How can omega-3 fatty acids and their essential benefits!

Another name for Omega-3 Fatty Acids is Essential Fatty Acids. Essential by definition means absolutely necessary, extremely important. I was raising my oldest children during the 80’s when everything you read told you to cut fat out of your diet. I gave son number 2 skim milk based on what I was reading at the time, not a great idea. I have often thought of a saying about the pendulum, it swings from one side all the way over to the other before landing in middle ground.  I feel like the new information regarding good fats is a bit extreme. encouraging an over consumption of good fats.  We still only need so much fat in our diet to be healthy and at a healthy weight. I am for moderation.

Omega-3’s are DHA, EPA, and ALA (for short because the full names are very long) and have a diversity of beneficial effects including improved brain health, that sounds good! Decreased inflammation, that sounds good too! Lowering triglycerides and overall heart health, I like it! Better sleep, wow I like sleep! These sound like good things to me how about you?

I would say I value what my brain offers to my life and I want to keep it healthy, similar to the benefits of exercise (I thought I would just throw that in their for fun) Essential Fatty Acids can help with prevention or remedy for depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, dementia and Alzheimers. Next, inflammation, Oh yeah, we don’t want inflammation that is precursor to metabolic syndrome. What does inflammation look like in the body you ask? Arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, heart disease, diabetes and cancer, not appealing. Omega-3s can help lower your blood pressure and increase your HDL’s, the good cholesterol and that is very important when reading your total cholesterol.  Omega-3 can lower your triglycerides and that is very important to prevent hardening of the arteries or thickening of the the artery walls which can then negatively effect the heart and even the pancreas.

You can try omega-3’s for a better sleep, that is a much better option than addictive sleeping pills and their side effects. Omega-3’s can increase your calcium absorption (which can also help with sleep) while reducing the risk for osteoporosis. Omega-3’s can help keep bones and joints strong while also keeping you from being stiff.

So how can you get these wonderful Omega’s you ask? You can eat some Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna and Sardines a few times a week as well as eat some walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds or add the oils onto cereals or salads or even into some dishes after cooking. Not good for cooking!

If none of those foods sound delicious to you or if you know you are not going to be getting them often enough in your diet than a good quality supplement of Cod oil, Krill oil, or a mix EPA, DHA, ALA. Ask a qualified professional for specifics and if you have a trusty supplement company read the label and follow the recommendation. I usually suggest you try a new thing for a few days to see if you get any unwanted reactions, if not you can continue and you will eventually see the benefits.