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Omega 3,
Food, and Depression: A Round-Up
Studies are published regularly that reinforce the need
for Omega-3 fatty acids for healthy brains. When we are
newborn babies and living on mother’s milk, nature
puts Omega-3s in that breast milk
to provide us
with this necessary fat for our developing brain. When
we age, low Omega 3s are linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
and Parkinson’s. In between,
low Omega-3 fatty acids can cause
depression.
Omega 3
Supplements
To fight depression in the short term, we probably need
an Omega 3 supplement. And research suggests we need a
pretty big dose of Omega-3 fatty acids to fight
depression.
Supplements with other Omega fats generally are not going
to be useful to improve our Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio. In
particular, avoid supplements like Omega 3-6-9
supplements. You definitely don’t
need more Omega-6s in your diet and if you have olive
oil on your salads, you’re good on the Omega-9s as
well.
Omega 3
Foods
For the longer-term, begin a diet make-over reducing the
Omega-6 fats in your diet and increasing Omega-3s.
Ultimately, you want to be consuming about equal portions
of Omega-3s and Omega-6s, as your ancestors did. Middle
America now consumes fifteen to twenty times more Omega-6
than Omega-3. Work on reducing Omega-6s. An easy way to
do this is by selecting the right oils for your meals.
Here is a list of vegetable oils and their Omega-6
content. Cut out the worst
offenders.
Next you should be replacing some of your protein foods
with protein foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Your best Omega-3 option is fish and
seafood. These foods are in a
league of their own in the Omega-3 department. The
only animal food that comes close that is not from a
water-bound animal, is actually the liver of beef
cattle or sheep fed a diet of grass.
(Grass fed beef liver and
Omega-3s). And while I’m on the
topic of liver, I should add that liver is a great source of vitamins and
minerals as well. Here’s my
favorite liver recipe.
Grass fed beef can also be a good choice
in keeping your Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio in check, but
it is not in the same league as seafood or liver.
If you are not won over by seafood or liver, a good
vegetarian option is actually an egg from a chicken that
is free to roam and eat weeds and bugs. In the spring and
fall when the grass is moist and bugs are in abundance,
this type of egg can be a nutritional powerhouse.
The Omega-3 eggs in stores are a good
option as well.
If you are allergic to fish, by all means don’t eat it.
Do not take a fish oil supplement either. Work on those
Omega-6 levels and read this article on
Omega-3s and fish
allergies.
Trans fats
Trans fatty acids are being banned in a number of places
in the country but you will still encounter them in most
restaurants during your outings. In the context of your
Omega-3 status, you should know that trans fats actually block your absorption
of Omega-3s. So the French fries are
not only adding to your calories and fat intake, they
are reducing your body’s ability to incorporate
Omega-3 fatty acids into its brain. Avoid them.
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