How Can Fat Be Essential?
By Garry Gamber
Did you know that some fats are essential to the body? Yes, there are some fats that our body cannot produce which means that we must get them from our food. Perhaps you've heard of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. These are both considered essential and must be supplied by the foods we eat.
What do they do? Well, the omega-3 fatty acid, for example is used for the production of healthy cell membranes and for the production of a class of hormones called prostaglandins. You know how aspirin and acetominophen are anti-inflammatories? So are the prostaglandins that our bodies produce from omega-3 fatty acids.
Now, we need the omega-3's and the omega-6's to be in the proper combination to be most effective to us. Empirical evidence shows that the proper ratio is about 4:1 between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. What do you suppose our average diet gives us? About a 20:1 and up to a 40:1 ratio; not even close to the optimal ratio.
Why is the balance so out of whack? Well, our normal diets are rich in omega-6 fatty acids. We get them from meats, dairy products, and processed foods. We eat a lot of those foods on average. We get omega-3 fatty acids from certain vegetable oils such as flaxseed, canola, and soybean. And we get omega-3 fatty acids from cold-water fish such as mackerel, sardines, salmon, and tuna.
Eat more fish! You've heard that said before, and now you know why.
Especially the salmon. It is especially rich in the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon , or any of the other omega-3 rich fish (but what tastes better than good salmon?) should be consumed at least once a week.
In order to get the omega-6 vs. omega-3 ratio in order, decrease your consumption of the saturated fat from meats and dairy products and increase your consumption of fish such as salmon.
Do you know how else you will benefit from increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids? Your cholesterol level will improve. You see, the essential omega-3 fatty acids have the ability to help decrease your total cholesterol and your LDL cholesterol level. The LDL cholesterol is the so-called bad cholesterol. So you will improve your cholesterol levels by adding a better balance of omega-3 fatty acids to your diet.
Not surprisingly, the omega-3 fatty acids can be heart healthy. Several diseases show improvement when patients increase their intake of these essential fats. Check out Dr. Ray Strand's important book for citings of clinical studies of omega-3. The book is titled, "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You." It's a wonderful book and should be a standard reference volume in your nutrition library.
Eat well, take appropriate supplements, and stay healthy.
*****************************
Garry Gamber is a public school teacher and entrepreneur. He writes articles about real estate, health and nutrition, and internet dating services. He is the owner of www.anchorage-homes.com and www.anchorage-homes.com.
detailed home cleaning Park Ridge ..Having a large amount of such "visceral fat" is associated... Read More
The Omega Zone Diet and specialists' opinion"Omega RX Zone -... Read More
Carbohydrates have gotten a lot of bad press in the... Read More
In the brain, a typical protein can live for approximately... Read More
Biological clockObviously you need biological clock to time and alarm... Read More
The debate regarding Fluoride continues to rage, is it good... Read More
Every person on earth has experienced pain at one time... Read More
This is such a busy time of year, isn't it?... Read More
(ARA) - By now you probably think you've heard all... Read More
Unhealthy eating is a harmful problem in America, and contrary... Read More
Mango is my favorite fruit next to pineapples. They're sweet,... Read More
A lot of people I've talked with about health supplements... Read More
Imagine you're a cell.Inside your body runs the machinery that... Read More
The Immune System is probably the most important system in... Read More
When it comes to the topic of sports nutrition there... Read More
Arthritis - if you suffer from this illness, I don't... Read More
Fat is a nutrient that is a contributor to the... Read More
Monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG, was thought of as... Read More
With summer comes more sun and with more sun comes... Read More
It is shocking how many people are not taking advantage... Read More
Numerous reports have recently appeared in both the lay and... Read More
My name is Mildred Shears. I'm retired and I live... Read More
Salt was used long before recorded history began. One of... Read More
Sprouts not only taste good, but they are also a... Read More
If you're looking for a power-packed entr?e or soup to... Read More
express cleaning service Des Plaines ..The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with... Read More
Eating grain products - breads, cakes, cereals - have long... Read More
Water is the single most important element for human existence,... Read More
Whatever diet you choose to live by, the food you... Read More
What if there was a combination of foods that were... Read More
If you have a business trip tomorrow morning, you've probably... Read More
When it comes to food, we can't ignore the facts... Read More
There are a lot of very good reasons to eat... Read More
Glowing skin comes free of charge to you. Our simple... Read More
Constipation is a condition whereby the fecal matter traveling through... Read More
Whenever possible, we should try to get our antioxidants and... Read More
Although many realize that the liver has its own cleansing... Read More
A hundred years ago, life was very different here on... Read More
With so much 'diet advice' around today it is little... Read More
It is not a myth. Eating breakfast is an important... Read More
Manganese is a metallic mineral that was discovered by a... Read More
Summer is the time when we sweat highly and beating... Read More
The question most people think they need an answer to... Read More
Did you know that the food you eat could be... Read More
All of my life I believed the best way to... Read More
One must always keep in mind that copper is not... Read More
It is always amazing to me when I find a... Read More
In today's world, there's a definite need to be proactive... Read More
New studies bring to our attention that high levels of... Read More
With today's time constraints, stressful jobs, and "thin is in"... Read More
Nutrition |