Good morning!
I would like to start the day by offering you a Body Sass? Tip that not only is very relevant to National Heart Month, but is also very relevant to your WHOLE body. You?ve gotten a love note from your body and this is what the note says:
?I love us! Please, please provide me with more omega-3 fatty acids. Pretty please.?
I could wax on about why your body sent this note for pages and PAGES. Not very befitting of our sound-byte culture, so here is the what, why, and how on omega-3s.
WHAT?
Omega-3 fatty acids are a fat molecule of particular structure, hence the weird name. They are found in appreciable quantities in animal food sources like deep-sea fish and pasture-fed eggs in the form of EPA and DHA. They are also found in plant food sources like flax and chia seeds in the form of ALA. Those are all abbreviations of fancy biochemical names?not important for this discussion. What IS important to know is that it is the animal-sourced EPA and DHA which provide most of the health benefits, and not the plant-based ALA. Please note that this doesn?t mean to avoid flax and hemp?they?re awesome!…but you would have to eat cups and cups of them to get the omega-3s you need.
WHY?
Our intake of Omega-3 fatty acids via food is abysmally low. To give you an idea, our Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio should be about 1:1. In the U.S., it?s about 20:1 to 50:1. Holy disaster, Batman! Omega-6s are PRO-inflammatory and Omega-3s are ANTI-inflammatory, making even a 20:1 ratio a very unhappy situation for your Health Experience. And this unhappy imbalance creates chronic inflammation and weaves its way into our health picture in many, many ways. Ways like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, premature aging, obesity, etc.
Increasing your Omega-3 intake will benefit your body systemically. Your cardiovascular system, your immunity, your brain (read: can help with ADHD and Alzheimer?s), and your joints, to name a few, will all receive benefit. Systemic benefits. Anti-inflammatory. Ya with me?
HOW?
For the purposes of quick education, here is your Top 3 Omega-3 Takeaway:
- Reduce your intake of vegetable oils like corn, soy, canola, safflower, and sunflower oils.
- Eat deep-sea fish, like wild-caught salmon, and pastured eggs.
- Take a fish, krill, or calamari oil supplement to provide 1,200 mg of EPA/DHA per day.
Don?t delay! Your body took the time and care to send that note, and your relationship with yourself is the most important one to mindfully tend.
The food you eat builds your body, every day, for better or for worse. Make choices for health!
With love & fantabulous fats,
Laurie
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