Why are Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils important?

You want to be healthy and feel great, so you shop for natural foods and supplements.  As you’re doing so, you see the words “good source of Omega 3, 6 oils” on all sorts of products in the natural foods aisle of the grocery store, or at specialty stores.  And maybe your doctor has encouraged you to consume more Omega oils.  But what the heck are they and why are they a big deal?

They’re important because they are vital to the healthy functioning of many different areas of your body.  Omegas 3, 6 and 9 belong to a group of fats called “essential fatty acids” (EFA).  The proportion of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is also important. 

Omega 3 fatty acids are known to help prevent heart disease and they can help if you have depression or bipolar disorder. In addition to those benefits, a recent study done in Great Britain found giving children capsules containing Omega 3 oils improved their brain function to the extent that their grades rose and they began reading more books and watching less TV. 

Omega Oil: - Great on salads - Perfect for shakes - Boost your energy - Build immune system

Omega Mix: - Great on oatmeal - Perfect for shakes - Boost your energy - Improve health

Omega Fish Oil: - Pharmaceutical grade - Healthy Brain Food - Increased Fat Burn - Balance Your Mood

Omega 3 oils occur naturally in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, but good luck getting kids to eat those—thus, the capsules.

Omega-6 fatty acids are beneficial as well. The best omega-6s are the ones that contain linoleic acid. These convert in the body to gamma linoleic acid (GLA) and ultimately to prostaglandins, which help regulate inflammation and blood pressure as well as heart, gastrointestinal, and kidney functions.

You can get more omega-6 fatty acids in your body by eating cereals, eggs, poultry, most vegetable oils, whole-grain breads, baked goods, and margarine.

Here’s the thing, though: our modern diet emphasizes omega-6-rich foods much more than omega-3-rich foods.   That’s a problem, because dieticians are finding out that omega-3s and omega 6s only help your health when you eat an equal amount of them, more or less.  A 1:1 ratio is ideal, and it is what our hunter-gatherer ancestors thrived on.

The problem is that in a modern diet, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is more like 20:1, 30:1…even as high as 50:1.  So if you’re supplementing with capsules, you probably don’t need omega-6’s, since you already get plenty of them.  What you need are more omega-3s.  The problem with trying to get them from food is that even if you select foods that are supposed to be high in omega-3s, they have probably been hydrogenated to increase their shelf life.  And hydrogenation destroys the beneficial properties of oils.

How can you increase your consumption of omega-3s, then?  By eating two or three servings a week of cold-water oily fish such as:

Atlantic salmon

Lake trout, tuna

Atlantic mackerel

Or OmegaEnergy Mix / Oil.

Or you can take OmegaEnergy Fish Oil capsules.  Another delicious way to get your omega-3s is by adding a tablespoon or two of Omega Mix (raw, certified organic flax, sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds with added rice bran) to salads, yogurt, or cooked vegetables.  You can use the Omega Oil as a salad dressing, on veggies, or anywhere that you would use Olive Oil except for cooking.  Don’t ever cook with the Omega Oil.

The story on omega-3s gets a little more complicated—omega-3 is actually a category containing several fatty acids.  The major omega-3 fatty acids are:

ALA, (alpha) linolenic acid - found primarily in dark green leafy vegetables, flaxseed oils, and certain vegetable oils

EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid - found primarily in oily cold-water fish such as mackerel, herring, tuna, and salmon

DHA, docosahexaenoic acid – found primarily in oily cold-water fish such as mackerel, herring, tuna, and salmon.

These should compose 2% of an adult’s diet, and 3% of a child’s. Unfortunately, plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids produce DHA and/or ALA and very little, if any, EPA.  This is why you need to include fish as part of your diet.  If you don’t like fish, or find it inconvenient, you should supplement with OmegaEnergy Fish Oil

.

Gerry Morton, CEO of EnergyFirst, says that the top ten reasons to supplement your diet with OmegaEnergy Oil, Mix, or Fish Oil Capsules include:

1. Omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent depression, stabilize maniac-depressives, and relieve schizophrenia symptoms.

2. Flax seeds are one of just a few substances known that can lower concentrations of triglycerides (fatty substances).

3. Increasing the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids has direct effects on serotonin levels, which can make you think and sleep better.

4. Oils rich in omega-3, EPA and DHA help prevent heart disease, depression, and cancer.

5. A significant reduction in morning stiffness and the number of painful joints in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

6. A reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac death by as much as 50%.

7. Researchers at Mayo Clinic report that supplementation with fish oils, EPA and DHA slows doen the progression of IgA nephropathy, a common kidney disease.

8. A lower risk of inflammatory diseases such as asthma.

9. A lowering of your blood pressure, especially if you have hypertension.

10. A reduction in your risk of developing prostate cancer.

Try the EnergyFirst Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements

Omega Oil: - Great on salads - Perfect for shakes - Boost your energy - Build immune system

Omega Mix: - Great on oatmeal - Perfect for shakes - Boost your energy - Improve health

Omega Fish Oil: - Pharmaceutical grade - Healthy Brain Food - Increased Fat Burn - Balance Your Mood