OMEGA-3
Omega 3-fatty acid is an essential nutrient for humans. We cannot make it and must get it from eating plants or from animals that get it from eating plants. Fish can’t make Omega-3. They get it by eating algae or other fish.
The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings weekly of Omega-3 rich foods. This includes most fish, especially cold water fish, and many plants, especially whole flax products.
Americans do not eat enough omega-3 and eat an excess of Omega-6 fatty acids... this causes many problems, especially relating to allergies and other immune reactions. An accepted, healthy ratio of Omega-6/Omega-3 is approximately 2:1. Because of our fast food kind of diet, most of us have a 1:10 to 1:20 ratio … not a healthy balance.
Omega-3 can:
- Help prevent blood platelets from clotting and sticking to artery walls causing cholesterol plaque formation.
- Help prevent inflammation in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Help prevent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and mood disorders, such as post-partum depression.
As a point of information, farm-raised fish, in general, have as much omega-3 as wild fish. However, all fish contain methyl mercury which causes nerve damage. Since methyl mercury accumulates in meat, older or bigger the fish, such as tuna, swordfish contain, weight for weight, the highest amount of methyl mercury.
One does not need to eat fish to get Omega-3. You can get Omega-3 by eating flax seed products, whole grains, beans, such as soybeans and seeds . Flax seeds are the richest plant source of Omega-3 … and the have a very low ratio of Omega-6/:Omega-3.
The Food and Drug Administration recommends that pregnant women and women who might become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children not eat shark, swordfish, mackerel, and tilefish. If a pregnant woman chooses to avoid seafood, she should make sure she gets plenty of Omega-3's from seeds such as flax seed products, or, less desirable, from supplements.
Our opinions and the references are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe
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