Fatty Fish for Omega-3s

What's all this talk of Omega-3s and where can you get yourself some? Omega-3 fatty acids are "good fats" found in fatty fish and some plant foods like walnuts and flaxseeds, canola oil and soybean oil. These fats have the advantage over saturated fats, as they may:

• help in weight management / weight loss

• benefit brain health -- by possibly protecting the memory and preventing Alzheimer's disease

• play a role in lowering blood pressure and triglycerides in the bloodstream -- thereby decreasing the risk for heart disease

Fatty fish include: salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. If you don't often prepare fish at home, an easy way to incorporate more of it into your diet is to choose dishes prepared with these fatty fish whenever you go out to eat (just avoid the deep fried options). And don't forget the trusted old standby: the tuna fish sandwich. Use "light" tuna (less mercury than "white"), low-fat mayonnaise, sliced tomato and whole wheat bread for bonus points! 

Aim for two servings a week of fish and make it fatty fish as often as possible, but remember: fat is fat and "good fats" have as many calories per gram as "bad fats" so consume these foods in moderation.

To read more:

Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics: Healthy Fats?
Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics: Know Your Triglycerides
Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics: Feed Your Brain. Go Fish!
US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health: Mercury in canned tuna: white versus light and temporal variation
WebMD: The New Low-Cholesterol Diet: Fatty Fish

Image: rakratchada torsap 

/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What's all this talk of Omega-3s and where can you get yourself some? Omega-3 fatty acids are "good fats" found in fatty fish and some plant foods like walnuts and flaxseeds, canola oil and soybean oil. These fats have the advantage over saturated fats, as they may:

• help in weight management / weight loss

• benefit brain health -- by possibly protecting the memory and preventing Alzheimer's disease

• play a role in lowering blood pressure and triglycerides in the bloodstream -- thereby decreasing the risk for heart disease

Fatty fish include: salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. If you don't often prepare fish at home, an easy way to incorporate more of it into your diet is to choose dishes prepared with these fatty fish whenever you go out to eat (just avoid the deep fried options). And don't forget the trusted old standby: the tuna fish sandwich. Use "light" tuna (less mercury than "white"), low-fat mayonnaise, sliced tomato and whole wheat bread for bonus points! 

Aim for two servings a week of fish and make it fatty fish as often as possible, but remember: fat is fat and "good fats" have as many calories per gram as "bad fats" so consume these foods in moderation.

To read more:

Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics: Healthy Fats?
Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics: Know Your Triglycerides
Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics: Feed Your Brain. Go Fish!
US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health: Mercury in canned tuna: white versus light and temporal variation
WebMD: The New Low-Cholesterol Diet: Fatty Fish

Image: rakratchada torsap 

/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net