Omega 3 efas are a form of polyunsaturated fats. Every cell, tissue, gland, and organ in the body requires omega 3 efas. Omega 3 fatty acid is technically known as, alpha-linolenic acid, or LNA or ALA. Confused yet? The only thing you have to remember is that omega “3″ has a “three-letter” acronym, as opposed to omega 6, which has a two-letter acronym.
Udo Erasmus, Ph.D., the world expert on oils in nutrition, states that a diet deficient in omega 3 efas may result in a host of conditions including: heart attack, stroke, or embolism, arthritis, inflammatory conditions, auto-immune problems, weak bones, low energy, dry skin, overweight, obesity, type II diabetes, depression, poor focus, hormone imbalance, poor healing, mental fatigue, poor ability to deal with stress, and symptoms of mental illness (including schizophrenia, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, anxiety) and Alzheimers.
According to Erasmus, all of these conditions can be signs of insufficient omega 3 efas in the diet. He further states that all of these conditions readily improve when the intake of omega 3 fatty acid is increased.
You might be wondering about fish oil supplements as they are often hyped as the best sources of omega 3 efas. Fish oil supplements contain the non-essential omega 3 efas, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosaphentaenoic acid (EPA). A healthy person will convert omega 3 fatty acid into these non-essential fatty acids on its own provided there is enough omega 3 fatty acid in your diet to begin with.
Your body’s ability to convert omega 3 fatty acid to DHA and EPA also relies on the presence of vitamins C, B6, B3, and minerals zinc and magnesium. These specific vitamins and minerals are needed to convert omega 3 fatty acid to DHA and EPA.
This conversion is also slowed if you are getting too much omega 6 fatty acid in your diet. Provided you are getting enough omega 3 fatty acid in your diet (and not too much omega 6), and provided you are getting enough of those specific vitamins and minerals, fish oil supplements aren’t necessary.
For a fat that seems to be so important to overall health, 95-99% of the US population is deficient in this essential fatty acid. For optimal health, it’s imperative that you aim to get more omega 3 efas in your diet. In addition to increasing your intake, you also want to make sure you maintain the right balance of omega 3 efas to omega 6. Nutritionists are now finding that imbalances of these essential fatty acids negate their healthful benefits! Most Americans obtain an excess of omega 6 in their diets at the expense of omega 3 fatty acids.
There seems to be some debate on what is the perfect balance of these essential fatty acids. Some researchers and nutritionists suggest that the perfect ratio of Omega 3 efas to Omega 6 is 1:4 (one Omega 3 to four Omega 6). Erasmus says that in his practice in working with people, the ratio that gives the best results consistently comes from oils blended to be richer in Omega 3 (but not too rich) than Omega 6. He suggests the optimal ratio is 2:1 in favor of Omega 3 (two Omega 3 to one Omega 6). Most Western diets range between 10 and 20 to 1 in favor of omega 6!
Erasmus developed his own oil blend that is in the optimal ratio of 2:1. It’s called, Udo’s Choice Oil Blend, and it’s a very popular supplement. View my recommendations on the best essential fatty acid supplements to read more about his oil blend and other popular oil supplements.
Food sources of omega 3 fatty acid:
- Flax seed Oil (has the highest linolenic content of any food)
- Flax seeds (flax seed & flax oil are the best sources of omega 3)
- Flax seed meal
- Hemp seed oil
- Hemp seeds
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Brazil nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Avocados
- Some dark leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, purslane, mustard greens, collards, etc.)
- Canola oil (cold-pressed and unrefined)
- Soybean oil
- Wheat germ oil
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Sardines
- Anchovies
- Albacore tuna
For optimum weight loss, reduce your overall fat/oil consumption to a sensible level. Erasmus advocates 15-20% of your total calories should come from fat – and the majority of that should be essential fatty acids. To determine how many grams of fat this translates to, multiply your total daily calories by 15% (20% for the high-end of the range) and then divide the result by 9, which is the number of calories in a gram of fat. Here is an example:2,500 daily calories x .15 = 375 375 / 9 = 41.6 or 42 grams of fat per day – the bulk of which should be essential fatty acids
Essential Fatty Acids – An overview of what they are and a list of their many health benefits
Omega 6 Fatty Acid – Why we need less in our diet, health benefits of, and natural food sources
Omega 9 Fatty Acid – The health benefits of and natural food sources
Essential Fatty Acid Supplements – A review of the two best essential fatty acid supplements you should be taking
