Know Your Omega Fatty Acids
The word “fatty” deters many people from a lot of good foods they should be eating. There are definitely bad fats. Fatty arteries or fat-laden muscles are bad news. Some fats, however, are not just positive; they are essential to proper function of your entire body.
At a cellular level they prevent disease and promote health in people of all ages. It’s never too late to increase your intake of these important nutrients.
Identify Omega Fatty Acids
Watch for Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, labelled under “nutritional information” on foods westerners should be eating more of. These include nuts, cold-water fish, seeds, and plant oils. Canola, olive, soybean, and/or walnut oil should be in your larder.
Turn to salmon instead of shrimp and tuna in favor of tofu. While tofu, chicken, steak, and other proteins possess numerous health benefits, if you aim to increase intake of omega fatty acids the items listed above are preferable.
As for nuts and seeds, flax and walnuts are better than most other examples, but other nuts such as pecans and Brazil nuts also provide healthy oils. A number of foods are artificially fortified with Omega fatty acids such as certain spreads.
They have their pros and cons. You could be better off smearing real nut butter over your bread or avoiding bread entirely unless it is made with wholegrains and flaxseed, but these spreads are preferable to butter if you are determined to enjoy that flavor.
Preparing Food with Omega Fatty Acids
Now that you know what to look for, how do you use these ingredients? Eat walnuts raw, sprinkled on oatmeal or salads. Flaxseeds are excellent in muffins. Salad oils should be drizzled onto leafy greens with Balsamic vinegar. Serve steamed fish with a plateful of colorful vegetables cooked only until tender, not breaded, dipped in batter, fried, or baked.
Why Take Omega Fatty Acids
Scientists and medical professionals see positive reasons for consuming Omega fatty acids 3 and 6 every day. This is especially true of individuals with heart problems, impaired brain function, and learning disabilities.
Holistic practitioners recommend introducing Omega fatty acids to individuals with autism and ADD/ADHD in order to improve the health of nerves and cells, resulting in improved focus and moods. By implication, a stronger nervous system could reduce symptoms of MS or Parkinson’s Disease. Memory certainly improves.
Its effects as an anti-inflammatory could potentially alleviate symptoms of arthritis and fibromyalgia. Doctors recommend introducing more Omega fatty acids as a natural approach to treatment of Diabetes and heart disease, but not without medication and medical consultation as well.
While eating walnuts and grapeseed oil is beneficial, one of the primary reasons is that they replace foods containing saturated fats. When you remove butter and processed snacks from a menu, replacing them with nutritious dishes, weight loss automatically improves one’s health.
Try Natural Supplements
Always make sure your digestive system is in good order by adding probiotics to your menu of supplements. Once your GI tract is working right, get to work with supplements. Usually these contain fish oil which is encapsulated in a gel coating.
Take these as recommended by the manufacturer, carefully reading labels for signs of allergens and for potency. You want the most potent and purest sources of Omega fatty acids and avoid sugary products.
If a child will be taking these pills, there are flavored ones containing fruit juice which might make the capsule go down more easily. You could also introduce small amounts of appropriate foods into a child’s diet until he or she becomes used to them.
Kids are remarkably flexible when you are creative, give them a chance to try new things, set a good example in your own eating habits, and are also firm about what you will allow and not allow them to eat.
