A few generations ago it was much more common to get hold of fresh fish from the fishmongers but we have noticed that as the speed of life has increased people tend to buy old fish or pre-frozen fish as opposed to fresh fish - probably due to it's short shelf life. However, eating fish is so important to our health and we wanted to inspire and educate the community as to the benefits of eating fresh fish. So, with funding from Somerset Skills and Learning we set up a cooking with fresh fish workshop where families got a special opportunity to catch the fish for themselves.
Stream farm is a local farm in Sedgemoor where I have been buying fish from for years and highly recommend. Here, they catch the fish fresh from the lake and deliver them straight to your door! There are so many benefits to this - you support a local business, you buy quality food sustainably to meet your specific demand and of course, the fish has incredible nutritional value too! One attendee said "I don't normally like fish but it was the nicest fish I'd ever tasted!"
Did you know that fresh fish doesn't actually smell? Which suggests that much of the fish sold at supermarket counters are probably old. As soon as food leaves it's life source it begins to decompose but some foods decompose faster than others - fish is a prime example of food that quickly starts to rot once it has been caught. In this process of decomposition Amines are created. Other foods that are high in amines are over ripe banana's, over ripe avocados and cheese. Our bodies are able to break down amines however if we consume too many amines we can experience negative side effects such as headaches, stomach aches, IBS, trouble sleeping, tiredness and depression. This may be why a lot of people dislike eating fish and often feel worse or feel they react to eating fish.
Despite the rain, the families found it so exciting to taste what they caught and we are glad we had the opportunity to teach the current and younger generation the importance of eating fresh fish and its positive effect on our brains.
We also talked about the benefits of Omega 3 and how so many people are lacking Omega 3 in their diet. One mum told us that when she was struggling to settle her little boy that evening after the course and he suggested "Maybe if you got some of those fish oil tablets Solveig mentioned in the course, it will help me sleep". Children pick up so much more than we realise!!!
Comments