Welcome to February, a month that is known for being cold and dry with low humidity and heaters blasting dry, hot air. If your skin feels dry, your mind a bit hazy or you’ve got some unwanted aches and pains, it may be time for an “oil change”.
While you wouldn’t dream of putting poor quality oil in your car’s engine, most Americans are sputtering along on a diet filled with bad oil. The result? Inflammation: the fire at the core of chronic disease.
It turns out that essential fatty acids form the base structure of our cell membranes, neurons, and a range of chemical messengers that either promote inflammation or reduce it. The quality of the oils we eat matters!
Omega-3 fats are so important they’re considered “essential fatty acids”, meaning our bodies can’t make them, so they must be consumed through the food we eat. Unfortunately, Americans have the lowest intake of omega-3 fatty acids of any developed country!
EPA and DHA are the two essential omega-3 fatty acids that drive the production of anti-inflammatory compounds, while the omega-6 oils (present in vegetable oils like corn, soy, and safflower oil) increase the production of pro-inflammatory compounds that promote inflammation.
Sadly, our diets have evolved over the past 100 years to have more omega-6 oils, since they’ve been used extensively by the processed food industry, replacing omega-3s. Let’s change that!
Here Are Eight Great Reasons to Get Your Omega-3s!
Recent research shows that EPA and DHA:
Improve cognitive function and other neurological problems
Help fight depression
Lower markers of inflammation like CRP and IL-6
Raise HDL levels (the “good” cholesterol) and lower triglycerides (blood fats)
Reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis
Help heal chronic skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis
Influence gene expression toward optimal health
Play a key role in fetal brain development and healthy pregnancies (1)
Remember, the fish with the highest concentration of omega-3 fats are the wild “SMASH fish” (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and herring), which also have the lowest mercury content.
Unfortunately, we can’t get quite enough of these oils from the plant kingdom because the enzymes that convert ALA (alpha-linolenic acid in flax, chia and walnuts) into EPA are very inefficient. So, include nuts and seeds, like walnuts, chia and flax in your diet, but try to eat 1-2 servings of the SMASH fish each week helps you get the recommended levels of these essential fatty acids.
You may also consider taking pure fish oil supplements to achieve therapeutic benefits. I recommend Nordic Naturals ProOmega Lemon.
For vegans, Algae Omega is made from sustainably sourced microalgae, the original source of marine omega-3, providing those who wish to avoid fish a great way to meet their daily recommended serving of omega-3 EPA+DHA.
The good news is that it is easy to include a few key foods in your diet that supply the critical omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA.
To help you get your share, try my Sockeye Salmon Salad with Tarragon and Capers. It’s a fast and delicious alternative to tuna salad, but made with rich sockeye salmon, naturally rich in essential fatty acids and low in mercury. This recipe replaces mayonnaise with extra-virgin olive oil, but feel free to sub any non-palm/sunflower/safflower mayonnaise.
I love the canned sockeye salmon from Vital Choice and use it to whip up my Sockeye Salmon Salad! I often make it in the morning for a quick lunch, but it’s so good we sometimes gobble it up for breakfast on a gluten-free cracker!
Call me paranoid (or just prepared), but I buy this canned salmon by the case, so I always have a clean protein source on hand for emergencies, like earthquakes, storms, or unexpected guests! I buy the kind with the skin and bones because those rich essential fatty acids are concentrated in the fatty layer just beneath the skin, and the bones provide a great source of calcium (plus, it’s a bit less expensive).
I hope these ideas inspire you to get the essential fatty acids your body needs to run optimally!
(1) http://advances.nutrition.org/content/3/1/1.fulll