In the past, it was not that difficult to find foods containing omega 3 fatty acids.
It did not take a lot of effort to find wild game, cold water fish and grass fed beef.
Catching them might be another story but once caught and cooked, you did not have to worry about your diet being rich in foods containing omega 3s.
Unfortunately, the situation has changed.
This article will discuss why you should care and what to do about it.
Why should I care? Many naturopathic doctors and nutritionists are convinced that omega 3 deficiencies may be the biggest problem facing us here in the West.
Why? Simply put - there not enough foods containing omega 3 fatty acids that are still safe to eat.
The result - a higher risk of cardiovascular, joint, vision, and immune system issues.
However, probably the most difficult problem with too few foods containing omega 3s is the effect on our brains.
Depression of all sorts, lower IQs and slower physical development are just some the problems starting before birth and continue accelerating as we age.
Of all the foods containing omega 3 fatty acids, the best source is still wild cold water fish.
Two problems.
First, most of us do not want to eat seafood every day.
Second, U.
S.
agencies like the FDA caution against a daily serving of fish - toxins along the food chain are absorbed into the fatty parts.
Guess where the nutritional benefits are - the fatty parts.
What are our options? Plant derived foods containing omega 3 are inefficient.
Flax seed is touted as a potential source but ALA, the omega 3 that is in it, must go through a complicated chemical transformation in the body to be of any use.
Practically, the best choice left is a fish oil supplement, but caution is needed.
The inexpensive varieties can be worse than the various species they came from.
This is because the oil and the contaminants are concentrated together.
Today, the better suppliers are separating the oils from the pollutants before concentrating them.
However, we are not out of the woods yet.
Pay no attention to advertising descriptions like Alaskan, Norwegian, deep water, extra distilled or purified.
Search their website or the label for the words molecular distillation - a process that really works.
It costs a little more but when it comes to fish oil, it is not advisable to cut corners.
My supplement costs about $16 U.
S.
per month even though it is made in New Zealand.
In addition, look for a source that processes the fish in a timely manner.
They should not use a catch that has been stored out at sea or kept in a refrigerator too long.
This can degrade both the potency and freshness.
Most companies will not share this information with you.
The few quality ones will.
Ignore farmed seafood although it is found everywhere.
There are about 800 fish farms in Norway alone.
Instead of the natural food chain, the fish get pellets.
As a result, they are not foods containing omega 3 fatty acids.
In fact, hardly any at all.
Last but not least, stay away from any product that has chemical additives.
Natural preservatives like vitamin E or rosemary extract are fine.
Things like petrochemical solvents (hexane) used in the extraction process are not.