10 Benefits of adding Omega and Fish Oil to your diet

Summary: An interesting read about the importance of adding Omega 3 fish oil into our daily diet.

Supplementing Omega 3 Fish Oil

I believe in regularly adding supplements to my diet and I aim for a balance in doing so. This means that I focus on my diet first and add supplements that I think provide extra benefits, or my diet lacks in them. Omega 3 Fish Oil is one of them because I don’t get enough from natural sources. I am not a huge fan of fish, I just simply choose a good meat or vegetable dish over fish.

What Is Fish Oil?

Basically, fish oil comes from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oil contains two Omega-3 fatty acids called Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). Some vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which may be converted to DHA and EPA in the body but it is a longer process than taking it from fish.

In the human diet, the essential fatty acids are Omega-3 and Omega-6. Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in soybean, rapeseed, palm, and sunflower oils. Foods that provide Omega-3 fatty acids include first of all fish oil and also certain nut and plant oils.

Shall I choose Omega 3 supplements or fresh fish?

It is recommended to consume at least 2 servings of fatty fish per week and wild-caught fish like salmon, mackerel, herring or sardines. However, cold-water fish are frequently contaminated with not only pesticide residues but also with Mercury. Actually these days it is not that straightforward to find clean fish.

For the above reason supplementing your diet with fish oil might be a safer and easier way to get a good amount of Omega 3 in your diet. But… and there is a but! Even supplements can contain Mercury and other harmful pollutants, and I suggest that you buy your Omega 3 from reputable sources only. (Reputable source means that the producer provides a third-party quality testing and a certificate of analysis showing no environmental toxins in the product.)

10 Benefits of adding Omega and Fish Oils to your diet

Nutritional facts of Fish Oil 

The main benefit of fish oil comes from its high fatty acid content known as EPA and DHA. 4 grams of fish oil from sardines, for example, contains approximately:

  • 40 calories
  • 2 grams fat (that is 1.5 grams saturated fat)
  • 8 international units vitamin D
  • 1,080 milligrams omega-3 fatty acids
  • 90 milligrams omega-6 fatty acids
  • 0 milligrams sodium, protein, and sugar

The Amazing Benefits of Omega 3 Fish Oil

Omega 3 fish oil does a lot of good to our health:

  1. Boosts the immune system
  2. Fights obesity
  3. Helps to prevent various cardiovascular diseases
  4. Natural remedy for asthma and can give natural relief from asthma symptoms
  5. Beneficial in the prevention of problems associated with arthritis
  6. Fights against depression and anxiety
  7. Nourishes the skin and provides relief from conditions of eczema and psoriasis
  8. Helps in Alzheimer’s disease prevention and reduction of brain decline and atrophy
  9. Increases fertility and supports a healthy pregnancy
  10. Helps in cancer prevention

 

by Alain Buffing