Today is Fat Tuesday!
It’s called Fat Tuesday because it’s the last day that many people eat meat and fatty foods before Lent begins.
So, today, let’s focus on Omega 3‘s!
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that the body cannot make itself and must get from food. Two crucial omega-3s – EPA and DHA – are found primarily in certain fish. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), another omega-3 fatty acid, is found in plant sources such as nuts and seeds.
What makes omega-3 fats special is that they are an integral part of cell membranes and provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. They also help regulate genetic function.
Impressive potential health benefits include:
- Help treat and prevent depression and anxiety
- Help improve numerous heart disease risk factors
- Improve blood sugar levels
- Reduce chronic inflammation, which can contribute to heart disease, cancer, and various other diseases.
- Help treat and prevent several autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and psoriasis.
- Improve symptoms of some mental disorders
- Help prevent age-related mental decline and Alzheimer’s disease
- Decrease the risk of some types of cancer, including colon, prostate, and breast cancer
- Help reduce liver fat in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Improve bone strength and joint health, but more research is needed.
- Improve the length and quality of sleep.
- Help keep skin healthy, preventing premature aging and safeguarding against sun damage
- Improve lung function and asthma
- Improve ADHD
This shows us that Omega-3 fatty acids truly are vital for optimal health!
Where to Get Omega-3s
When possible, omega-3 fatty acids should come from foods rather than supplements. Nonfried, excellent quality (beware of mercury or other toxins) oily fish high in DHA and EPA at least twice weekly from:
- Anchovies
- Herring
- Mackerel
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Sturgeon
- Lake trout
- Tuna
Good food sources of ALA are:
- Walnuts
- Flaxseed and flaxseed oil
- Canola oil
- Soybean oil
- Chia seeds
Happy Fat Tuesday to all and if you give something up for lent, why not consider giving up less healthy fats for healthier omega 3’s? Your body will thank you!
