THERE'S SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON
The good fats you find in seafood called the omega 3's help lower your blood triglycerides, improve immunity, and treat inflammatory diseases. They have also been found to reduce blood clotting, prevent abnormal heart rhythms, and promote the development of eye and brain cells. Additionally, they may help older people's brains work better and also help treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions. If you're an average American you probably need to eat more of them! The best source of the omega 3 fats is fatty fish such as salmon, halibut, mackerel, sardines, and some types of tuna. Other foods include walnuts, flax, flaxseed oil, or canola oil.
The American Heart Association recommends at least two, 3-ounce servings of fish each week with an emphasis on fatty fish, like salmon. The recommendation also states that cooking techniques should include grilling, baking, or broiling instead of frying.
Healthy people should get around two grams a week of the healthy omega 3 fats. You can get this from two small servings of fatty fish. Those that already have heart disease can benefit from taking in one gram a day of the omega 3 fats. If you have high blood triglyceride levels, the recommendation is 2-4 g per day. About 3 g a day may help reduce the pain and swelling of rheumatoid arthritis.
By the way, while cod liver oil does contain the good omega 3 fats, it's also too easy to potentially take in too much of vitamins A and D. So, we don't recommend it for your omega 3's.
Now in addition to fish, there are other foods that have omega 3 fats. Grocery stores now sell special eggs which are higher in omega 3's compared to regular eggs. You may have seen "Eggland's Best." This is made possible by feeding the hens flax seed or fish oil to raise the omega 3 content of the eggs produced. Nevertheless, fish is still a much, much better source of the omega 3's. For example, these special eggs contain 50-150 mg of omega 3 fats compared to 1,800-3,700 mg from salmon. And of course, eggs still contain cholesterol and some saturated fat.
This is important. There are three different main types of omega 3's: two come from seafood, and one type comes from plants. Fatty fish, such as salmon are the best sources of two of those omega 3's, EPA, and DHA. These are the fats that help reduce blood clots, inflammation, heart rhythm problems, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides. On the other hand, you get a different kind of omega 3 from plants. Called ALA, the best dietary sources of this plant omega 3 are walnuts, flax seeds, greens, and canola oil.
Unfortunately, humans can convert only between five and ten percent of this ALA into the better EPA and DHA. On the other hand, fish are able to convert ALA as found in algae and other sea plants into EPA and DHA much more efficiently than humans can. So, fish can make the healthy omega 3's much better than humans are able to.
A word of warning. Be aware that a product that says it has omega 3's in it may, in fact, contain just the ALA version of omega 3 and a not the better EPA and DHA. Only foods that contain the EPA or DHA can claim heart benefits. While there is no official recommendation for the good omega 3 fats, evidence shows that as little as 500 mg of EPA and DHA and as little as 1500 mg of ALA may be very good for your health. By the way, there is some research that indicates that ALA may have benefits of its own. A study at Harvard University on 77,000 female nurses found that those with the highest intake of ALA had a 46% lower risk of sudden cardiac death than those consuming the least amount.
The bottom line? You want to get most of your good omega 3's from seafood sources, not plant sources. It's hard for you as a human to turn the omega 3's found in plants into the protective form you really want. But the seafood omega 3's are already in the form you need for good health. Don't be so impressed with all the products in the grocery store that claim they contain the healthy omega 3's. They won't hurt you but they probably won't do you much good either. Concentrate on eating more fish.
Be sure to download your FREE "Get Hooked On Fish" handout at the link below. And remember, your goal is at least 2000 mg of omega 3's per week. The numbers on the handout are listed in grams. So 2.26 grams from salmon would be the same as 2260 mg. So one serving and you've met your goal for the week. Aim for two servings a week anyway.
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Joe Thiel
Owner, Fitness Together
