Why All This Talk About Omega-3's?

I have been talking a lot about Omega-3 fatty acids lately.  We know that they help to lower our risk of heart disease.  And they do this by blocking biochemical reactions that can cause blood clots, as well as those that cause the heart to beat irregularly.  We also know that they are a recommended part of a Cancer Prevention Diet.  In several of my last few posts, I have mentioned that they are most commonly associated with fish.  How much fish, though, is enough to provide the health benefits they are associated with?  To get the adequate amount of Omega-3's, a person needs only 8 ounces of an oily fish (like salmon) per week.  All fish, however, contain some Omega-3's.  Unfortunately, fish is not an extremely popular food.  I know of several people who simply do not like it in any shape, form, or size.  And there are others still who do not eat it because they do not eat anything that comes from an animal.

Even though fish is the best source of Omega-3's (with salmon containing almost 2 grams for a 4 ounce serving), there are other foods that contain this valuable fatty acid, such as walnuts, tofu, soy nuts, flaxseeds, olive oil, and canola oil.  You can also buy foods fortified with Omega-3's.  These include some brands of orange juice, yogurt, and eggs.  No matter what source you choose, you should aim for 2-3 grams per week.

I know that a lot of people try to get through supplements what they don't like to eat.  I have never liked this as a general rule, but it is especially true of fish oil.  For that lovely fishy aftertaste that they so often provide, fish oil capsules contain only a small amount of absorbable Omega-3's.  You need to ingest several of them to get the equivalent of just one 4-ounce serving of salmon.  So "eat" those Omega-3's as yet another step toward eating for life.

Well, tonight our boys won another baseball game and are now 7 and 0.  I found out after the game that my son had been hit hard in the chin with a ball during pre-game batting practice.  Yikes!  But, thank God, he's O.K.  Literally.  He said that he saw the ball coming at him and his natural reaction would have been to tilt his head, which would have meant the ball hitting him square in the face.  "Something" had him keep still and it hit his chin instead, doing the least amount of damage a ball coming at his face at that speed would have done.  As I said, thank God!!

Anyway, I hope you all have a good week and until next time, happy and healthy eating!