Essential Fatty Acids: Essential To Losing Weight?
Essential Fatty Acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that our body cannot produce by itself, but which are very important to supplement our diet. It might sound weird that our body benefits from something that it doesn’t produce by itself, but that is certainly the case with essential fatty acids. Most importantly essential fatty acids have been shown to improve the metabolic processes. There is also strong evidence to suggest that low levels of essential fatty acids, as well as unhealthy ratios of EFAs, could very well be a large factor in illness, including but not limited to osteoporosis.
This being said, and as strange as it may sound, it is very important to eat the right kinds of fats to lose weight! Many people still think that you need to have a fat free diet to lose weight, but this is only partly true. The real trick is to eat the correct ratio and the correct type of fats. If you do this, losing weight will never be easier! So, lesson one, all fats and not created equal! Lesson two, all fats aren’t bad for your diet! Choose wisely.
You should know that there are definitely some fats that you need to stay away from. These bad fats include hydrogenated, oxidized, fried or heat-processed fats. These are typically found in vegetable shortening, margarine, and of course fried foods. All of the aforementioned foods have been inextricably linked to heart disease, cancer, and premature aging. Don’t worry though, there are good fats too! These good fats are essential fatty acids. EFAs are used to promote weight loss, improve cardiovascular health, immune health, reproductive health, and even skin health. What a great fat!
Many of these good fats can be found in yummy foods such as flaxseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish oils, as well as avocados. These foods also help to keep your blood sugar levels stable, which in turn helps your body feel fuller longer. What this means is that you get fuller faster, all with eating less. They’re like the natural preventer from overeating. Likewise, the aforementioned foods can also help burn unwanted fat instead of storing it. So basically you get a natural fat burner coupled with a overeating preventer. So the best thing to remember is that some fats are good for you body, others are not. To learn the difference between the two is one of the most effective and beneficial things that you can do when you want to lose weight. Keep reading!
It’s no mystery that Americans are overweight. In fact there are some numbers that suggest that over 50% of Americans fall into the overweight category. Interestingly, and as strange as it may sound, the people that are overweight actually suffer from a fat deficiency! The types of fats that these people could be benefiting from are none other than essential fatty acids. EFAs are completely necessary to your body’s biochemical processes. The reason for this is because without them your body senses that it is without food, and as a result converts more carbohydrates into fat, essentially making your body a fat-making machine.
Many also believe that a lack of essential fatty acids may lead to many other health concerns such as arthritis, diabetes, skin disorders, PMS, breast cancer, fatigue, yeast problems, allergies, depression as well as mood swings.
However if you supplement your diet with essential fatty acids, you have so many health benefits to look forward to. Your hair will look better, your nails will look better, and even conditions such as psoriasis and eczema can be healed with the proper use of essential fatty acids.
For more information on essential fatty acids, please visit Top Form Healthy Fatty Acids.
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Essential Fatty Acids: Essential To Losing Weight?
January 31st, 2010 
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What are Omega-3 Fatty Acids?
January 29th, 2010 admin When you are trying to lose weight, it is common knowledge that you want to cut out as much fat as you can from your body. However, we are now learning that not all fats are bad for you and that you actually need certain fats to stay healthy. Women especially need fat cells in their body for the hormones to work properly. The good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The unhealthy fats are saturated and trans fats.
Monounsaturated fats lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. You can find monounsaturated fats naturally in nuts, avocados, canola and olive oils. Studies have shown that these fats help when trying to lose weight. Polyunsaturated fats also lower LDL cholesterol. You can find this type of fat in certain oils, fish oil, and salmon. One of the most popular polyunsaturated fats on the market today is Omega-3 fatty acids. Walking down the dairy aisle at the store you see eggs that are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids. There is a rise in people eating fish because of their Omega-3 properties. Why is this case? What are Omega-3 fatty acids?
We need Omega-3 fatty acids in our diet; however our body does not naturally produce it like other essential vitamins. Since it is a polyunsaturated fat, you can find Omega-3 in salmon, tuna, halibut, and other types of fish. Sometimes we don’t get enough fish in our diets, or in the case of women who are pregnant or might become pregnant, they should limit their consumption of fish because of mercury levels. One way to ensure that we are getting the amount of Omega-3 in our diet is to take a supplement that contains fish oil. In the case of women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, there are some prenatal vitamins that are including Omega-3 in the vitamin.
There are many health benefits to taking an Omega-3 supplement. Omega-3 fatty acids have been known to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, depression, joint pain, and sometimes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Why is this? Experts say that Omega-3 fatty acids promote the production of certain chemicals in our body that helps control inflammation. Studies have shown that by eating one to two servings of fish rich in the Omega-3′s a week can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Some years ago a warning came out about eating fish because of mercury levels. Experts came out and said that eating one to two servings of fish each week will not cause harm. One serving size of fish is three ounces or about the size of a deck of cards.
