By: Joel Luedke
I got to spend a good amount of time in the car this weekend and with that I'm always getting into some podcasts. The ones I got into this weekend put a shock into me. How you ask? Well I've known for awhile that Omega-3 fatty acids are important and can do wonders for your health. Whether you are getting it from wild caught fish, well produced sardines or through supplementation this is a fat you need.
A lot of this stemmed from a previous Podcast of the Week we had from Bulletproof Radio ft. Mark Hyman. In this podcast they talk about Dr. Hyman's new book, "Eat Fat, Get Thin". This is a stark contrast to what we have believed for so long in that fat was terrible for you. Now we are talking about how good fat can be for you and that the dietary guidelines are removing restrictions on fat.
When it comes to the discussion on fat Omega-3s take the center stage. There is endless research coming out touting the importance of these fats in the make up of your cell, neurons, their ability to help control inflammation and that just scratches the surface. This is where it hit home and how beneficial Omega-3s are early in life (as early as possible actually) and later in life.
In the second podcast with Brant Cortright the discussion focused on neurogenesis (the growing of brain cells) and how we can set up our diet to best facilitate this. Omega-3s came to the forefront again. Brant touched on how important they are during pregnancy and how they can be very beneficial to the growing fetus and its brain development over the course of time. He then moved on to talking about older age and how diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimers and how for some of these there isn't a pharmaceutical fix yet and that holistic is the best route we currently have. Brant talked about how Omega-3s are the building blocks to not only help slow decline of neurons and their breaking down but also the ability to potentially rebuild and create new neurons.
Bottom line is that you need to make sure you are getting your fair share of Omega 3's in your diet and in your life. Whole foods are always your best option if you can make that happen but supplementation is a close second for this one. Recommendations vary but you want to focus on high DHA products and shoot for ~1-3 grams daily total. Invest yourself and your health and hopefully prevent (or reverse) potential problems coming down the line.
LINKS:
Podcast: Bulletproof Radio-Mark Hyman: Meat is the New Ketchup
Podcast: Bulletproof Radio-Brant Cortright-Neurogenesis Diet & Cognitive Decline
Article: Go Fish For Health
Omega 3 Breakdown
-DHA: This is by far the most important and one that you want to get into your diet as much as you can and when we talk about a recommendation for ~1-3 grams a day you want the majority of it to be this type of Omega 3 fatty acid.
-EPA: Secondary (if that really is a thing in this case) to DHA this is also an important part of the Omega 3 fatty acid and is big in helping reduce excess platelet production.
-ALA: This is commonly found in Flax Seed oil and is often consumed by vegetarians as their source of Omega-3s. The only problem is that it isn't converted well to DHA which is the most beneficial. If you are vegetarian you have a much harder road to get your DHA.
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