F2F
FACE TO FACE Ursula meets: Ursula Arens Writer; Nutrition & Dietetics Ursula has a degree in dietetics, and currently works as a freelance nutrition writer. She has been a columnist on nutrition for more than 30 years.
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Ursula meets amazing people who influence nutrition policies and practices in the UK. DURWIN BANKS Linseed Farmer; West Sussex Owner; The Linseed Farm brand of culinary oils Member; Brighton and Sussex University Food Network
Attending Nutrition Society conferences is the best way to keep up-to-date with research aspects of nutrition science. And to meet lots of interesting nutritionists and dietitians - and biochemists, physiologists, epidemiologists, policy experts - and farmers? Which is how and where I met Durwin Banks (Nutrition Society winter conference, December 2016). Durwin shares the ownership of a linseed farm with his sisters and has become a champion for this product. He produces linseed oil* on site to match mail-order demand, and does much to promote and market this special superfood. “I know that lots of foods are described as ‘superfoods’, but linseed oil really does provide uniquely high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids,” says Durwin. Perhaps because culinary linseed oil is such a specialist food, Durwin has had to become nutritioninterested, beyond just growing the stuff. He left school at a young age, and worked on the responsibilities of supporting his father on the family farm. There were good times and bad times, but days were always long and work was always hard, with dairy, beef, chickens and sheep, along with some arable projects. Linseeds were first grown on the farm as a break-crop, to support soil quality after more nutrient-depleting crops, and were not considered of much value in themselves, beyond being a base ingredient for animal feed and oils for floors and wood.
www.NHDmag.com May 2017 - Issue 124
Durwin tells me that he has had many make-a-million ideas (I feel the eyerolling around the Banks’ dinner table, as the next get-rich plan is hatched). He grew four acres of chamomile flowers and made a still to produce finest distilled oil. But the project would take longer and need more land than planned to become profitable, and the buyer of his still invited him over to show him his hemp oil press. This sparked the idea of culinary linseed oil production. Linseeds are planted in spring and in early autumn; when the fields are full of beautiful pale lilac flowers, the crop is ready for harvesting. Each pod of the plant contains eight to 10 brown or golden seeds (depending on the plant variety). There is a small market for whole seeds, but after cleaning and drying, most seeds are crushed to produce high quality oil for human consumption. The production unit on Durwin’s farm produces about 180 litres daily, although this is made to match demand so that it is always fresh. The bottles are labelled with a press date, with advice to keep refrigerated and to be consumed within two months. Any leftover oils or crushed oil cake is sold to farmers as cattle or equine feed, so there is never any waste. Growing plants is what farmers do and making processed product on-site is the next step in allowing farmers greater income and greater control. But marketing a food with unique nutritional features of linseed oil, is quite the challenge.
If you would like to suggest a F2F date
(someone who is a ‘shaker and mover’ in UK nutrition) for Ursula, please contact:
info@networkhealthgroup.co.uk Linseeds are popular as an addition to cereals and breads, as a way to boost fibre content. “They produce a gummy gel when moist, which helps digestion,” says Durwin. Brown and gold seeds are identical nutritionally, but he is excited to be planting a gold seed variety this year called ‘marmalade’ (“I will walk through fields of marmalade”). But linseed oil is the star product. It is not heat stable, so can be used in dressings or drinks, or stirred into hot cooked foods. However, it cannot be used for frying or cooking. “I have regular food analysis done on linseed oil samples and results always show alpha linolenic acid (ALA) levels of about 60%: this is six-fold the amounts in soya or rapeseed oil, and most other vegetable oils have none.” But ALA does not have the potency of the pre-formed long-chain omega-3’s found in fish, I probe. “Well studies do show some conversion in the body, and there is a lot of agreement that omega-3 to omega-6 ratios in the diet should be increased. And also, fish are in short supply and not everyone likes fish,” is the well-practiced response from Durwin. Indeed, vegans and vegetarians looking for plant-sourced omega-3s are a large part of his mail-order customer base. Along with people with psoriasis and other skin conditions, pregnant women, people anxious to delay dementia conditions, as omega-3s are suggested to support cognition, and a small tail of people with cancer following the ‘Budwig diet’. Durwin holds many farm open days, and also attends many consumer exhibitions themed on health and diet. He has a website and a youtube channel. “But most orders seem to be via wordof-mouth, so orders can be very variable,” says Durwin.
“Most farmers do not realise the role they should be playing to keep people healthy.” He is clearly a man on a mission with the double audience of fellow farmers and healthinterested consumers. He feels strongly that the skills of farmers are not valued, and that the pressures to fit into systems controlled by large companies and retailers often crush them. He was an invited speaker at the Oxford Real Farming conference in February 2017, which supports sustainable and organic farming practices, and predicts that soil quality will be the next ‘crisis’ issue. Other than being a farmer and attending occasional Nutrition Society meetings, Durwin likes to keep busy. For many years he was a parish councillor and is an active member of the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership. After a busy day farming, he has a busy evening sitting at the computer. “I am writing a book,” states Durwin, “with the title: The Farmer Will See You Now - your prescription for a healthy life doesn’t come from the chemist, but from the farmer.” He hopes it will be out in December, in time for the Christmas gifting season. While Durwin is not a scientist, he knows more about nutrition than I will ever know about farming and his solo dedication at promoting such a specialist nutritional product is impressive. I am ready to leave and he puts his hat on. Just as I am thinking, ‘hats off.’
*Declaration of bias: I have grown up with linseed oil so it is hash-tagged onto my mental list of comfort foods; lovely sloshed onto potatoes or soup, or as a bread-dip. This is due to my fathers’ upbringing in former East Germany, where food variety and quality was consistently poor. Potatoes with linseed oil and quark (smooth curd cheese) were always available and affordable and the best way to battle hunger. Ursula www.NHDmag.com May 2017 - Issue 124
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