Omega 3 Eating
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I think the problem with the essential fatty acids is they have some terrible names. Take omega 3 for instance. You can find it as alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), docosapentaenoic acid (DHA), or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Those names just don’t roll very easily off the tongue, unless you’re a chemist.

Then just when you think you’re getting it straight, there are also omega 6 and omega 9 essential fatty acids to confuse things.

To keep it simple, here’s the low down on the essential fats. They are considered essential because nutritionally we require them to be healthy and the only way to get them is to eat them.

In our society, most of us take in more than enough omega 6 and 9 essential fatty acids by eating vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, poultry fat, and leafy vegetables, so most of us don’t need to worry about being deficient in those. Studies have been finding, actually, that excess intake of these fatty acids can make it more difficult to absorb the omega 3’s. To compound the problem, it’s the omega 3s that we tend to be deficient in with our daily diets.

To figure out if you’re getting enough omega 3’s, just ask yourself how many times a week you’re eating coldwater, fatty fish, such as mackerel, salmon, bluefish, mullet, sablefish, menhaden, anchovy, herring, lake trout, sardines or tuna? Unless you’re a big fish fan, the answer is likely: Not often, or not at all. The recommended intake for adults is 2 to 3 servings of any of the above fish per week. *Note amounts are much reduced for pregnant women and for children.

You can also obtain omega 3 in its LNA form by eating flax seeds and oil, as well as borage and evening primrose oils. The problem is you need to take in a lot of LNA to get enough of the useable-to-the-body forms of DHA and EPA. So in this instance the fish source is more effective than the plant source.

But why worry about these DHA’s and EPA’s at all? Here are some startling reasons as to why taking in enough omega 3s is a good idea. Omega 3s help lower the incidence or effects of heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer, arthritis, depression, anxiety, hair loss, diabetes, asthma, unhealthy blood triglyceride levels, lupus, kidney stones, chronic fatigue syndrome, eye diseases, and certain mental and cognitive conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Here are some great ways to include omega 3 rich foods on your menu:

• Smoked salmon with low-fat cream cheese on bagels.
• Try the new omega 3 enriched eggs available. This is an especially good omega 3 option if you despise fish. Use as you would regular eggs in desserts, omelettes, sandwiches, pancakes.
• Fortified foods. Because we’re so deficient in omega 3s, other foods, such as yogurt, are beginning to be fortified with it.
• Dress your salads with flax oil vinaigrette.
• Add pickled herrings, kippers, or sardines to your hors d’oeuvre trays.
• Top your pizzas with anchovies.
• Go fishing! In season, of course. And for those lake trout lovers this is also a good source of omega 3 essential fatty acids.
• Try tuna salad, tuna pitas, and tuna dips.
• Canned salmon. Very versatile, you can add canned salmon to casseroles, sandwiches, stir fries, loafs, and you can even make a great salmon pate.
• For some great ways to prepare salmon and tuna, check out the Healthy Recipes Center at the Mayo Clinic website. The site includes recipes for: Tuna Pasta Salad, Baked Salmon with Southeast Asian Marinade, and Roasted Salmon with Maple Glaze.

I wish you all Omega-3- rich healthy eating.

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Photo Credit: Rob Owen-Wahl
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