FitSugar

What Does Your RDI Look Like: Omega-3s

FitSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:00:53 -0700

Omega-3s fall into the category of healthy fats because they have so many benefits. These essential fatty acids reduce inflammation, stabilize your mood, lower your cholesterol, and have been found to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. The RDI of omega-3s is 1.1 grams per day. It's easy to get your fill since omega-3s come from a variety of sources including fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, soybeans, and omega-enhanced foods. Are you getting enough? To find out, check my chart after you read more.

Food	Omega-3s (g)
3 oz. salmon	1.1
3 oz. halibut	.6
3 oz. swordfish	.97
3 oz. canned tuna	.17
1 tbsp. flaxseeds	1.8
1/8 cup walnuts	1.1
1 cup strawberries	.1
1 cup raspberries	.1
1/2 cup tofu	.23
1/2 edamame (soybeans)	2.8
1/2 cup steamed broccoli	.1
1 omega-3 enriched egg	.23

Do you think you're getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in your daily diet?

The Skinny On: Chia Seeds

FitSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:26:07 -0700

If the word "chia" creates mental image of a clay creature sprouting hair, you are not mistaken. I am talking about the same kinds of seeds, because aside from making the fuzz on countless Chia Pets, these seeds are also an excellent source of omega-3s! Who knew?

For women, the RDI of omega-3s is 1.1 grams (1,100 mg) a day, so if you're looking for a new source that's vegan, gluten free, and easy to consume, you'll want to pick up some chia seeds. To find out how many omega-3s are found in chia seeds then click here

Fights the Blues With Fish

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

When thinking of food as medicine, we have gotten a little reductive. By trying to find the one active ingredient that makes a food healthy, we have forgotten about the food itself. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish have been found to fight inflammation and reduce depression. But popping a fish oil supplement, rather than eating the fish, means you are missing out on the minerals and lean protein fish provide.

Here's another reason to add one to two servings of fish to your weekly menu. In an international breakdown of nutrition and mental health by country, researchers found that as fish consumption went up, depression rates went down. In countries where people eat the most fish - Japan, Thailand, and Hong Kong - the rates of depression were low. Conversely, countries with low fish consumption had higher rates of depression, including the US, New Zealand, and parts of Europe.The secret ingredient is the omega-3s. Rather than taking a supplement, try eating the fish for all the nutrition this lean protein can provide.

Not sure where to start when it comes to cooking with fish? For some tasty, healthy recipes featuring fish and shellfish with high amounts of omega-3s, read more.

You Asked: For Omega-3s - Flaxseed Oil or Fish Oil?

FitSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Dear Fit,
I never eat fish, so I worry about getting enough omega-3s. Before I start taking supplements, I wanted to know which is the better choice, flaxseed oil or fish oil capsules?
-Unsure About Omegas

I'm glad you're focusing on getting enough omega-3s, since this essential fatty acid is so beneficial to our health. These fats have anti-inflammatory and mood-stabilizing properties, can relieve chronic pain, have been found to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke, and can lower cholesterol. To find out which capsules are the better choice, read more.

In order to answer this question, we need to go over the three types of omega-3s:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): Necessary for physical and mental health, this type is found primarily in fish and fish oil.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): Especially important to your body and necessary for various bodily functions involving your brain, blood vessels, and immune system. It's found in shellfish, fish, and fish oil.

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA): This is the only omega-3 found in plants like flaxseeds, canola, soy, hemp seed, walnuts, and enhanced foods. When you consume ALA, your body converts it into EPA and then eventually into DHA.

Fish oil capsules contain both EPA and DHA, and flaxseed oil capsules contain ALA. Even though our bodies convert ALA into DHA and EPA, it's more beneficial to your body to consume EPA and DHA directly. If you have nothing against eating fish products, I'd opt for the fish oil capsules and look for the USP seal when shopping for supplements. One dose will only fulfill about half of your RDI of omega-3s though, so think about getting the rest from foods such as fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts.

Symptoms of Omega-3 Deficiency

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:00:00 -0700

Health magazines and websites are constantly talking about omega-3s, which makes us concerned about getting enough in our diets. For women, the RDI of omega-3s is 1.1 grams (1,100 mg) a day. Since our diets are often too high in omega-6s - foods such as corn oil, soy oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil - many people can end up with an omega-3 deficiency. The symptoms are:

Fatigue
Poor memory
Immune weakness
Dry skin, eczema, or hair loss
Heart problems
Reproductive problems
Mood swings or depression
Poor circulation

If you're experiencing these symptoms and think it may be caused by a lack of omega-3s in your diet, talk to your doctor. Increasing your consumption of omega-3 eggs, canola oil, walnuts, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, soybeans, and cold-water fish such as mackerel and sardines will relieve these symptoms. If you don't eat enough of these foods, then you may want to take fish oil capsules. Aside from preventing omega-3 deficiency, getting enough omega-3s can also reduce inflammation, decrease joint pain, fight obesity, reduce exercise-induced asthma, and lower blood pressure.

