Lo and behold, something with the word “fat” in it that’s good for you!
Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the good kinds of fat. Fatty acids are the building blocks of fat, and “despite their misunderstood reputation,” they are vital nutrients, according to the How Stuff Works website.
Omega-3 is polyunsaturated, which means it’s an organic compound that contains several double or triple bonds between carbon atoms. They are called essential fatty acids because our body needs them, but can’t manufacture them, so we have to obtain them in our diet.
The human body needs both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, but it is recommended to consume more of the unsaturated kind. This is because unsaturated fatty acids are believed to promote high-density lipoproteins or good cholesterol to help fight heart disease, while an overdose of saturated fatty acids are linked to promotion of low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol and heart disease.
Show me the omega-3
Omega-3s can most commonly be found in several kinds of oily fish and sustainable seafood from cold waters, such as salmon, tuna, anchovies, and mackerel.
But if you don’t eat fish, don’t fret! You can still find them in omega-3 enriched dairy foods and eggs, edamame (green soybeans), wild rice, canola, soybean oils, flax, and walnuts and beans, to name a few.
Note that some of the above foods—like oils and nuts—are calorie-rich.
How they can help
According to Best Health magazine, scientists believe Japanese people have one of highest life expectancies because they eat so much fish, and therefore more omega-3s.
Omega-3s are linked to a wide range of benefits besides helping our hearts, including reducing diabetes, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer’s, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn’s disease.
Omega-6: Not twice as good as omega-3
How Stuff Works says the modern Western diet is unbalanced, because it has too much omega-6 (which comes from grains and refined vegetable oils) and not enough omega-3.
Although it is normally advised to get your nutrients from foods rather than supplements, they may be a good option for people who don’t eat fish or don’t get enough omega-3s in their diet.
Fish oil and algae oil (for the non-fish eaters) are good supplements for omega-3s and are commonly recommended to people with heart disease.
Talk to a doctor before going on the supplements to get the right dosage and to ensure they don’t interfere with other medication you might be taking.
