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If you need an excuse to eat salmon, look no further. Research on omega-3 fatty acids (abundant in fatty fish like salmon) shows that they’re called ‘essential’ fats for a reason. These good fats make you smart, keep your heart healthy, and even help with the ageing process. While the bad kind of fat – saturated fat – found in meat and dairy should be avoided, the body can’t live without omega-3 fatty acids. The brain, for example, is about two-thirds fat. But not just any kind of fat. There are two kinds of fat the body and the brain can’t make, and can’t live without, and one of them is omega-3 fatty acid, found in the highest amounts in cold water fish.
How it helps
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Bad cholesterol can make the blood sticky, causing trouble. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of heart problems by lowering levels of triglycerides (fats in the blood), which lowers the risk of heart attack. Scientists believe that these essential fats help the body by reducing inflammation, making them good for the skin, for preventing brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and depression, and arthritis.
It’s all about balance
Research shows that the average American eats 20 times the amount of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, and this means that the body is out of balance. Omega-6 fatty acids, also essential to the body, are found in a lot of commonly eaten foods: margarine, vegetable oils, and eggs. But very few people eat two servings of fatty fish a week (the recommended amount), which leads to an imbalance.
Get the fat you need
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Eating salmon twice a week is a great way to get the fat your body needs. There are alternatives, though. Finding creative ways to incorporate trout, herring, mackerel and sardines into your diet will also help, and if you are vegetarian, try flax seeds. Or, you could always just take a good fish oil supplement every day.
Whichever way you look at it, avoiding fat is a thing of the past. As long as you keep the bad fats to a minimum, and be careful to give your body the good fats it needs, you’ll be on your way to a healthier, and happier, you.
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