Source

Fish Oil For the Environment

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:30:00 -0700

The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are known for reducing inflammation that leads to joint pain as well as heart disease, but an Irish study found this type of fat helpful in reducing something else: methane produced by farm animals. Essentially, fish oil reduces flatulence produced by cows. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and is considered 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping solar energy. In fact the EPA estimates that 28 percent of methane emissions related to human activity comes from cows and other farm animals like goats and sheep. That's a lot of gas.

The cattle were given a diet containing 2 percent fish oil, which reduced the amount of gas they produced by 21 percent. I must admit at first I found this news humorous. With two small children in the house, potty humor reigns. But I am curious about two things. Did the fish oil make the cows burp, since my omega-3 supplement certainly revisits me? Secondly, were the cows in the study fed grass and other plants they evolved to eat or corn, which is known to create stomach issues in cows?

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The Skinny On: Mercury and Fish Oil Supplements

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Eating fish is a great way to get your fill of essential omega-3 fatty acids. This healthy fat can help fight obesity, improve your mood, prevent chronic aches and pains, and keep your heart healthy. If you're not a fan of preparing or eating fish, then you may opt for the convenience of fish oil capsules instead. You may have wondered how safe these supplements are when it comes to mercury levels or toxic pollutants found in some species of fish.

To find out, read more.

Studies show that most fish oil supplements contain little or no mercury since they're made from cod, anchovies, and sardines. These types of fish are lower on the food chain, so they live shorter lives and accumulate less mercury. Most companies distill their fish oils too, which helps remove any contaminants such as dioxins or PCBs. So if you're worried about getting too much mercury from eating fish, taking fish oil supplements is a safe choice. Also, look for the USP seal on your nutritional supplements.

5 Things About Red Wine

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:00:00 -0800

This month is all about showing your heart some love by learning how to keep it healthy, and red wine fits in nicely with its known heart-healthy benefits. My wine rack is full of red wine, but I try to limit myself to no more than one glass a day so that I'm not counteracting the positive effects of drinking this fine beverage. In case you needed an excuse to share a bottle over dinner tonight, here are five things about red wine.

Antioxidants in red wine called flavonoids have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and increasing the production of good cholesterol.
According to researchers at the University of California, Davis, certain varietals have more concentrations of flavonoids than others. Of the most common red varietals, Cabernet Savignon has the most flavonoids, followed closely by Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir, then Merlot and red Zinfandel.
Moderate consumption of red wine has been known to raise heart healthy omega-3 levels, and these fatty acids play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease.
Resveratrol, another antioxidant found in red wine, could keep you slim.
Polyphenols, also found in tea, nuts, berries and cocoa, may decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

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5 Things About Flaxseed

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:30:00 -0800

Heart health month is still going strong, and I'm here with another tip on how to keep your ticker in top shape. An easy way to help your heart is to add flaxseeds to your diet. Before heading to the store, learn more about this natural source of omega-3s with these five things.

Flaxseed is known to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, and it may lower blood pressure - all essential elements to having a healthy heart.
Lignans, the fibers found in flaxseed, promote regular digestion and are thought to have a role in breast cancer prevention.
Expect a slightly earthy, nutty flavor from flaxseeds but don't be afraid that adding them will overpower your meal. You only need one tablespoon to fulfill the daily recommended amount of omega-3s.
Stir ground flaxseed into your morning oatmeal or cereal and sprinkle it on your lunchtime salad.
A mixture of milled flaxseed and water can be substituted for eggs when making baked goods.

Learn to Love: Sardines

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Before you say "ewww," hear me out, because sardines have a bad reputation that's entirely undeserved. Yes, this fish usually comes in a can, but if you don't think twice about eating canned tuna, why hold it against sardines? Plus, if you choose high-quality sardines, they are actually quite mild and not overly fishy or salty. Don't believe me? Try ordering them at one of the many high-end restaurants where chefs are experimenting with fresh sardines.

More important, when it comes to health, sardines are a super seafood. Compared with other seafood, these tiny fishes are virtually mercury-free, and they're very high in omega-3s, the fatty acids that help lower cholesterol and blood pressure along with a myriad of other health benefits. According to nutritionist Jonny Bowden, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, sardines are also packed with iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and B vitamins. For some other surprising health benefits of sardines, read more.

Remarkably, sardines are also loaded with calcium: the calcium in about three ounces of sardines is equal to that of eight ounces of milk. And since sardines are a very sustainable fish, you don't have to feel guilty about eating them.

Look for sardines packed in olive oil or water, and try mixing them into salads like you would anchovies. Or, combine them with mustard on some toast or bread for a sandwich. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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