Tuesday 8 July 2008

Health Benefits of Omega Oils


Why is it so important to include Omega 3 and 6 into our diets?


It is important to know the health benefits of omega 3 and 6 as more and more people in the western world are becoming deficient in these essential fatty acids (EFA's).


Picture of flax seeds or golden linseed's rich in omega 3.


The human brain is 60 per cent fat, if the water was removed. Therefore it is vital that we feed our brains with the correct fats. Omega 3 and Omega 6 are both essential fatty acids, these oils are known to help prevent depression, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, fatigue, brittle hair and nails, mental health problems, dry and itchy skin, pains in the joints and obsessive compulsive disorder to name a few.

Picture of Salmon fish rich in omega 3.


It is also important to know that the ratio of omega 3 to omega six is very low, in others words peoples intake of omega 6 far out weighs their intake of omega 3 so it is very important to include omega 3 in your diet.

Picture of Eggs rich in omega 3.



The positive effects of including Omega oils in your diet are huge. These EFA's are anti inflammatory, help nerve transmission, hormone production, helps the kidneys, blood pressure, blood clotting, helps the gastrointestinal tract as well as cancer prevention it lowers cholesterol and helps maintain a healthy heart.

Picture of Sunflower seeds rich in omega 6.



Foods that contain Omega 3

Flax Seeds (linseed)
Pumpkin Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Walnuts
Salmon
Mackerel
Herring
Sardines
Anchovies
Tuna
Leafy Green Vegetables
Eggs

Foods that contain Omega 6

Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Maize
Wheat germ
Soya Beans


Picture of Walnuts rich in omega 3.


Picture of Pumpkin seeds rich in both omega 3 and 6.



Pictures of flax seeds and salmon fish both excellent sources of omega 3 essential fatty acid.




Omega oils are best consumed by eating foods that are rich in Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's).

Try sprinkling flax seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and sunflower seeds on top of yogurt,cereal or salads.

You can also grind flax seeds into a powder and use as a flax powder or take straight off the spoon as a supplement.

Take a tin of sardines and blend into a paste for a fish spread sandwich with salad, you will not need to buy jarred pastes again.

See my easy shallow fried salmon recipe or my quick salmon salad recipe or easy salmon pasta recipe

Keep logging onto Jeenaskitchen.blogspot.com to see lots more healthy recipe using omega 3 and 6.


21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post Jeena ! I Love salmon so its great to know that it is good for me :-) from Veda

La Bella Cooks said...

Now that was a fantastic post. I'm glad to see some of the snacks and foods I enjoy are on the list!

Chris F. said...

I've been reading about the benefits of Omega 3 for a number of years now.

I'm also big on the use of alternative medicines as I don't trust our modern westernized medicines.

Katie said...

Lovely pictures! I take an essential fatty acid supplement with my daily vitamins. Thanks for the info!

The Cooking Lady said...

I'm getting hungry by just visting here, and I just finsihed dinner. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Love the photos.

giz said...

Really great post - informational -this is totally on the line of good healthy food we're trying to promote on Tried Tested and True 2 (nudge nudge wink wink).

The question is can you get the daily requirement from just the foods you eat or is it necessary to suplement with EFA?

Prudy said...

Thanks for that timely post. I know we're supposed to eat Omega 3s but I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't really know why. Thanks for filling me in and for the recipes. I'm such a nut lover that Omega 3s are easy for me. (It's fat free diets that are toooo hard.)

grace said...

it's 6 in the morning and i've already met my quota for learning something new every day. thanks. :)

Swati said...

Thats a lovely and useful piece of information Jeena..Thanks for sharing such wonderful stuff with us..

Katie said...

Thanks! Did you make the banner at the top of your site? It's really cool.

Unknown said...

thanks for the information, Jeena! very helpful!

Jan said...

Great post, Jeena. Thanks for the info. With all the neck and shoulder problems I've been having lately maybe I need to up my omega oils.

BTW, I've given you an award. Stop by the blog sometime and collect it.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this informative post! Keep them coming.

Anonymous said...

My wife and I were actually talking today about the benefits of Omega 3s. Thanks for posting a good list of sources of them!

Sujatha said...

That was one great informative post, Jeena! Thanks for sharing! I had only a little idea about Omega 3 until I read your post..

Chef Jeena said...

Thank you everybody for taking time to leave such lovely comments. :-)

Padma said...

A very good info on Omega oils... saving this post

Anonymous said...

If you powder the flex seeds, can you just take it with water? Cheers

Chef Jeena said...

Hi there, yes you can take flax powder with water or eat it striaght off the spoon.

Thank you for visiting my food recipe website.

Jeena. :-)

Anonymous said...

How often should one take flax seeds and is it ok to have it if you have thyroid imbalance? Thanks!

Chef Jeena said...

Hi there, I would consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet so you know what is best for you.

Thank you for visiting.

Jeena. :-)