Fwd: Vital ChoicesNewsletter: Mercury-Seafood Issue (Selenium and Bad Science); Seared Alaska Scallops with Romesco on Chips

December 8, 2006

Note: forwarded message attached.

Thursday, December 7, 2006

Issue 112

VOLUME 3

ISSUE 112

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In This Issue

Mercury-Fighting Mineral in Fish Overlooked in Heated Debate

Fight Over Mercury Risks Muddied by Bad Science

Seared Alaska Scallops with Romesco on Chips; Correction to Sockeye Salmon Rice Pilaf

Deliciously Simple Gift Solutions

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Click here for our Main Shopping Page, click in the product list below, or call us, toll-free, at 1-800-608-4825. We'll answer all your questions, including guidance on Seasonal Gifts.NOTE: We offer extended Call Center hours from Nov. 24 through Dec. 20:Monday - Saturday 5:00 am to 8:00 pm Sundays 6:00 am to 7:00 pmSeafoodWild Alaskan SalmonSmoked Salmon Albacore Tuna (low-mercury, troll-caught)Alaskan HalibutAlaskan Weathervane ScallopsAlaskan Sablefish (Black Cod)Salmon Sausage BurgersSalmon Caviar (Ikura)Canned Salmon, Tuna, SardinesSalmon Dog TreatsSockeye Salmon OilCapsules or LiquidOrganic FoodsOrganic NutsOrganic BerriesOrganic ChocolateOrganic TeaOrganic Herbs SpicesOrganic EV Olive and Macadamia OilsGiftsGift CertificatesGift PacksSampler Packs, Specials, ExtrasDr. Perricone PackDr. Northrup Mom-Baby PackSampler PacksSpecial Grill PacksCedar BBQ PlanksCookbooksTo get a free catalog, click here, or call us toll-free at 1-800-608-4825.

Publisher/EditorRandy HartnellProducerCraig WeatherbySend Mail To:VitalChoices

The Vital Choice Advantage

Click here to learn about the Vital Choice Advantage ... the many reasons why William Sears, M.D. - renowned as "America's Baby Doctor"- calls Vital Choice his favorite salmon source.

Vital Choice was founded by two longtime Alaska fishermen-Randy Hartnell and Dave Hamburg-who know where to get the highest quality fish. And they test it periodically to ensure your safety.

Extra Dark and Extra Good

We love great chocolate, so we're very pleased to announce the availability of Vital Choice Extra Dark Organic Chocolate. Each of our three varieties-Extra Dark, Extra Dark with Blueberries, and Extra Dark with Hazelnuts-is made in small batches using premium cocoa cultivars from Central and South America.

While many chocolate bars labeled " dark " contain only 50 to 60 percent cocoa solids, ours boast a stratospheric 80 percent cocoa solids for maximum flavor and preventive-health power.

All three varieties are Certified Organic and Kosher (Earth Kosher-DE).

Pure, UnrefinedSockeye Salmon Oil

Vital Choice Salmon Oil (top left) vs. two standard fish oilsWe put only whole, unrefined oil from wild Alaskan sockeye salmon in our premium salmon oil supplements. Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon is one of the cleanest fish in the sea: a trait reflected in the purity of our unrefined sockeye oil, which is now certified by NSF: one of the best-respected independent labs in the U.S.Because our naturally pure salmon oil does not need to be distilled, it provides the essential omega-3 fatty acids (EPA DHA), plus 30 other natural fatty acids and astaxanthin: the potent antioxidant that gives sockeye its distinctive deep-red color.

We use fish-gelatin capsules, and now offer our Salmon oil in liquid form for kids and others who have trouble swallowing pills. Last but not least, ours is the only salmon oil supplement certified as sustainably sourced by the Marine Stewardship Council (www.msc.org).

Succulent Salmon Sausages

" I just tried your new Country breakfast sausage for the first time they are wonderful! I never thought a salmon sausage would be this good. Thanks! " - Dr. Bruce Felgenhauer

People are excited about our new Wild Sockeye Salmon Sausage, which comes in two succulent varieties: Savory Country Breakfast Style and Spicy Italian.

The ingredients couldn't be simpler: just Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, 100% organic herbs and spices, organic arrowroot, natural sea salt, and water.

For tips on how to cook 'em from straight from the freezer, see our Web site.

Terrifically Pure, Tasty Tuna

Our young, low-weight Pacific Albacore Tuna-fresh or canned-is simply superior!

