CONSIDER THIS: Omega Richness - Mini-series #3
OMEGA RICHNESS
Allen R Williams, Ph.D.
Everyone has heard about Omega-3 Fatty Acids and their myriad benefits. Many take fish oil capsules daily as an Omega-3 supplement or try to eat cold water fish, such as salmon and tuna regularly as a source of omega-3’s. However, what most do not know is that there are a handful of other critical fatty acids that are quite important to our overall health and wellbeing. These include Omega-7, Omega-9, and CLA fatty acids.
Omega-3
Let’s start with Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3’s are crucial for a number of functions in our body. The top ten benefits are:
Thyroid Function - Omega-3 fatty acids help the thyroid mediate the hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism. This plays a crucial role in heart health and proper digestion.
Modulate inflammatory response – Inflammation in the body is the principal cause of most diseases and disorders that we experience.
Gut health and immune system strength.
Blood clotting – Omega-3’s create blood clots to stop bleeding and start repair of damaged tissue. They also take away clots that are no longer needed.
Heart Health though significantly reduced inflammation.
Mood moderator.
Eye health.
Improved sleep.
Development of babies in the womb and nutrition in the mother’s milk.
Bone health through creating calcium balance.
Unfortunately, most American’s eat a diet that is too high in Omega-6 fatty acids and too low in Omega-3 fatty acids. According to the American Medical Association, our diets should consist of an Omega-6 to Omega 3 ratio of 4:1 or lower. However, the average diet contains an Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio of 10:1 to 25:1. This is principally due to the large amounts of highly processed foods we consume on a routine basis. Too much Omega-6 results in chronic inflammation, increased heart disease and stroke, higher occurrence of cancers, and many other disorders.
Omega-7
This is a fatty acid that most people never hear about but does wonders for our health. It is actually present in all of our body tissues, but especially so in our skin and fat tissue. The key benefits of Omega-7’s are:
Promotes healthy skin, hair and nails.
Supports our gastrointestinal system and healthy digestion. It nourishes the mucous membranes in our mouth and all the way through our stomach and intestines.
Alleviate digestive discomfort.
Encourages proper inflammation response throughout the body.
Help in managing a proper body weight and balancing of fat stores.
Improves Cardiovascular health by maintaining healthy blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Maintains artery wall strength.
Omega-9
Omega-9’s are another highly beneficial fatty acid that is relatively unknown but very important to our health. The major benefits of Omega-9 fatty acids are:
Lowering of cholesterol in the body.
Improved inflammatory response.
Reduces risk of artery hardening.
Reduces risk of insulin resistance.
Improves immune system response.
Lowers the risk of cancer.
Aids in vitamin absorption.
Maintains healthy nerves.
Prevention of stroke.
Lowers risk of arthritis.
CLA
CLA is also known as Conjugated Linoleic Acid (now you know why we just call it CLA). CLA’s are yet another fatty acid that has profoundly positive impacts on our health and wellbeing. Several of the known benefits include:
Anti-Cancer properties.
Prevention of obesity and aids in weight loss.
Builds strong bones.
Helps reverse atherosclerosis.
Improves digestion.
Normalizes blood sugar levels.
Reduction of food allergies and sensitivities.
Summary
Where can you get all these beneficial fatty acids and how can you incorporate them into your diet on a routine basis? The answer is pastured proteins produced from animals eating a phytonutrient-rich diet. At BDA Farm we have documented more than 140 different plant species growing on the farm that our animals and chickens take advantage of in their diet. This plant species diversity provides an incredibly rich array of phytonutrients for our livestock and that array translates into a far healthier food for you to enjoy.
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