Recent studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids also help promote a healthy brain. There were two groups of mice. One group was given a diet that typical Americans eat. Three other groups of mice were given a diet supplemented with Omega-3 fatty acids. After about three months, the groups whose diet was supplemented with Omega-3 had lower levels of the proteins that may cause memory loss.
There are many health benefits to taking Omega-3 fatty acids. Since our body cannot produce this essential fatty acid on its own, we need to get it by eating fish and taking a fish oil supplement. Remember to talk to your doctor about what supplement is good for you.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
January 23rd, 2010 admin The majority of the people within the United States and Europe consume “dietary supplements,” as a socially acceptable structure of health maintenance. Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and herbs and other botanicals. The continual use of dietary supplements has not been linked to any unfavorable health effects, and many studies show that supplements present significant health benefits in certain cases. For example, it has been studied that omega fatty acids aid in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes as well as aiding in the development and maintenance of the nervous system.
Scientific studies confirm that a diet higher in omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risks of heart attack as well as strokes and sudden cardiac death syndrome. Natural omega-3 fatty acids are found in the oils of fish.
The benefactors of omega-3 fatty acids reach far beyond further than just protecting against heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids are also accredited in guarding against heart healthiness in general, mental health, child development, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and many other health concerns.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids To maintain an optimized healthy lifestyle, the body needs to absorb two of the nutritionally indispensable fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6. These fatty acids cannot be synthesized in our bodies but make up the fundamental structural and well-designed mechanism of our cells, and regulate many significant aspects of our bodies metabolism and immune system.
Dietary omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained from one of two sources; plants or animals. Plant Food a. Fruits b. Vegetables c. Oils d. Grains e. Seeds
Aquatic Plant a. Plankton b. Algae c. Seaweed
Animals a. Most fish b. Shellfish
On the other hand, the omega-3 fatty acids found in the aquatic plants and the animals are far more functional to the body than the plant food variety by itself. The body uses alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)the short-string omega-3 fatty acids from plantsprimarily to make a long-string omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In addition, our bodies use ALA to construct a secondary long-string omega-3 fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
An inadequate quantity of ALA was found in the mainstream of the American diet, most coming from seed oils like soy and canola. This includes far more omega-6 fatty acid thus, creating an imbalance on the nutrimental function of the body. The only significant sources of dietary ALA are flaxseed and hemp seed oils that have become uncommon in the Western American diet.
Omega-6 Fatty Acids Linoleic acid (LA) is a short-string omega-6 fatty acid the body utilizes to manufactor arachidonic acid (AA), a long-string omega-6 fatty acid, like omega-3 DHA, is a crucial element of the cell membrane. Linoleic acid is derived from grains, seeds, and vegetables. Meats that include both LA and AA are chicken, beef, pork, and lamb.
How do Omega fatty acids make us healthy? Omega fatty acids engage in the fundamental and indispensable role within the cells membrane, controlling the fluidity, flexibility, permeability and the response levels of vital membrane dependant enzymes. DHA is selectively infused into cell membranes in the retina of the eye and into postsynaptic neuronal cell membranes, which implies that it takes an important vital role in our vision and nervous system functionality.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids also manipulate the creation of ephemeral, a hormone-like composite called autocoids (eicosanoids, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes). These persuasive chemical messengers manipulate major body behaviors such as blood pressure, blood clotting, inflammation, and the cell immune system.
The predisposition of omega-3 fatty acids to hinder inflammation is beneficial because chronic, low-level inflammation produced by a diet high in omega-6 induces cardiovascular disease and cancer and has recently been studied to have an associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Omega-3 fatty acids have a tendency to reduce inflammation and the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mood disorders, autoimmune diseases, and certain cancers, while omega-6 tend to increase the risk of these conditions.
The Omega Fatty Acids Imbalance in a Troubled Western Diet Omega-6 fatty acids are not essentially detrimental in its natural form of balance. The imbalance is in the diets of people largely within the U.S., Europe, and other industrialized countries that socially maintain exceptionally elevated levels of omega-6 fatty acids.
The fact that most Americans and Europeans devour at least 10 times more omega-6 fatty acids in relative to the omega-3 fatty acids might explain why government health establishments on both sides of the Atlantic suggest that their general public boost dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids.
Most citizens in developed countries would do good to increase intake of omega-3 fatty acid, some experts firmly believe that the same could be accomplished through a sharp decreased intake of omega-6 fatty acids.
Because of the fact that omega-6 fatty acids are so plentiful in common cooking oils, some meats, most poultries, and through preprocessed and commercially prepared foods that dictate the largest part of our contemporary diets, it is less cumbersome to rectify the imbalance by increasing omega-3 intake than it is to suggest restricting omega-6 intake radically, which would require significant changes in a persons behavior in nutrimental choices and their consumption lifestyles.