“Mussels or octopuses should be sold in pharmacies because of their properties”

Federico Mallo, professor of endocrinology at the University of Vigo, knows that nothing will save humans from extinction, like the rest of the species. But their case will not be like that of the dinosaurs, who were supposedly wiped off the face of the Earth by the impact of a large asteroid. Not even climate change will move people forward. “We’re going to die because of the assholes.” Simply. “Because we didn’t do what we should”, which is nothing but the continuation of the diet that is undoubtedly crucial for Galician women, specifically Galician women, to be among the longest-lived people in the world, with hope for life. from 87 years old. In recent times, Galician women have been promoted by Navarre and Madrid women. For a few months, true, but they might as well continue to lose their jobs because they deviate from the eating pattern they’ve always followed. That Galician Atlantic diet, which has among its pillars a large consumption of fish, to which Galicia and its citizens have easy access.

Mallo alluded to it Bayonne Declarationencouraged by a doctor from Ourense in exile from Madrid Aniceto Charro, who embodied the decalogue of the Atlantean diet. The key to that specific diet in this specific corner, which is characterized by “a very high consumption of fish, sea and river”, but also an abundant intake of vegetables and grains and the consumption of fruits and vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage or green vegetables, are now refined and presented in the form of kale. The use of olive oil as the main fat for cooking, the daily consumption of dairy products, quality meat, liquids… and above all, how these foods are consumed.

But, without a doubt, in addition to this high intake of “fruits and vegetables, a somewhat special consumption of carbohydrates” – only it is based on chestnuts, he explained – “the diversity, quality and absolute excellence of Galicia’s fish, molluscs and crustaceans” contributed to this healthy and long-lived to the population of those living at these latitudes.

“It’s there products such as mussels, which should be on sale in pharmacies due to their properties. And if they were sold there, we would pay for them at the price they asked us. It is an absolutely exceptional product, just like the octopus”, confirmed the professor at the University of Vigo.

Low carbon footprint

But what is eaten is related to how it is eaten. “The way we consume this food is very important.” The most common method is cooking in water, which preserves its nutritional and organoleptic properties. There are caldeiradas. Embers are also used. They usually include sardines. Stews are another formula used in Galician homes. from choup?

Definitely, a “diverse, seasonal and local diet”, which also has a low carbon footprint, “Below that, even other vegan and vegetarian diets are poorer in nutrients.” Hence Federico Mallo’s thesis that “we will die out because we are assholes”, because “having the possibility to do what we already did well, we decided to do it in a different way”. And we leave fish – consumption accumulates a drop of more than 20% – which has an “optimal protein profile”, with all essential amino acids, an easily digestible amount of protein that can be assimilated by the tissue, omega 3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA), vitamin D, iodine and selenium, which is so lacking in the world. “There is virtually nothing to its characteristics,” he said. “It is a unique source of essential nutrients.” And it’s not available to everyone. Galicia is at the door. A whole superfood. If he already wanted quinoa. “It turns out that the Spanish and Portuguese brought potatoes, corn, peppers… and not quinoa… What’s the point of having lentils, chickpeas and fish?” Not if in the end his thesis will be true.

Threats of microplastics, “plants” and fish made with stem cells

Despite the fact that fishermen are increasingly trying to convey to consumers the benefits of the food they make available to them, it is true that the evolution of society poses many obstacles. Perhaps even more than the arguments in its favor, such as the greater concern for health and healthy nutrition that marine proteins should have as a title. Some of these currents and trends that fish must swim against have been exposed by Carlos Buxadé, professor and professor emeritus at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, who, like Mallo, also cited Darwin and his theory of species. “You have to adapt to survive and there will be more opportunities if we anticipate,” he warned. That is, if the sector is about to face some changes that affect both the purchasing power and the value scale, this brings a trend that is already evident, for example, in the fact that Switzerland has legally banned the cooking of crustaceans by placing them alive in boiling water.

Inflation does not work in favor of the products that fishermen sell. Nor is the growing evolution of vegetarians, vegans, and flexitarians filled with vegetable-based seafood (plant-based) following this trend that avoids animal sacrifice. And another problem is on the horizon, the one that comes from microplastics, which are already found in many foods, but also in fish.

And not only that, fish created with stem cells will also arrive. “The technology is here.” Buxadé knows this and has proven it. He is sitting at the table with the president of Israel.