Essential Fatty Acids
Not all oils are made the same. Mention
the words oils or fats and many health-conscious people tend to
automatically think negative, even going so far as to demonize all
fats, regardless of the source. What they need to realize, however,
is that there are good fats and bad fats. The body needs certain oils and fats, therefore to avoid the intake of any and all oils and fats
would be more detrimental than beneficial to one's health.
The
Truth about Fish Oil
Part of any healthy and balanced diet must include essential fatty acids. Deficiencies of omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to ADD, dry skin, allergies lowered immunity, fatigue soft nails, poor wound healing, frequent infections, and a host of other ailments. What is not known by many is that our brain suffers much damage when we are deficient in essential fatty acids.
Omega-6
vs. Omega-3
There are two families of essential fatty acids: omega-6 EFAS and omega-3 EFAS. Physicians and scientists alike believe that an imbalance in the body of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are responsible for the increase in heart disease, hypertension or high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, premature aging and certain kinds of cancer. In fact, consuming too much omega-6 fatty acid is believed to lead to inflammation, blood clotting and tumor growth. Omega-3 fatty acid, on the other hand, is just the opposite. Among other things, omega-3 fatty acid fights inflammation, helps prevent blood clots, lowers the risk of heart disease, lowers cholesterol, and help alleviate circulatory problems.
Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in
vegetable oils. Omega-3s can be found in fish and other marine life,
in addition to walnuts and flaxseed oils. According to a study done
in the early 1970's on Greenland Eskimos, the reason they rarely
suffered from heart disease was because of their high-fat diet, which
consisted mainly of fish. Additional research has shown that foods
containing fish oils have been very useful in treating illnesses
like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Raynaud’s disease and
ulcerative colitis.
A
Healthier Heart
The heart is the life of the body. It
circulates the blood that carries the necessary oxygen and nutrients
that the body couldn't live without. If your heart isn't healthy,
you're not healthy. If your heart is in bad shape, you're going to be
in bad shape. Besides proper diet and exercise, what else can help a
heart to remain healthy? You guessed it. Omega-3 fish oil.
From what sources can you get your omega-3s?
- Salmon. You can choose between the wild caught and the farm raised kinds of salmon. The wild caught would be the better choice, however, because it contains more usable omega-3s with less pesticides and toxins.
- Bluefish, mackerel, herring, tuna, anchovies, sardines. These fish are also great sources of omega-3 fatty acids and should be consumed 2-3 times per week.
- Oils. Flaxseed, olive, canola, and soybean oils all contain omega-3 fatty acids.
Now I'm not touting omega-3s as a
panacea for any ailment as some do, however it does have very useful
benefits that, with proper diet and exercise, can go a long way in
helping you to live a healthy lifestyle.
