Omega-3

Yesterday was market day. It's always quite fun to go to the weekend market as one could walk endlessly amongst the hundred of stalls and be spoil with choices. And you are also bound to meet somebody you know. There are many choices of fish here, itself a big industry in Holland. A quarter of all fish is landed by the national fleet. The remaining three-quarters are imports. Eighty per cent of all fish is sold abroad which makes the the country one of Europe's few net exporters. Imports are currently some 1.3 billion euro, whereas exports generate over 2 billion euro, going mostly to European countries on her doorsteps.

The Netherlands has eleven fish auctions where fresh fish is traded weekly. Then there is the processing industry where the fish is filleted, breaded, conserved or processed in one or another way before it is offered to the consumer. Across the country there are approximately 400 companies involved in such processing and further trading.

Talking about the goodness of eating fish, it is said that we should eat fish in order to diminish the risks of cardiovascular diseases. Oily fish in particular, like mackerel, herring, eel, salmon, smoked herring and halibut are good for the heart and the arteries. Fish, especially oily fish, contains omega-3 fatty acids. These unsaturated fatty acids have a beneficial effect on the heart and the arteries. It is said that as little as 0.2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day can reduce fatal cardiovascular conditions by 30%. In addition, the omega-3 fatty acids increase the lifespan of people who already suffered a cardiac infarct. Eating fish twice a week is already enough to provide the required amount.

The other bit is that oily fish increases intelligence of children. We know many parents back home in Brunei do insist their children take a spoonful of omega-3 syrup everyday. It is said research confirms that poly-unsaturated fats stimulate the development of the brains of small children and improve their eyesight, especially the unborn child, because these fatty acids play an important role in the formation of the brain tissue and the retina.