You are just starting to learn about the benefits of the omega 3 fats docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). So you call your best friend to get a little advice about where you might be able to locate some of this good stuff. Your friend says all you need to do is start ordering extra anchovies on your double meat and cheese pizza and you will be become fit as a fiddle in no time. You hesitate, not exactly your date night special. But nevertheless that is what you do. After a few months of this not only don’t you not feel fit as fiddle but your cholesterol has skyrocketed and you have gained an extra ten pounds in two months of eating pizza with extra anchovies. If that is not enough it is becoming harder and harder to find anyone willing to go along. Needless to say the P and A health plan is not working.
The story above is so often how a person approaches food sources of omega 3 fats. They get a little bit of good information but fail to use it in the right way. Before we get into specific food sources for omega 3 fats let’s talk about what is wrong with our friends P and A diet plan besides the obvious of calories, cholesterol, and arterial clogging saturated fat. One of the often overlooked facets of omega 3 fatty acids is the balance between omega 3 and omega 6. These substances work together to promote health. Omega 3 reduces inflammation while omega 6 promotes it. An inappropriate balance of food sources containing omega 6 fats contributes to the development of disease while a proper balance helps maintain and improve overall health. A proper balance is about 3 to 1 with omega 6 being the three. Beef, lamb, and pork contain large quantities of omega 6 and very little, if any omega 3. The typical meat and potatoes diet is somewhere between a 14 and 25 to 1 ratio. Simply awful! So our pizza failed to have the proper balance. Now let’s get down to business, and find food sources omega 3 fats that will help us correct this imbalance.
*Foods rich in omega 3 fats include whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, olive oil, walnuts, garlic, as well as dark skinned grapes and wine when moderately consumed. But the real powerhouse on our list are cold water fatty fish.
Why? Fruits, vegetables, and nuts must be converted into DHA/EPA from another omega 3 fatty acid ALA. Much is lost in the conversion process. With fish such as mackerel, lake trout, salmon, herring, sardines, anchovies, tuna, halibut, cod, and the Australian hoki you are getting high quantities of DHA and EPA directly from the fish.
Some people have come to the conclusion that trying to harvest enough omega 3 from food sources is just too much of a hassle. The cost, the preparation time, the bones, along the risk of lead and mercury contamination has made some shift their focus from foods to supplements. Omega 3 supplements are affordable, easily accessible, have gone though a purification process to remove toxins. If you would like to learn more about omega 3 supplements as an alternative to food sources of omega 3 fats click here.
