Eat omega 3 rich fish several times a week

Eat omega-3 rich fish several times a week

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to decrease the risk of heart attacks and are linked to lowering blood pressure and serum triglyceride levels, and helping prevent blood clots (thereby decreasing the chance of stroke). But research continues to show us that they can do much more.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to slow or prevent the growth of certain cancers (in animal studies). They also reduce symptoms of inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis is shown to be less common in people with diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids). It is currently being investigated whether too little omega- 3s may contribute to depression (omega-3s are important components of nerve cells) and impaired bone growth.

This sounds great if you happen to love fish. But what if you don’t? Nature has provided a handful of plant foods that contain ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). The human body can convert some of this ALA into one of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish (EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid).

How many servings of high omega-3 foods do we need to get some of the disease prevention benefits? Most experts recommend two to three servings of fish high in omega-3s per week as part of a varied diet. And eating more fish means we are more likely to be eating less red meat which is food step 4.

Tips to take home:

Switch to canola oil for cooking and baking when you can.
Choose salad dressings, margarine, chips, and other food products that use canola oil and limit those products that contain the high omega-6 oils (corn, safflower, and sunflower oil).
Consider adding the plant sources of omega-3s (broccoli, spinach, kidney beans, and flaxseed (if not allergic) to recipes whenever possible.
Enjoy cantaloupe when it is in season. Make it a little fancy by tossing cantaloupe pieces with fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries. Make a melon salad by mixing in some watermelon and/or honeydew melon.
Enjoy a spinach salad with kidney beans, and broccoli florets dressed with a canola salad dressing. This adds four of these omega-3 plant foods to your day).
Add a teaspoon of ground flaxseed to a smoothie, glass of juice, or bowl of cold or hot cereal a few times a week.

To make the nutrients in flaxseed available to your body, it is important to grind them up first (in a coffee grinder, for example), then add them to your food or recipe. Store unused ground flaxseed in the refrigerator.

Canola oil does contain twice the amount of omega-6 fatty acids than it does omega-3s but it still has the best ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 of any of the vegetable cooking oils. Note: There are two plant foods known to have ALA that you won’t find in this table (soybeans an walnuts) because they also contain significant amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. When eaten in much larger amounts than omega-3s, omega- 6s can decrease their beneficial effects. The highest omega-6 oils are corn and safflower. USDA food composition data was used to for this table.

Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of ground flaxseed instead of 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the flour called for when making a batch of homemade muffins or a loaf of bread. That way you will have about 1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons of flaxseed per serving or slice.

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