Smaller means safer: Vital Choice troll-caught tuna weigh just 12 lbs. or less, so they contain less mercury, and more omega-3s, than the larger troll-caught tuna touted by other " minimal mercury " vendors.

No loitering allowed: Our tuna are hauled in fast, bled, and flash-frozen within about two hours. (Standard long-line-caught albacore spend 12 hours in the water.)

Better, fresher flavor, even in the can: Unlike standard canned albacore-which is cooked twice at great cost to flavor and omega-3 content-Vital Choice tuna is cooked only once (in the can) to preserve its healthful oils and fresh flavor.

Smoky Succulence!

Vital Choice smoked salmon is far superior to the preservative-laden farmed product found in most grocery stores.

After curing in natural alder wood smoke, our Smoked Sockeye Portions and silky, cold-smoked Sliced Nova Lox are immediately vacuum-packed and flash-frozen. Thawed and served, they taste as though they came fresh out of the smoker.

"I am in love with the hot-smoked salmon. It is fabulous flaked and scrambled with eggs and onions. They give the eggs a lovely zing." - Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook.

Savor the Full Flavor of Sockeye Salmon

Our wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon offers special appeal to those-like many of us here at Vital Choice-who like their wild salmon firm and flavorful.

These sustainably harvested fish are a super-healthy source of protein, rich in long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids, and potent natural antioxidants.

And sockeye is a nearly unrivalled food source of bone-saving, cancer-curbing vitamin D, with a whopping 1,100 IU per 6-oz serving, or nearly triple the US RDA.

Our flash-frozen portions come vacuum-sealed for superior quality and convenience. Certified Kosher by EarthK

Give the Gift of Health and Flavor!

Want to get a head start on the holidays? Give the gift of Vital Choice this year!

Each gift package includes a lovely personalized gift card, and you won't be billed until your order(s) ship(s). Remember, you'll save 5% on any order placed on our Web site before 12:00 AM midnight PST on Sunday, December 9. Just enter VITALGIFT in the " gift code " box during checkout.

People seem to pariticularly pleased to receive our Salmon and Cookbook Combo, perhaps because it's a gift with lasting impact. Along with our popular Wild Salmon Sampler, this great gift includes one of The New York Times' favorite new healthy cookbooks: Salmon, by Diane Morgan.

Want to let your gift recipients choose for themselves? Our gift certificates offer a great option!

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EXPANDED EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT!

Last week, we announced a limited-time, 5% saving on our Salmon + Cookbook Pack. By popular demand, we're expanding that offer to everything we sell!

You'll save 5% on any order placed on our Web site before 12:00 AM midnight PST on Sunday, December 9. Just enter VITALGIFT in the " gift code " box during checkout.For great giving ideas, see "Simple Gift Solutions" below, or go to our Gift Page.

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Mercury-Fighting Mineral in Fish Overlooked in Heated Debate

Advocacy groups that raise red flags about mercury in fish fail to mention seafood's built-in safeguard

by Craig Weatherby

The debate over the relative risks and rewards of seafood continues to drag on, for reasons that may well be bogus, as we discuss in our companion article, " Attempts to Agree on Mercury Risks Subverted by Bad Science " .

We don't have a big stake in this dispute, since our wild salmon, sablefish, sardines, and scallops are very low in mercury, and Vital Choice selects and sells only young, low-weight albacore tuna much lower in mercury than the older, larger tuna used in standard canned tuna.

But we think you should know about something that affects the safety of fish in general.

In hindsight, it is astonishing that until very recently, everyone involved in the debate overlooked a potentially critical component of the scientific controversy: the essential mineral called selenium.

The seafood-mercury-selenium story

The following essay on the subject of selenium's role in increasing seafood safety is reprinted here with permission from The Center for Consumer Freedom, and comes from at its MercuryFacts.com Web site.

The Center for Consumer Freedom is an industry funded non-profit, but we can vouch for the accuracy of this article, having attended a lecture by the researcher whose work forms the basis for it: University of North Dakota environmental scientist Dr. Nicholas Ralston.

Excerpted from MercuryFacts.com

The best science indicates that trace amounts of mercury in the fish Americans eat simply aren't high enough to pose a health risk. But measuring only mercury further exaggerates this hypothetical risk. There's another scientific wrinkle that few environmental groups are talking about -- largely because it doesn't help to promote their scare campaigns. An accurate picture of the health consequences of eating fish must include other substances that affect the way mercury interacts with the human body.

