We usually ignore fatty and oily foods in our diet because of the fact that they contain too much saturated fat bad for our health. However, we must not ignore the importance of omega 3 fatty acids because they are not only essential for proper growth and development of body cells, but are also helpful in fighting against many diseases. In order to maintain optimal levels of essential fatty acids – DHA and EPA – we must increase our intake of food containing omega 3 oils in our diet.
A healthy individual requires around 600-800 mg of DHA and EPA, 1.5-2.5 grams of alpha-linolenic acid and 3-4 grams of linoleic acid everyday. Fish oil is the richest source of DHA and EPA and about 1-2 teaspoon of pure fish oil provides the required amount of fatty acids daily. If you want to eat fish directly (which is not recommended by today’s doctors and health experts), always find fresh water fish instead of farm-raised fish because of the high amount of heavy metals and dioxins found in the latter.
Food containing omega 3 oils also includes some vegetable oils, especially flax seed oil. Flax seeds are rich in alpha-linolenic acid, which can be used by the body to break down into DHA and EPA. Since vegetable oils are free from any impurities found in fish oil, they are ideal for children, elderly people and persons with other health concerns. Other botanical food containing omega 3 oils include hemp seed, pumpkin seed, canola, olive, perilla, kiwi and chia. Safflower and peanut oils also contain some percentage of omega 3 fatty acids, but they are also high in saturated fat content.
People who are overweight are advised to add food containing omega 3 oils in their diet, especially olive oil, canola oil and flax seed oil. Flax seeds can also be eaten directly by grinding them or mixing them with other food materials. Canola and olive oil are healthy cooking oils and can be used in salad dressing. If you are taking olive oil directly for weight loss, do not exceed its intake beyond recommended limits. It may cause low blood pressure and nausea in some sensitive people.
If you are looking for fish oil capsules or other supplements online, find the ones that contain high concentration of DHA. Some supplements with vitamin A and D, vitamin E and antioxidants are also superior to others. But you should always look for pharmaceutical grade fish oil and the one which has been processed after molecular distillation to remove any kind of impurities found in fish oil.
Discover the best fish oil product on the market today and the one we ourselves personally use. We reccomend you learn more: Omega 3 Fish OilJean Helmet is one of the editors for a series of health sites, her latest addition is http://www.omega3-health-guide.com
