Gaining Health with Omega 3 Fatty Acids

You have probably heard of Omega 3 Fatty acids (sometimes called polyunsaturated fatty acids) and how good they are for you, but you may be wondering exactly why they are considered so wonderful. You may also be wondering exactly what you should eat to get enough Omega 3 Fatty acids. The purpose of this article is to tell you just that.

Our bodies are not able to produce Omega 3 fatty acids. For this reason, it is very important that we get them from the foods we eat and/or from supplements. These oils are essential to our health. They play an extremely important part in our growth and development as well as in brain functioning. Essential fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain for cognitive functioning. They support memory and performance. They also seem to be very important to behavioral functioning. This is especially true in developing fetuses. Studies have shown that, infants who are lacking in Omega-3 fatty acids in utero are at risk for developing vision and nerve problems. If you are suffering a deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acid, you are likely to experience fatigue, loss of memory, dry, itchy skin, hair, and nails, heart problems, poor circulation, and even mood swings and depression.

Knowing all about the different types of Omega 3 Fatty acids can be a bit confusing. Basically, there are three. They are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), ALA (alpha-linoleic acid, and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). When you consume ALA, your body converts it to EPA and DHA because these two types of Omega 3 fatty acids are easier for the body to utilize. As if that weren't enough to learn, you must also remember to include Omega 6 fatty acids in your diet. This is another essential fatty acid that works with Omega 3 fatty acids to keep your body functioning at it's optimum level of performance.

Striking the right balance of Omega 3 fatty acids can be difficult. When you have the right balance, it helps gain and maintain health. If you are out of balance, it can lead to a disease state. The problem is that Omega 3 fatty acids tend to reduce inflammation in your system while the majority of Omega 6 fatty acids promote inflammation.

So where can you get Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids?

You will find Omega 3 fatty acids mostly in fish and nut oils and in some plants. Cold water fish like salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, tuna, and herring are very high in Omega 3 fatty acids. You can also find them in other marine life like krill and algae. Some plants and nuts also contain Omega 3 Fatty acids, as do flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil, walnuts, and walnut oil.

You can get these oils in your diet, and you can also get them from supplements like fish oil, flax seed oil, and borage oils capsules. Be sure to buy a high quality product that is certified as being free of lead, mercury and other heavy metals. You can also add flax seeds to your diet, but understand that, in their whole form, the Omega 3 fatty acids are not available to you. If you grind the seed up, you must use it within 24 hours or it will lose its effectiveness.

Omega 6 Fatty acids are primarily found in meats. To have a good balance of the two fatty acids, you should have a diet that has about two to four times more Omega 6 fatty acids than Omega 3 fatty acids. Unfortunately, in America our diet usually has about fourteen to twenty five times more Omega 6 fatty acids than Omega 3 fatty acids. More and more researchers are coming to believe that this is why we have such a rapid rise in inflammatory disorders like arthritis in the United States.

So it is easy to see, that in order to include a healthy balance of Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Omega 6 Fatty acids in our diets, we Americans will need to make some adjustments. One option is the Fill Your Plate Diet. Using this diet is simple and flexible. At every meal, you simply fill your plate half full of fruits and vegetables and save the remaining quarters for whole grains and lean meats. If you choose to make your lean meat fish twice a week, you will have accomplished your goal of a healthy balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.

Another option, if you would enjoy being exotic about it, is the Mediterranean food plan. This is an eating plan that consists of a very healthy balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Quite a few studies have been done that show that people who follow this sort of eating plan have a far lower risk of heart disease than people who follow the standard American way of eating.

As a bonus, the Mediterranean food plan includes another type of fatty acid - Omega 9 fatty acids. This fatty acid is known for helping lower the risks that are associated with cancer as well as heart disease. When you follow the Mediterranean food plan, you will not eat much meat. You will eat a lot of foods that are very rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. These will include good oils like olive oil, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and plenty of garlic (a natural tonic and antibiotic.) You may also enjoy wine in moderation! Or, if you don't want to, you can get the same benefits from grape juice! To find out more about the Mediterranean Food Plan, just follow the links below and in the resources box.

Linus Pauling Institute
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa/

Grapes! For the Health of It!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Grapes-For-the-Health-of-It

The Mediterranean Eating Plan
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Mediterranean-Eating-Plan

The Fill Your Plate Eating Plan
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Fill-Your-Plate-Eating-Plan