• Home |
• Personal Online Trainer
• Personal Home Trainer
• Affiliates
• Fitness Links

Affiliates: Health Products

Back

The Benefits Of Omega 3

By Jean Helmet

Specialists recommend adding to our diet more foods containing omega 3 oils. These fatty acids are essential for the body, but they cannot be naturally produced. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha - linolenic acid) are the most important acids.

The most important natural resources for omega 3 are fish, krill, flax seed, harp seal, walnuts, canola oil, pumpkin seed, peanuts, olives, safflower, kiwi and black raspberry.

Omega 3 and omega 6 are the essential fatty acids the human body requires. In order for our body to function properly, a balance between these two types of fats must be maintained. Specialists recommend that the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 should be a maximum of 2 to 1 (one part omega 3 fats for every two omega 6 fats). If the omega 6 intake is too high, a series of medical conditions can occur. Eggs, meat and some vegetable oils are natural sources for omega 6 fatty acids. These foods are consumed in greater quantities than omega 3 rich aliments and that is why there is an imbalance between the two fatty acids (the ratio is of 20:1 or even 40:1 in certain countries, compared to the optimum ration of 2:1).

Flax seed oil is the richest natural source of alpha - linolenic acid (ALA), one of the main essential acids. Hempseed oil, sesame oil, spinach and soybeans are also great sources of ALA. If you prefer obtaining the necessary amount of efas through natural ways, you should consider 1 full tablespoon of flax seed daily. If you use for cooking different sorts of vegetable oils (canola, soybean or olive), make sure you stay away from the hydrogenated versions.

The other two omega 3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, are mostly found in oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna and anchovies). Specialists recommend adding up to three fish meals to your weekly diet if you want to obtain the necessary amount. If you cannot find oily fish or you simply do not enjoy eating fish, there are numerous fish oil supplements on the market.

You should combine fish meals with sources of ALA, such as flax seed oils, as fish oil does not contain this type of fatty acid. Jean Helmet is a content editor who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. Her latest website - Natural High Dha Fish Oil focuses on omega 3 as a whole, and in particular, a natural product our editors personally use with excellent health results known as - Dha EstersBe sure to check out our Omega 3 Dha Esters, it is the natural supplement we use and recommend to friends and family, and have done for over 3 years.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jean_Helmet