Selenium is plentiful in fish, but the public hasn't heard much about its role in the mercury puzzle. As biochemists, pharmacologists, and neurologists study this nutrient, we're gaining a better understanding of its importance.

In scientific jargon, selenium has an unusually high "binding affinity" for mercury. In layman's terms, this means that when the two elements are found together, they tend to connect, forming a new substance. This makes it difficult for the human body to absorb the mercury separately. So when mercury "binds" to selenium, it's no longer free to "bind" to anything else -- like brain tissue.

The research world is still developing explanations for exactly how selenium cancels out mercury's potentially toxic effects, but most scientists accept one of two competing theories.

The conventional idea describes selenium as a sort of "mercury magnet." Under this theory, once selenium is digested it can locate and neutralize mercury molecules. In one study, Japanese researchers found that adding selenium to the diets of birds "gave complete protection" from large amounts of mercury.

Research carried out by scientists in Scotland and the Philippines indicates that the relationship between mercury and selenium is one of "toxicological antagonism." And in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency describes selenium as an element that is "antagonistic to the toxic effects of mercury."

The more recent selenium hypothesis holds that mercury takes a more active role in the relationship. Under this theory, when mercury enters the body it seeks out selenium and takes it out of circulation, preventing the body from creating enzymes that depend on selenium to perform their functions.

Enzymes are special proteins that control the various steps in chemical reactions that make life possible. Without

" It appears that selenium levels in fish are high enough to give protection against mercury toxicity. "

-- Drs. Lourdes Cuvin-Aralar and Robert Furness, writing in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (1991)enough selenium-based enzymes, the functions of the brain and other organs can be affected.

While this might sound scary, problems can only occur if we don't get enough selenium to counteract the trace amounts of mercury in the fish we eat. And fish are so rich in selenium that this is not likely to happen.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has measured selenium levels in more than 1,000 commonly consumed foods, and 16 of the 25 best sources of dietary selenium are ocean fish.

University of North Dakota environmental scientist Dr. Nicholas Ralston is an expert on the relationship between selenium and mercury. Here's how he describes it:

" Think of dietary selenium as if it were your income and dietary mercury as if it were a bill that you need to pay. Just as we all need a certain amount of money to cover living expenses such as food and rent, we all need a certain amount of selenium ... "

He went on to say, " Only one major study has shown negative effects from exposure to mercury from seafood, and that seafood was pilot whale meat. Pilot whale meat is unusual in that it contains more mercury than selenium. When you eat pilot whale meat, it's like getting a bill for $400 and a check for less than $100. If that happens too much, you go bankrupt. On the other hand, if you eat ocean fish, it's like getting a check in the mail for $500 and getting a bill for $25. The more that happens, the happier you are. "

Dr. Ralston is right. Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that most of the fish we eat contains significantly more selenium than mercury. Seafood that contains more mercury (Hg) than selenium (Se) includes pilot whale, tarpon, marlin, and some shark. Fish we most commonly consume, including all forms of tuna and salmon, are rich in selenium.

On the other end of the scale, pilot whale is by far the worst offender. This may help explain why researchers in the Faroe Islands insist that dietary mercury is harmful to island residents. (Unlike the vast majority of people, the Faroese eat lots of pilot whale meat.) By contrast, a similar study in the Seychelles Islands -- where people eat lots of selenium-rich fish but no whale meat -- found no negative health effects from the tiny amounts of mercury in fish.

End of MercuryFacts.com excerpt

Picking up from the above MercuryFacts.com essay, this slide from Dr. Ralston's presentation at the Seafood & Health '05 conference shows how very selenium-rich common fish are. (Hg means mercury and ...

[Click here for full article with sources]

Deliciously Simple Gift Solutions

Order great gifts now, and we'll ship them whenever you say ... order soon to save 5%!

Gift Packages (or Certificates) from Vital Choice will put a smile on their faces, make short work of gift shopping, and impart the gift of good health and fabulous flavor. Each order will include a Gift Card bearing your personal message.Early Bird Discount! Save 5% on ALL Vital Choice orders (not just our gift packs) placed on our Web site before 12:00 AM midnight PST on Sunday, December 9th. It's easy ... simply enter VITALGIFT in the " gift code " box during checkout.

