Essential Fatty Acids and Nutritional Balancing

Many people have heard that fish oil is good for them but could you clearly tell someone else why? Our long term habits and behaviour are based on our beliefs and knowledge so today we are going to review the basic of essential fatty acids and why they are so important to a Nutritional Balancing program. Basically, all the food you eat can be classified as either fats, proteins or carbohydrates. The really important bit to understand here is that all are essential for normal human function. Fats or carbs are not bad, they just need to be consumed in the right amounts and in the right forms.  When we talk about fish oil we use the term essential fatty acids. The fats you consume in your diet are broken down by pancreatic enzymes during digestion and the end result are our essential fatty acids. They are called essential because you MUST consume them in your diet as there is no way your body can produce them in any other way.

Omega-3's and Omega-6's are two of these required essential fatty acids and these need to be in proper balance in the body. The standard Western diet (Australian) unfortunately has a ratio of about 20:1 omega-6s to omega-3s. The ideal ratio is closer to 1:1 or 2:1 so for most people the balance is way out of range. This is primarily due to eating processed foods. For example, cattle that is grass fed will have a wonderful concentration of Omega 3's but the moment it becomes grain fed the concentration falls. Remember both Omega 3 and Omega 6 are essential but it is the balance of the two that is critical. A final note to clarify some confusion is that DHA and EPA are simply two types of Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

The Benefits of Omega-3's are too numerous to mention but they play a role in virtually every human function including growth and development, digestion, brain and nerve function, immune function, hormone production and regulation, maintenance of skin and bones, regulation of healing and inflammation, heart function, vision, cholesterol levels, and even emotions and behaviour.

I would like to make this point to get you thinking.  Essential fatty acids help move electrical currents through our cells, and fats are in every membrane in your body. If you have 50 trillion cells and they are all held together by membranes one would be wise to pay attention to what they are made from. For example do you want the bad fats from McDonald's to be the primary ingredient in your membranes or do you want the good ones there to allow for normal movement of nutrients in and out of your cells?  It can be the difference between a healthy life versus a sick life.

Mercury unfortunately is a concern with fish oil and must be taken seriously. I have looked into many brands of fish oil and while I have no doubt that there are many reputable brands in the end I recommend Omega Sufficiency by Innate Choice. The reasons for this are that it is produced in a pharmaceutical grade facility, sourced from wild anchovy, herring, and sardine from pristine cold waters, kept in the natural triglyceride form with the natural EPA/DHA ratio, organically filtered, triple purified and infused with antioxidants to ensure maximum purity and freshness.  Remember just because a product says "mercury tested" doesn't mean it doesn't have any in it!

If anyone has any other questions on essential fatty acids please don't hestitate to contact us. If you are looking for a good quality fish oil Omega Sufficiency is available on our website.