.
Hello thanks for sharing good to hear please sorry about about your daughter.
Please have a look the charities I added do take a lot of people and worth considering.
It is never easy to deal with having a loved one with a mental health condition any of the charities have specific advisors many are mental heath issues themselves some have families understanding and care.
Just some ideas to help.
On themes of soup worth looking at Italian Cook books less is more there motto simple easy recipes all veggies many plant based.
I eat a lot of the soups in Italy there are three types of soup these might be useful to use, cost nothing.
I am on benefits so use these quick snacks lunch and cheap easy to prepare.
Brodo is just broth from any vegetables ends of carrots, onions, celery, water and herbs simmered then either strained or use blender nutribullets best ones have two.
With the stock veggie sieved have flavour of veggies and use this with just bread.
Then there is Zuppe same as above but with added in veggies the three usually we have all of us.
Carrots, onions, celery, to stock and use chickpeas or any pulse some herbs and use passata or just leave it as a stock.
I buy passata Italian all my products on line as supermarket ones here are not good quality and over priced.
That is used in Italy for soups and pasta easy.
Then their is Minestrone more like a meal in its self veggies and pulses beans and pasta or rice remember could use rice not pasta or use pearl barley used a lot.
I have very simple tastes pleasures and use the Italian cook book adapt to my disability and also change chop the recipes to suit my ability.
I commend you for being vegan been a hard thing to in this country although it is changing go abroad Italy, Spain Greece or the best place to be a vegan is India and subcontinent all around India Asia vegan heaven, plenty of looking at recipes there if that is interested for you.
I do not mean hot stuff curries most of India is vegan or vegetarian I make Chickpea Kidney Beans curries, using just what the Garam Masala if I need to eat that have a comfort food day.
Cold day use Chickpeas, note here Chickpeas are used a lot in Vegan cooking Vegetarian cooking because good mineral content iron and good for general health.
Three ingredient curries Spinach Chickpea for cold days using Garam Masala Onions that is it plus water for your sauce great things is can change that add tomatoes if you wish to.
Nothing easier.
Worth checking out these magazines subs and gives you some ideas.
BBC Good Food, includes Easy Dishes, Good Food and Olive plus One Pots. Look on line plenty of good ideas.
Soya yoghurts produce done the same to me I feel for you as it sometimes finding that equal balance.
Please I hope we can keep in touch any thing can help with ask me have to be smart savvy and sensible these times.
Thank you, she's a lot better now but there are still some issues which I'm trying to work on.
Thank you and I will have a look at the charities, they do such amazing work. I did contact Mind a while back but I didn't find them very helpful but I know there are others so thank you.
Oh I love Italian food, the flavours are awesome and I will have a look at some of the cook books.
I'm sorry you have to rely on benefits, that's not easy.
Thank you for the hint on the soups, I'm so looking forward to finishing this diet and I can then be more creative. I love passata.
I use Quinoa all the time, I rarely use anything else.
I have fairly simple tastes as well and also add in bits that aren't in the recipe and if I haven't got something then I'll add something else.
I love being a Vegan and I thought it would be hard but it's not, there are loads of recipes out there, in fact, too many as I can't keep up what keeps coming in my inbox.
I love curries, one of my favourite foods, I could live on them. I like medium heat and I love chickpeas and am able to eat pulses in small amounts. I also love hummus.
I've subscribed to a lot of sites that provide recipes and get loads in my inbox, my next job whilst using the computer will be to sort out my recipe folder and pick out the ones I love, I have 100's.
BBC Good Food is a very good site.
Soya is a difficult one, soya protein is okay on the diet but not the bean.
Take care and we will get through this very difficult time.
Hi, Alicia, that sounds to good to be true,where do you buy it from , and suppose I would have to check with my GP. But would do love to try s different remedy .
It really does, not everyone thinks it'll work but it's natural so why not. I'd check with doctor first if you're on any other medication. I've yet to look further on the internet myself yet and if I find anymore I'll post.
Alicia xx
• in reply to
Hi Sheila
After reading a little more on the internet this is what I found on Algae Oil which is very interesting:
Algae Omega 3 vs fish oil
Algae oil comes from marine algae and is also high in some Omega 3 fatty acids, making it suitable for vegetarians looking for an alternative to fish oil. In fact, the reason fish oil contains so much Omega 3 is because its main source of food is algae. So many people think that by taking an algae supplement you are getting this vital nutrient right from the source. Unfortunately that’s not quite the case.
Algae oil vs fish oil Omega 3 levels
Algae does contain high levels of DHA, but it doesn’t always contain EPA, as Professor Napier explains...“there are thousands of species of algae, and they vary in their ability to make EPA and/or DHA. Some make both, some make just DHA, and to varying levels."
Algae oil vs fish oil for sustainability
Professor Napier also has concerns about how this source of Omega 3 can meet our nutritional demands. “Production of algae at the scale required for the optimal nutrition of the global population is not currently feasible, in terms of infrastructure or cost.”
Taking a fish oil that comes from sustainable sources can eliminate this worry.
Although it's not answered the question about helping mental health it's answered a question on whether it's better than fish oil. I'm a Vegan so of course I wouldn't have the fish oil.
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