Omega 3 fatty acids are very important nutritient for our health. Unfortunately only recently people pay more attention to consume food that is rich in omega 3 fatty acid. It is still true that an average American eats less than 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids per day.
There are many kinds of food that is delicious and full of this important polyunsaturated fatty acid. Such foods are walnuts, flaxseeds, beans, fish, olive oil etc. National Institutes of Health advised that at least 2% of our total daily calories should be omega-3 fats. In other words, if you normally eat 2000 calories per day, 2 grams must be omega-3 fats. Some nutritionists gave suggestion that this number should be even higher that is approximately 4 grams need to be omega-3 fats.
The richest food with omega 3s are flaxseeds ( ¼ cup has got 7 grams) and walnuts (1/4 cup has got 2.3 grams).
There are other types of food that also have a substantial amount of omega 3 fatty acids. These include soybeans, navy and kidney beans which can supply our bodies with 0.2 to 1 grams of omega 3 fatty acids. Tofu, favorite vegetarian food, contains about 0.4 grams of omega-3s.
Oily fish will give us from 0.4 grams (tuna) to 2 grams (salmon) of omega 3s. A cup of winter squash has got about 0.3 grams.
Extra virgin olive oil is another source of this essential fatty acid ( about 0.2 grams).
When talking about olive oil and fish, you should note that frying is destroying omega 3 fatty acids. There was a research that showed that even though fish was originally full of omega 3s after frying it, they all vanished.
If eating enough of fish, by this is meant at least few times per week, you decrease the risk of atherosclerosis. You should eat more raw nuts too. Try putting them on your salad, baked potatoes or in the morning on your granola. You can grind different nuts at home and put this powerful bland over anything you eat. In order to preserve all omega 3s from them it is important to eat them raw. If you really want to roast them your oven should not be warmer than 160-170 degrees and it is advised to leave them only 15-20 minutes.
Having enough of omega 3s in your organism will help preventing cardiovascular diseases. You will also improve your circulation and normalize your blood pressure. Omega 3 fatty acids eliminate bad cholesterol from blood. They even affect our mental state, therefore consuming enough of polyunsaturated fatty acids will prevent or ease depression.
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