Sunday 16 January 2011

Omega-3 Fatty Acid

Omega-3 fatty acids are extraordinarily important to health. Whilst their cousins, the Omega-6 fatty acids are abundant in all sorts of vegetable oils and meats, the omega-3's (including EPA) are much harder to come by. They can be found in oily fish (salmon, mackerel, trout) as well as some seeds and nuts, including walnuts, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. Unfortunately, however, most of us are not including enough of these items in our diet - if we are including any at all!



A recent study discovered that, in the USA, 25% of adults tested had so little Omega-3 fatty acid in their blood that it was undetectable, i.e. there was none present. Now, that would be bad for any nutrient, but Omega-3 fats are the main building block of the brain and nervous system, so if you haven't got them . . . . don't expect your brain or nervous system to work as well as it should!




Firstly, you can try to add into your diet the foods that contain EPA, listed above, to which can be added grass-fed beef (grain-fed beef has NO omega-3 content). In doing this, bear in mind that some Governments, such as the UK are now recommending that you eat no more than 200g of sea-fish a week, due to the levels of toxins such as dioxin and mercury in fish, especially fish livers, where toxins concentrate.

Secondly, and this goes for most people, you should add a high-quality EPA supplement to your diet. Be sure that the fish oil used to produce it is from sources that filter out all the toxins (we only know of one manufacturer that uses this expensive process, but charges no more for their oil than others), is PURE Omega-3 and is not diluted with other oils, e.g. vegetable oils.
Essential qualities of Omega-3 Fatty acid
  • Make sure it is PURE Omega-3
  • Check it is undiluted
  • Ask if dioxin has been removed

Pregnancy warning.
By the time most mothers come to term, their bodies are completely exhausted of the Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which are the main building blocks of the baby's brain and nerves. For a healthy baby, and to help prevent premature birth you MUST include these supplements in your diet, taking note of the required qualities above.

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