Posts Tagged ‘Fish’
Omega-3 vs. Omega-6 Balance
Earlier this week I wrote about why Omega-3 fatty acids are important and discovered that it’s not only important to eat Omega-3 oils but it’s important to ensure your Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are in proper balance. Both are essential but the proper ratio is necessary because both compete for the same metabolic enzymes. I’m not a Biology major but we know that Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids break down to the products we need (eicosanoids) and that process requires metabolic enzymes, if they’re both fighting for the same ingredients then we need to ensure one doesn’t “starve” out the other.
What’s the ratio healthy ratio? The healthy ratio appears to be anywhere from 1:1 (omega-6 to omega-3) to 4:1. According to JR Hibbeln in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, published June 2006, Western diets provide ratios of 10:1 to 30:1, which is far too much Omega-6.
The reason is because the oils we use often have a higher Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio. Corn oil’s ratio is a staggering is 46:1. Popular new oils like Olive oil has anywhere from 3-13:1 and canola is 2:1 but both contain only a small amount.
How do you keep it in balance? Eat a diet rich in Omega-3’s and the it sounds like the Omega-6 will balance itself out. Eat lots of seafood or seeds that contain Omega-3 and everything should work out.
Subscribe to the comments for this postWhat Are Omega-3 Fatty Acids?
Omega-3 fatty acids are good for you, that’s something we’ve known for quite some time now, but do we know why? I didn’t until I did some research.
Why Omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acids are family of unsaturated fatty acids that your body can’t make itself and it’s an essential nutrient for your body. What exactly is the Omega-3? (warning, chemistry coming up) The three in Omega-3 refers to the fact that the first double bond exists as the third carbon-to-carbon bond in the methyl end of the carbon chain; that’s not important to know though when it comes to why Omega-3’s are important for you but I figured I’d share it anyway.
There are several Omega-3 fatty acids but the three that are the most important are:
- Ξ±-linolenic acid (ALA),
- eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and,
- docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Since your body can’t produce these essential fatty acids, you have to eat them!
What To Eat?
So, what should you be eating to get these fatty acids? ALA is found mostly in seeds such as flax and soybean. EPA and DHA sources are fish oil, such as from cod, salmon, sardins, mackerel and herrings. If you’re not a fan of fish or flax seed, you can simply buy supplements that provide these fatty acids.