The "Magnificent 7" ... Our Most Popular Holiday Gift Ideas!Cookbook + Salmon Sampler

Impart a gift with lasting impact! The ravishing recipes and photos in Diane Morgan's Salmon drew high praise from The New York Times. It's the perfect complement to our Salmon Sampler, which features six boneless, skinless fillets plus our Organic Salmon Marinade ... a rare value at only $75.00. (all items Certified Kosher)

Vital Choice Gift Certificates

Not sure what they'll like best? A Vital Choice Gift Certificate lets them choose from among all of our many delicious, health-giving foods, from succulent sockeye to sweet organic strawberries!

Wild Salmon Sampler

Individually vac-packed portions allow recipients to savor the subtleties of flavor, color and that distinguish our Alaskan Sockeye, King and Silver Salmon fillets (certified kosher EarthK). Also includes a package of our Super Salmon Marinade mix.

Wild Pacific Seafood Medley

This crowd-pleasing gift pack features samples of our most popular wild seafood choices--fresh-frozen Salmon (sockeye, king and silver fillets, sockeye burger, and smoked sockeye), Albacore Tuna, Halibut, and Sablefish--plus 1 lb of our frozen wild Organic Blueberries and a pack of our popular Organic Salmon Marinade.

RareTreats

They're sure to treasure this broadly appealing combination of luscious Smoked Sockeye Salmon, rare Ventresca Tuna, exquisite Organic Extra Dark Chocolate, fine Organic Teas (with permanent Filter), and deliciously healthful, versatile Organic Macadamia Nut Oil.

Canned Seafood Combo

A perfect gift for that person on the go great for sandwiches or salads. Each assortment contains three cans each of our delicious skinless, boneless Wild Red sockeye salmon and sashimi grade albacore tuna. Certified kosher.

Organic Herbs Spices Medley

Any cook on your list will appreciate this assembly of 10 premium Organic Herbs and Spices, which includes a FREE bonus package of our popular Organic Salmon Marinade!

Christmas Delivery Deadlines

Our last pre-holiday deliveries occur on Saturday, Dec. 23. To avoid holiday shipping delays, we strongly urge you to place all Christmas-related orders by Friday, December 15. These are the latest possible shipping deadlines for Christmas gifts, which represent some risk of late delivery:Perishable (frozen) orders must be placed by midnight PST Tuesday, Dec. 19, unless upgraded to overnight. Overnight delivery orders must be received by Midnight Thursday, Dec. 21.

Orders containing Non-perishable items must be ordered by midnight PST Thursday, Dec. 21 and upgraded to 2nd day air to insure on-time delivery of all items.

[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]

Fight Over Mercury Risks Muddied by Bad Science

Bizarre judgments by government bodies put bad science at center of mercury-seafood fight

by Craig Weatherby

It's been interesting for us to view the ongoing fight over the relative risks and rewards of seafood from a position of neutrality.

As a company that sells only seafood that is extraordinarily low in mercury and all other contaminants, we have no dog in this fight.

But we share public health experts' concern that the fight between consumer groups and industry interests might lead people to reduce fish consumption out of sheer confusion.

We were dismayed when we first discovered that governmental guidelines for seafood safety are based on dubious decisions that confuse the issue and may underplay the safety of most seafood.

Before we get started on our examination of this contentious issue, let's get some basic facts on the table.

Mercury and seafood: the basics

Last December we attended a landmark scientific conference in Washington D.C., titled " Seafood and Health '05: Issues,

Key Points

The debate over safe seafood intake is hobbled by the government's reliance on flawed studies.

Both sides in debate distort science to some degree, but surprisingly, consumer advocates seem to engage in the most spin.

The mineral selenium is an overlooked factor in seafood safety, as it blocks damage from mercury and is abundant in most fish.Questions and Answers " , which clarified the science underlying the issue of mercury in seafood: an education we've continued to pursue.

Lake fish in certain regions-and, to a far lesser extent, ocean fish-are the leading dietary sources of " methyl " mercury: a form more toxic to humans than the elemental mercury ( " quicksilver " ) used in old thermometers.

Elemental mercury from forest fires, underwater geothermal vents, and coal-burning power plants becomes methyl mercury via a series of complex steps involving bacteria in lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Almost everyone involved in this health-policy fight agrees that most fish are both safe and positively healthful to consume in moderate amounts (two to five times a week).

This is because methyl mercury occurs at relatively high levels in only a few commercial ocean species: swordfish, shark, Gulf tilefish, king mackerel and (to alesser extent) to older, larger tuna, which constitute the bulk of the fish used for mass market brands of " light " and albacore tuna. (Mercury accumulates over time in predatory species like tuna and swordfish, which is why we offer only young, low-weight, minimal-mercury albacore tuna.)

