One of the most important dietary fats is omega-3. Most Americans eat plenty of fat (too much if you ask me), but unfortunately they tend to come up short on omega-3s because many foods that are higher in dietary fats (fast food and processed grocery-store junk food) don’t contain a high ratio of this form of fat.
You’ve probably heard about omega-3 fatty acids in the recent years because growing body of scientific research indicates that these healthy fats help prevent a wide range of medical problems. We’ll get to the benefits of omega-3 in a few minutes. First I want you to get a quick understanding of how omega-3 fatty acids function.
Every cell in our body is surrounded by a cell membrane composed mainly of fatty acids. The cell membrane allows the proper amounts of necessary nutrients to enter the cell, and ensures that waste products are quickly removed from the cell. To perform these functions optimally, however, the cell membrane must maintain its integrity and fluidity. Cells without a healthy membrane lose their ability to hold water and vital nutrients. They also lose their ability to communicate with other cells.
Because cell membranes are made up of fat, the integrity and fluidity of our cell membranes is determined in large part by the type of fat we eat. Remember that saturated fats are solid at room temperature, while omega-3 fats are liquid at room temperature. Researchers believe that diets containing large amounts of saturated or hydrogenated fats produce cell membranes that are hard and lack fluidity. On the other hand, diets rich in omega-3 fats produce cell membranes with a high degree of fluidity.
Because there are numerous advantages to emphasizing omega-3s in the diet, most people are missing out. Here are a few reasons to get more fish oil:
- Reduce the risk of becoming obese and improve the body’s ability to respond to insulin by stimulating the secretion of leptin, a hormone that helps regulate food intake, body weight and metabolism, and is expressed primarily by adipocytes (fat cells)
- Decrease platelet aggregation, preventing excessive blood clotting
- Increase the activity of another chemical derived from endothelial cells (endothelium-derived nitric oxide), which causes arteries to relax and dilate
- Reduce inflammation throughout your body
- Maintain the fluidity of your cell membranes
- Lower the amount of lipids (fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides) circulating in the bloodstream
- Keep your blood from clotting excessively
- Help prevent cancer cell growth
- Reduce the production of messenger chemicals called cytokines, which are involved in the inflammatory response associated with atherosclerosis
- Helps reduce body fat. Known to turn on the genes that promote fat burning while turning off the genes that promote fat storage.
- Several studies indicate that Omega-3 fats may help signal your body to turn protein into muscles.
Now let’s talk about some of the foods and supplements that contain omega-3. I get my daily requirement from multiple sources. As most of you know, I drink Shakeology every single day. It is by far the best natural supplement available today. One of the MANY benefits of Shakeology is that it contains flax seed. What’s in flax seed? You guessed it, Omega-3 essential fatty acids, along with other benefits such as fiber and lignans. When I prepare Shakeology, I throw in some delicious (and addicting) Smart Balance natural peanut butter which have added omega-3 in it, one of my favorite healthy products! As far as supplements, I take Core Omega-3 daily. Taking these supplements are extremely important for those of you who don’t eat enough foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Here is a list of healthy foods that are high in omega-3:
- Flax-seeds
- Walnuts
- Sardines
- Salmon (always choose wild over farmed)
- Halibut
- Shrimp
- Snapper
- Mackerel
- Oysters
- Trout
- Tuna
Omega’3 fatty acids helped me achieve my weight loss transformation, help reduce my joint pain, and these fatty acids continue to help me live a healthy lifestyle overall.
