Myocardial Mon-dnesday: Omega 3

A few days after Christmas of 2008, Michael’s Mommy suffered a heart attack. By the grace of God, she lives to tell the tale. As a continual reminder of how your diet can affect your body, we here at Being Michael’s Daddy have declared the last Monday of the month to be “Myocardial Monday.” Here we’ll offer information about food and nutrition in hopes that it will help others avoid facing what could be a fatal condition. Yes, I know it’s Wednesday. Deal.

What’s An Omega 3?
It sounds like the name of the planet the rocket ship lands on in a B-grade 1950’s-era science fiction movie: “Gamma Quadrant Control, this is X One. We have landed on Omega 3. No sign of intelligent life, but there are a lot of fish.”

Ha.

Anyway. We’ve all heard talk about Omega 3’s and how great they are, and how some products have lots of them, and all that good stuff. But what exactly is it?

Omega 3 refers to a particular group of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. You remember fatty acids, right? Long molecular chains made up of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms as the “fatty” part, with one end holding onto a couple of oxygens and a hydrogen to make up the “acid” part. If you didn’t take organic chemistry, the reason for the “3” in the name will make zero sense.

The Omega 3 fatty acids you’re most likely to encounter are alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. You might have seen the last two abbreviated as EPA and DHA. Not that the names are terribly important or anything, but it’ll drag in some Google hits for me.

What Makes Them Essential?
Your body cannot make them from other stuff, but it needs them anyway. So it’s expecting that you’re going to eat something with them in it. It’s “essential” that you eat foods containing these acids if you’re fond of remaining healthy. Scientists actually started figuring out the essential nature of nutrients like this back in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.

Why Do I Need Them?
Last time, I talked about raising your HDL and lowering your LDL and triglyceride levels. Consumption of Omega 3’s is one of the best and easiest ways of doing this.
Omega 3’s also play a major role in nerve cell processes, making them critical for brain function, as well as the absorption and distribution of calcium for stronger bones.

This magic set of oils has been shown to markedly improve a horde of human development/health areas:

• Cardiovascular Disease
• High Cholesterol
• High Blood Pressure
• Immunities
• Diabetes
• Depression, ADHD, Bipolar disorder, etc
• Fatigue
• Cancer
• Arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Other various conditions too numerous to mention here

It’s like a miracle food. And it’s so easy to get!

What Do I Have To Eat?

• Walnuts
• Flax seeds
• Soybeans
• Canola Oil
• Flaxseed Oil
• Salmon
• Halibut
• Smart Balance Spread

Of course, be sparing. You only need so much of anything, and even though they’re the best kind of fat, Omega 3 fatty acids are still going to contain calories, and are still going to add to the bottom line, so to speak. What I’m getting at here is that Omega 3’s should be the fat you get instead of saturated fats, hydrogenated fats and trans-fats. So swap out the margarine for Smart Balance, for example. Cut back on the bacon and the butter.

What About Fish Oil Supplements?
Yes, but don’t think they’re the end-all. Whole foods are best; your body naturally does better with the original source than it ever can with the isolated ingredient. It’s like Gladys Knight showing up without the Pips – sure she can sing, but she sounds better with the backup group. Your body will absorb about 90 percent of the Omega 3’s it gets from Salmon or Flaxseed, versus about 50% if you take Omega 3 supplements. Furthermore, it is possible to get TOO MUCH of this good stuff from supplements, and wind up with some other problem, like a proclivity toward bleeding. Check with your doctor before taking this or ANY supplements. Really.

What About Omega 6 And Omega 9?
Omega 9 oils are considered “non-essential”. Not that you don’t need them, but your body can make them out of leftover Omega 3 parts.
Omega 6 acids are essential, but watch out: like most things, more is not better. Balance and moderation are the key here: keep your intake of Omega 3 up to balance out the Omega 6. Like, 4 to 1 at least. Grass-fed beef and free-range chicken produce meat and eggs (the chickens, that is) that are of good Omega 3 to Omega 6 balance, since they’re eating what they would naturally.

So get out there and have Salmon with Walnuts for dinner tonight, and be healthy!