Government guidelines on seafood safety take two forms:

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food & Drug Adminstration (FDA) offer joint fish intake guidelines for infants, young children, and pregnant/nursing women, which advise these groups to avoid swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and Gulf of Mexico tilefish entirely, and to limit total weekly fish intake to 12 ounces (2 average meals) and favor fish and shellfish that are low in mercury. The guidelines cite salmon, shrimp, canned light tuna, pollock, and catfish as low in mercury, but other species and small albacore and halibut are also very low in mercury.

The FDA set a so-called " action " level of mercury in fish (one part per million), above which fish should not be sold. Common commercial fish virtually never exceed this level. The exceptions are swordfish, shark, and king mackerel, which often come close to it, and Gulf of Mexico tilefish, which typically exceed it.

Interestingly, even the conference speaker most concerned about increasing the prominence of mercury warnings to pregnant/nursing mothers and young children-Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)-expressed no particular concerns about ample fish consumption by older children or adults.

Public health experts anxious about overblown fears

All of the health researchers who spoke at the Seafood and Health '05 conference voiced concern that exaggerated fears about the dangers of mercury in seafood-anxieties fueled deliberately by advocacy groups for political reasons--could prevent a beneficial increase in fish intake among the general population.

At the Seafood and Health '05 conference, Ms. DeWaal of CSPI noted that mercury scares have not prevented seafood

Caroline de Waal of CSPI at Seafood & Health 2005 confabconsumption from rising in recent years.

But compared with fish consumption in countries that enjoy lower rates of heart disease, dementia, and depression/anxiety disorders, the American's average fish intake remains at very low levels even after these recent increases.

Americans still eat far less fish than the amounts government agencies and health experts recommend to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and to promote optimal brain development in infants and mental and heart health in adults. (See " New Report Finds Americans Need Far More Omega-3s " .)

And it is unclear how much more fish Americans would have eaten, absent issuance in 2001 of the federal government's seafood-and-mercury advisory for pregnant/nursing mothers and young children.

Subsequent surveys showed that very few Americans-especially women--understood that the federal advisory did not apply to everyone.

The mercury-coal connection

Environmental organizations have leveraged legitimate concerns about fish-borne mercury's potential threat to children to help force tighter restrictions on mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants.

This strategy has impacted the policy debate very effectively, despite persuasive evidence that coal-related mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants in the US account for only a tiny percentage of mercury emissions worldwide, and no more than a very minor amount of the methyl mercury measured in ocean waters. In fact, most of the methyl mercury in ocean waters comes from forest fires and undersea volcanoes and geothermal vents.

This situation could change, since China is building one new coal-burning power plant every week. In fact, China's race to burn more coal is one reason US utility companies view tighter mercury emissions restrictions as relatively meaningless moves. (We disagree with this fatalistic position, since coal-plant mercury emissions are proven to pollute nearby lakes and rivers.)

Evidence for the natural origins of most oceanic mercury comes from measurements of mercury levels in preserved fish from the 1870's and early 1970's, which show that the concentrations of mercury in ocean fish have, if anything, decreased over the past 120 years.

Unfortunately, some advocacy groups seek to achieve a worthy end-reduced mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants-via exaggerated mercury-in-fish concerns that may put public health at risk by suppressing seafood consumption.

We support tighter restrictions on industrial mercury emissions, but having heard how the story of the boy who cried "wolf" ends, we cannot support distortion of science to achieve that or any other public policy end.

Mercury and fish: bad science fuels mercury fears

The ongoing battle over safe levels of seafood consumption rests in large part on the hotly disputed evidence that the US FDA relied on in setting the maximum allowable mercury levels in fish, which the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also used to establish fish-intake guidelines for pregnant/nursing mothers and young children.

In the late 1990's, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the quasi-governmental National Research ...

[Click here for full story and sources]

Vital Choice Recipes

Seared Alaska Scallops with Romesco on Chips; Correction to Sockeye Salmon Rice Pilaf

First things first...we apologize for an error in the recipe in our last issue (Sockeye Salmon Rice Pilaf with Peas and Mint). The fifth line in the instructions should read, " Stir in rice, cumin, cayenne and turmeric. " (We changed the spice ingredients but failed to reflect that change in the instructions.)As to today's recipe, a little bit of potato chip won't hurt any one if enjoyed once a while, and they work wonderfully well in this odd-sounding but delicious recipe from Sunset magazine