 Week 9 of 12 steps to healthy lifestyle - Omega 3's! OH-Mega 3’s!
What are these, you ask? What do I need? How much?
You can get Omega 3 fatty
acids from fish and also ground flaxseed, ground chia seeds, to name a few.
Why have them? They may help reduce inflammation and may
improve your mood. They may also help at
protecting your heart.
Your goal for this week is to
add at least one fish meal to your dinners.
If you are already having one fish meal, increase it to two this week!
Here is a laundry list of the many
things Omega 3's may help with:
cardiovascular disease-some studies
show that taking at least a gram per day can help to lower your
triglyceride levels, by as much as 8%! high blood pressure depression diabetes joint pain fatigue Alzheimer's arthritis
and more!
You can get Omega 3's
from salmon, tuna, sardines,mackerel cod, flounder, flaxseed,
linseed, green leafy vegetables, tofu, winter squashes, soybeans, navy beans,
kidney beans, canola oil, soybean oil, olive oil and walnuts. How do you know how much you are
getting?
The Omega 3’s in fish are more
biologically available to your body than the ones in the plant based
choices. However, if you cannot eat
fish, I highly recommend the plant based sources- they have many other health benefits
as well.
a 7 oz serving of flounder = 1 gram
Omega 3's 4 oz. canned white tuna= 1 gram Omega
3's 4 oz. of salmon or mackerel can have up
to 2 grams of Omega 3's! 2
Tablespoons ground flaxseed has 4 g fiber, 4 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein and
2400 mg omega-3 fatty acids.
The American Heart Association
recommends 1 gram per day of Omega 3's(should contain EPA and DHA) for
people at risk of cardiovascular disease. It is recommended that you talk
to your physician if you decide to take any Omega 3
supplements. There may be some drug-nutrient interactions
or side effects. If you are not currently at risk for cardiovascular
disease the recommendation is to eat fish at least twice per week. Here is a link to a list of eco-friendly fish http://seafood.edf.org/guide/best
There currently exists no
established dosing information for children. Some infant formulas contain
fatty acids. Enjoy!!! |
