We’ve all heard of the benefits of eating foods that have omega 3s in them, but what exactly are omega 3s?
They are those lovely essential fatty acids that can only be attained through our diets and help with so many aspects of our health.
Studies have shown decreased risk of heart disease in people who consumed an adequate dose of omega 3s. Essential to brain development, consuming foods high in omega 3s is essential to pregnant women.
As children develop, omega 3s help with their mental alertness as well as their behaviour. Children with low levels of omega 3 experienced difficulty learning and had higher rates of ADHD.
Omega 3s have also been shown to help with depression. This makes sense when you understand it’s protective effects on the cell membranes of the nervous system.
Communication between cells is aided so it should come as no surprise that they can also help prevent cognitive deterioration in patients with mild cases of Alzheimer’s disease.
And there’s more.
Diabetics benefit from the blood sugar stabilizing effects, which also ultimately helps achieve weight loss.
People with arthritis benefit from its anti-inflammatory effects, and people with osteoporosis will find aid in calcium absorption.
In previous generations, foods high in omega 3s were consumed on a regular basis.
Not so much anymore.
In the last 40 years, the consumption of omega 3s has dropped about 40 per cent.
No wonder flax seeds have gotten a lot of hype when it comes to omega 3s. They are an excellent source and I recommend you consume fresh ground flax daily.
But there’s a new food in town! Look out flax. It comes all the way from the Peruvian jungle: the sacha inchi seed.
It truly is an amazing food. First off, it’s called the jungle peanut, but the great part is it is actually a seed and therefore doesn’t have any of the allergenic affects that regular peanuts do.
And the health benefits are tremendous.
Sacha inchi seeds are 54 per cent higher in omega 3s than flax seeds.
You can eat your sacha inchi seeds straight, throw some in a salad, spread some on a cracker in its nut butter form, or make a dressing with the oil. All great sources of omega 3.
If you know someone with eczema or psoriasis, have them put the oil directly on their skin twice a day.
“The omega-3 fatty acid-rich oils have been shown in hundreds of studies to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, including many studies in diabetics. The omega-3 fatty acids are being recommended to treat or prevent not only high cholesterol levels, but also high blood pressure, other cardiovascular diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and inflammation, eczema, psoriasis, and many others.” — Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2 by Michael T. Murray, ND
Kristin Fraser, BSc, is a registered holistic nutritionist and local freelance writer. Her column appears every second Wednesday. She can be reached at kristin_fraser@hotmail.com