What are omega 3 fats and why are they good for you?

You hear the word “fat” and you think you don’t want any fat in your diet.  But there are fats that are actually good for you.  Most people know olive oil, especially EVVO is a healthy oil.  Have you heard of omega-3 fats?  What are they?  What foods have them?  And why are omega 3 fats good for your health?  

What are omega-3 fats?  Believe it or not, your body can’t make these fats.  We all know our bodies can certainly make fat as anyone who has gained weight knows.  But there are 2 fats your body can’t make, one is omega-3 and the other is omega-6 fats.  Both of these are called essential fats as you have to “eat them to get them”, your body can’t make them.  (I tell students in my class that “essential” means you have to “eat them to get them”.)

• There are actually 3 different types of omega-3 fats and you may have seen some of these mentioned in commercials. 

o   EPA – eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA docosahexaenoic are found in fish

o   ALA or alpha-linolenic acids can be found in nuts, vegetable oils leafy vegetables, grass-fed animal fat, and flax seeds and flaxseed oil

Why are omega-3 fats good for your health?  First, as noted above, your body can’t make these fats and you must get them in your diet. 

Functions – omega-3 fats have a number of important functions and health benefits in your body. 

• Cells – every cell in your body has omega-3 fats as they are part of the walls of every cell.
• Prevention of heart disease or strok
• Help control rheumatoid arthritis by lessening stiffness, reduce pain and help relieve tenderness in joints
• May help protect against some cancers
• ADHD – WebMD notes, “Some studies show that fish oil can reduce the symptoms of ADHD in some children and improve their mental skills, like thinking, remembering, and learning”. 

Why are omega-3 fats considered heart healthy fats?

• Heart disease – omega-3 fats have been found to lower your risk of heart disease.
• High Blood Pressure – omega 3 fats in fish oil supplements have been shown to reduce blood pressure.
• Blood lipids:  Cholesterol and triglycerides – Omega-3 fats can reduce triglycerides and increase your good HDL cholesterol.

What foods are high in omega-3 fats? 

• Seafood:  some fish are high in omega-3 fats such as salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines, cod, herring, canned light tuna.  Also, shellfish including oysters, crab and scallops.
• Vegetable oils including canola oil, cod liver oil, flaxseed oil, soybean oil, walnut oil
• Nuts – walnuts are high in omega-3 fats.
• Flax seeds, chia seeds have ALA fat
• Green, leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
• Eggs – we buy eggs that state “omega-3” on the label.  These provide 125 mg of omega-3 fats per egg.

These eggs provide healthy omega-3 fats.

How can you add omega-3 fats to your diet?  One way is to have 2 seafood meals a week.  This way you will add EPA and DHA to your diet.  To get the healthy ALA fats, add some healthy vegetable oils, seeds and vegetables to your diet. I am not a big fish fan but I will eat tuna fish salad.  A niece reintroduced us to fish sticks.  Yes, there is a coating on fish sticks but the fish has the healthy omega-3 fats.  Fish sticks may be a way to get more kids to eat fish.  I add a spoonful of chopped walnuts to my breakfast cereal.  We cook with olive oil but also canola oil.  We like to buy the spring mix salad greens which has spinach in it. Who doesn’t love eggs? Scrambled eggs, egg salad, deviled eggs – so many ways to add some eggs to your diet.  

 Read the above list of foods and find some ways you can add the healthy omega-3 fats to your day.

Enjoy some walnuts for omega-3 fats.

Sources:  types , Functions , Cells , fats , ADHD , foods , Seafood , , scallops, oils , chia seeds , vegetables   Image Sources:  Omega 3 foods , Eggs   , Walnuts