about the benefits of omega 3 in your daily diet.
But how do you get omega 3?
When I consulted with my naturopath for the first time, I told him that I was having an issue with my skin. My skin had seemed overly sensitive and often looked blotchy and dull. He replied, “Skin problems often are related to the quality of fats in your diet. You might need more good fats.”
One of the supplements I began taking was Omega-3 fatty acids. My skin has definitely improved!
How to Get Omega 3
good fats and omega 3 can help human skin to appear younger
How can a busy person manage to fit omega 3 into their typical daily diet?
Omega 3 has been a popular supplement in the health food community for some time now. Walk down the isle of even conventional grocery stores, and you’ll see it listed front-and-center on the labels of fish, eggs, flax seed, chia seed meal, walnuts, and capsules.
For me, I try to get my omegas from a variety of sources.
Omega 3 has within it properties that “greatly benefits skin by regulating oil production to boost hydration and prevent acne, and by delaying the skin’s aging process to stave off wrinkles. A 2005 study in the Journal of Lipid Research discovered that EPA can help block the release of the UV-induced enzymes that eat away at our collagen, causing lines and sagging skin. Because EPA is both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent, it can protect against sun damage and help repair it” ~ Health Magazine
In my morning smoothie, I have for several years been adding a teaspoon of flax seed meal (make sure you get the meal, not the whole seeds — unless you want to grind it yourself in your coffee bean grinder!).
Then, I heard that too much flax is “estrogenic.” I have no idea if that’s true, but I’m a 47 year-old man and the last thing I need is more estrogen. I try instead to focus more on superfoods that naturally increase testosterone.
So, I cut back to half a teaspoon of flax, and just recently started adding a teaspoon of pre-soaked chia seeds into the blender. I like what it does to the texture of my breakfast shake. Makes it a bit thicker, and has a mild, nutty taste that I enjoy:
Next, I started adding krill oil capsules to my regimen. Whales live on krill in the ocean, and what strong, magnificent beasts they are! My understanding is that krill cannot be over-farmed, which is good from an ecology standpoint.
I still take cold water fish oil capsules, too, but a bit less now that I’m also taking krill. I admit, krill oil smells a bit funky — like low tide — so you don’t want to take a deep inhalation right after you open the bottle!
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I also periodically take black currant seed oil supplements for the omega-6.
whales live on Krill in the ocean, and what strong, magnificent beasts they are!”
Essential Fatty Acids Are Good for Men’s Health, Too
Omega 3 in a man’s diet can help with:
Furthermore, though its benefits to a man’s cardiovascular health date back to research done in the 1970s, new studies have shown that Omega-3′s are not only good for his heart but also good for a man’s head.
DHA and EPA (two specific kinds of omega 3′s) are important contributers to brain structure and function, in fact they make up nearly 8% of the human brain.
Doctors are now employing DHA and EPA in therapies for brain related issues from depression to Alzheimer’s.
our body’s neurological pathways need Omega 3!
Though DHA and EPA are absolutely critical to maintaining a healthy mind, our bodies cannot synthesize, or build them, from other substances, they must be obtained in their complete forms from the foods we eat. They are in a sense, the basic building blocks our body uses to construct the neurological pathways in our brains and throughout our bodies! So, omega 3 can help to sharpen your mind and keep your brain youthful!
Omega-3′s are an important component of a nutritious diet, and designing a balanced diet to promote a vital and extended existence is right at the core of the longevity lifestyle!
2013 Update! Avocados Can Improve Your Health
Ultra Marathoner Rich Roll has extolled the virtues of avocados as part of a health-improving diet:
“…PlantPower is not fat-free. Nor, in my opinion, should it be. Fat associated with the typical American diet is your enemy. But PlantPower fat, in modest amounts, is your friend. There’s this confusing business of EFAs — the essential fatty acids which must be obtained from food and are crucial to a wide array of bodily functions. And yet many people suffer from a deficiency caused by an imbalance of these crucial fats, which leads to unhealthy skin conditions. Reduce your omega-6 and increase your omega-3 intake.”
~ Rich Roll, Finding Ultra
A well-rounded diet includes plant-based foods that are high in Omega-3 essential fatty acids, such as avocado.
generally, flax seeds, flax seed oil, and flax seed meal are better cold and raw — when you cook them, they lose some of their potency (and some experts even believe that they become an anti-nutrient when cooked). In smoothies, I cover the blender blades with water, drop the flax seeds (or chia seeds) in there and walk away for 10 or more minutes to let them soak. Then I come back, finish tossing in the veggies and fruits, etc and blend it all up.
Great Blog Dane,
I use the Flax seeds, do you think you can ground them the same way as Chia Seeds? i sure have that old coffee grounder.
@magnus: Yes, you can grind fax seeds in your coffee-bean mill, just as with chia seeds. It’s a good way to get fresh Omega3s into your day!
I buy into the omega 3′s, I have a tablespoon of ground flax/chia meal in my daily smoothie too, which also contains 2 eggs. In the evenings i take a teaspoon of cod liver oil and once a week a piece of salmon!
Joel, I think I want to be you when I grow up. I find your weekly diet completely inspiring.