Tuesday, March 11, 2014

What Health Benefits Can We Expect From Omega 3?


There are many great sources of foods when it comes to providing substantial amounts of the important nutrient, omega 3. Walnuts, flaxseeds, beans, fish, olive oil, and winter squash constitute part of the cornucopia of foods that will provide you with concentrated sources of omega 3 fats.
How much omega 3 should we consume?
 A person consuming 2000 calories per day would have to eat at least 2g of omega 3 fats. Many nutrition experts believe that this recommendation is not high enough, and would suggest, instead, that people consume at least 4% of their total calories – approximately 4g – as omega 3 fats.

What has omega 3 have from flaxseeds and walnuts?
At the top of our list for omega 3 foods would be flaxseeds and walnuts. One-quarter cup of flaxseeds contains about 7g of omega 3 fatty acids while one-quarter cup of walnuts contains about 2.3g. In either case, the amount is pretty substantial. Therefore by combining one-quarter cup of walnuts with a tablespoon of flaxseeds you will add close to the recommended 4g of omega 3 fats to your diet.

Krill oil - 3X better than fish oil
*Important Fact - Krill oil has been proven to be 3 times more potent than regular fish oil.

What has omega 3 have from beans?
One cup's worth of soybeans, navy beans, or kidney beans provides between 200mg and 1,000mg of omega 3, or about 0.2 to 1g. A four-ounce serving of tofu will provide about 0.4g of omega 3.

Other main sources are fish, winter squash, and olive oil
In the case of fish, you'll get about 2g from every 4 ounce serving of Chinook salmon; 0.6g from the same serving of halibut; and 0.4g from tuna. A cup of this winter squash will provide you approximately 0.3g. For extra virgin olive oil, the amount of omega 3 per ounce is about 0.2g.

Eating fish and seafood such as salmon, halibut, tuna and scallops a few times a week is an easy way to increase your omega 3 intakes. If not, you can take omega 3 supplements every day. One or two 500mg supplements a day will be more than enough. 

Filling up on omega 3 fatty acids does a body good. These polyunsaturated fats, which play a crucial role in how your body's cells function, have been shown to reduce harmful inflammation that could lead to heart disease, decrease triglyceride levels and blood pressure, and prevent fatal heart arrhythmias. Your body can't produce omega 3 though, so you've got to be diligent about making sure your diet or supplement provides them. 

Are you getting enough collagen?  The fact is as we age our body will produce less and less of it. A lack of collagen can start to show those aging sign on our skin. Wrinkles and a bit of a sag too.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Is Krill Oil the Best Omega 3 Supplement?


Benefits of Omega 3
Omega 3’s has a number of health benefits. Omega 3 EPA and DHA can help lower triglycerides and blood pressure. It can also help with other conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and many more. They play an important role in reducing inflammation throughout the body, in the blood vessels, the joints, and elsewhere.
Which Source Makes For the Best Omega 3 Supplement?
Omega 3 is considered essential fatty acids. We need them for our bodies to work normally. Because the essential fatty acids of ALA (Alpha Linolenic acid), DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) are not made in the body or cannot be converted, we need to get them from the food that we eat. But which foods? Which supplements?

Krill Oil - Proven to be 3 times more potent than regular omega 3 from fish
Krill oil, more specifically, krill sourced from the Antarctic has been shown to have higher levels of the antioxidant astaxanthin. Astaxanthin can slow down the early aging process naturally, gives us  healthier looking skin, and is a natural energy booster as well. 

There are several types of omega 3 fatty acids. EPA and DHA are primarily found in certain fish. Plants like flax contain ALA, an omega 3 fatty acid that is partially converted into DHA and EPA in the body. Algae oil often provides only DHA. So, which omega 3 is best? Most experts say that DHA and EPA from fish and fish oil have better established health benefits than ALA. DHA and EPA are found together only in fatty fish and algae. DHA can also be found on its own in algae, while flaxseed and plant sources of omega 3’s provide ALA as a source of energy.

Dietary Sources
Fish, plant, and nut oils are the primary dietary source of omega 3. EPA and DHA are found in cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, tuna, and herring. ALA is found in flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil, walnuts, and walnut oil. The best health effects of omega 3 fatty acids come mostly from EPA and DHA. ALA from flax and other vegetarian sources needs to be converted in the body to EPA and DHA.

However, many people do not make these conversions very effectively, whether fish and sea vegetable sources of EPA and DHA and vegetarian sources of ALA. Other sources of omega 3 fatty acids include sea life such as krill and algae.

Which Omega 3 is Best in Supplement Form?
Both EPA and DHA can be taken in the form of fish oil capsules. Flaxseed, flaxseed oil, fish, and krill oils should be kept refrigerated. Whole flaxseeds must be ground within 24 hours of use, so the ingredients stay active. Flaxseeds are also available in ground form in a special package so the components in the flaxseeds stay active.

Krill Oil Good For Hair and Skin?
Yes, omega 3 fatty acids are essential for our hair, skin, and nails to be at their best. Krill are a crustacean and so there are people with shellfish allergies that can't consume them. If natural skincare is what you're after for a healthier and safer way to fight those natural aging signs on your face, there is help! Check this out as a 100% natural way to add elasticity to skin and reduce those wrinkles.