Oh OHHhhmega 3's!!

It's so hard to write a fun post about something as boring, but majorly important, as essential fatty acids. But since this information is so vital to health, I urge you to read on and hopefully I can make it fun along the way.

There's been a lot of buzz about Omega 3 fatty acids the past few years, which is great because omega 3's are essential for our health. But do you have any idea why it's important??  Some of you smarties might now, at which point, you better be partaking!!  Or else, you're no longer a smarty, there I said it.  But for the rest of us out there the most important thing to know about omega 3 fatty acids is that it is an awesome, kick ass anti-inflammatory!!  And why do we care about that???? Now pay attention to this! The root cause of chronic disease is inflammation.  For the people in the back....

THE ROOT CAUSE OF CHRONIC DISEASE IS INFLAMMATION!!!!

Now, not all inflammation is bad, it is a natural response of our bodies when injured or infected, such as redness and swelling. This type of inflammation is localized, short lived and can even save our lives. When the threat of injury or invasion of a virus is over, the immune system shuts off the response and everything goes back to normal.  That's the good news about inflammation.

Here's the bad. Sometimes our bodies are so overwhelmed by either stress, our diet, toxins that surround us and that we ingest, that the "turn off" response never happens and chronic inflammation occurs. BTW, in case you were wondering, chronic means, to last for a long time. Chronic inflammation is dangerous and researches are finding that it could be the source of all chronic diseases! It is life threatening and causes loads of diseases such as...

• Alzheimer's disease
• Asthma
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Bipolar disorder
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Eczema
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Huntington's disease
• Lupus
• Migraine headaches
• Multiple sclerosis
• Obesity
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84

What causes inflammation, you ask? (I'm so glad you're interested!) Tons of things can cause inflammation like stress, bacteria, viruses, parasites (gross), toxins, some foods, sugar, smoking, high blood-insulin levels and obesity, to name a few. So, from this list I'm sure you can understand why this is such a problem. So many people are addicted to sugar, have stress, encounter toxins and viruses, and let's not forget that over 30% of Americans are obese (it's predicted to be around 50% by 2030, that's scary!) and 60%, if not more, are overweight and on their way to possibly being obese. Americans are overweight, eating more than we should, but are in fact, nutritionally starved. Research has shown that 99% of Americans are deficient in omega 3s.

Here are some things to look out for.

Some symptoms of omega 3 deficiencies include:

• Depression
• Dry Skin
• Fatigue
• Heart problems
• Mood Swings
• Poor circulation
• Poor memory

Symptoms of low grade inflammation are:

• Body aches and pains
• Congestion
• Frequent infections
• Diarrhea
• Dry eyes
• Indigestion
• Shortness of breath
• Skin outbreaks
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Weight gain/obesity

Here are some foods that cause inflammation and should be avoided.

• Alcohol
• Barbecued foods (and blackened foods)
• Beef
• Dairy
• Deep fried foods, French fries
• Fried chicken
• Organ meats (like liver, heart, giblets)
• Over cooked foods or foods cooked at high temperatures 
• Refined carbohydrates (any form of white flour products)
• Sugar
• And any type of food that you are sensitive to can cause inflammation as well

We all know that the typical diet of an American contains some, if not most of these foods daily and most of the time it's at every meal!  

What should we be eating?? A whole foods and plant-based diet. Yeah, I said it! This diet has proven to reverse MS, diabetes (yeah, it can CURE diabetes, incurable disease my A$$), heart disease, it can stop the growth of some cancers and can help people lose weight among so many other things! (Ok, stepping down from the pulpit.) The point is, our bodies are overwhelmed with omega 6 fatty acids (which is present in most of the foods listed above) and it must be balanced out by omega 3's. 

Awesome, wonderful, powerful Omega 3's! 

Researchers and scientists have found that omega 3's help prevent a wide range of medical problems (remember that list of chronic inflammatory related diseases?) such as depression (feeling down, add omega 3's not prozac) , asthma, heart disease and arthritis.  Not only that but omega 3 fatty acids also improve our brain function.  Researchers have said that omega 3s can reduce the aging of the brain. How cool is that?? 

Having a good diet and one that is full of omega 3 fatty acids is the way to go! And it's soooo easy!!!!!  Cut out all the crap, trust me you are worth it! Have the majority of your meals come from whole foods, meaning nothing that is refined, whole grains, brown rice, quinoa, and eat a lot of plants! In addition, add in foods that contain a lot of omega 3's.  And wouldn't you know it, I have them right here for you!

There are different ways of getting omega 3 fatty acids but research has shown that it is better absorbed from food than by supplements. Two excellent sources are flax seeds and walnuts. The recommended serving size for flax seeds are at least 2 tablespoons.  The best way to do this is to buy whole raw flax seeds and grind them right before you eat them, a small coffee or spice grinder works great (buy one just for grinding the seeds, spices and herbs). You don't have to be old school like me using a mortar and pestle. The ground up flax seeds can be put in smoothies, sprinkled over salads or even cereal or anything. It's worth the effort. Two tablespoons of ground flax seeds will give you 132.9% daily value of omega 3's. 

A 1/4 cup of walnuts, which isn't that many when measured, is the recommended serving size, which will give you 94.5% of the daily value of omega 3's. That's an easy snack in the afternoon.  I always have walnuts at home and they're great to bring for a snack. Another great source is fatty fish (if you eat it) that live in cold waters, such as wild salmon and sardines. Do not fry the fish, fatty acids are destroyed during this process.  Bake, poach or pan sear instead. If you are all plant-based then go for the nut and seed variety.  

A healthy diet contains equal amounts of both 3 and 6 fatty acid. We can all benefit from getting our healthy fatty acids daily. Don't forget to eat your flax seeds and walnuts and cut back on the foods that contain omega 6. Yin Yang, find your balance.

To help the body to better assimilate the anti-inflammatory agents of omega 3's it's important that your diet has a sufficient amount of vitamin B6, B3, C, magnesium and zinc and decrease the intake of saturated fats and partially hydrogenated fats.  Check out this website for foods containing these vitamins and minerals. http://www.whfoods.com

To wrap up, it is easy to get Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Simply add 2 tablespoons of whole flax seeds and 1/4 cup of walnuts to your diet everyday. Prevention is not a word used by our current health care system. There are better, safer, cheaper, and healthier ways to get results. In a lot of cases, certain diseases can be prevented or treated using holistic treatments, changing your diet, reducing stress, and having a better outlook can do wonders for your health!  And of course, adding omega 3's daily into your diet!

Anti-inflammatory love to you all!

K