Omega Fatty Acids
Are You Afraid of Fat?
• Many people are!
• Have you ever purchased the low or no fat version of a food?
Did you know that fat is simply replaced by sugar in these products?
– Examples:
Low or No Fat product (calories)
Full Fat “regular”
product (calories)
Calories Saved
2 Tablespoons
Reduced Fat Peanut Butter (187)
2 Tablespoons Regular Peanut Butter (191)
4
Small, low fat
blueberry muffin (131)
Small, regular
blueberry muffin (138)
7
Fat free vanilla frozen yogurt (100)
Whole milk vanilla frozen yogurt (104)
4
All Fat is Not Bad.
• Some kinds of fats are healthy and good for you
• Avoid the fats that are unhealthy and increase your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases
• Your Body MUST have fat. Therefore…. Give it Healthy Fats! Fats are needed to
– help the intestines absorb fat soluble vitamins
– create energy (1 gram of fat provides 9 calories of energy)
– help regulate body temperature
– form healthy cells (cell membrane is made of fat) – protect vital organs and hold them in place
So how do I know if it is a healthy fat?
• Simple. Is it a natural fat or a processed fat?
• Natural fats are primarily from animal protein (beef, pork, chicken, etc), or nuts, or fruit (avocado, olives, etc) in their unaltered form!
• Processed fats have been changed – hydrogenated – to make fully or “partially hydrogenated” trans fat
• Hydrogenation is a chemical process in which
hydrogen atoms are added to a liquid vegetable fat
to change it to a solid (example: margarine)
Avoid Hydrogenated Trans Fats
• Biggest culprits are processed foods
– Frozen foods, especially pizza, desserts, pot pies, breaded fish sticks
– Prepackaged soup cups – Cake and biscuit mixes – Microwave popcorn – Chips and crackers – Cookies and candy – Margarine
• for each teaspoon of margarine consumed each day, risk of heart disease was found to be raised by 10%
• Long-term margarine consumption by women was associated with a 67% increased risk of heart disease
Fill Up on the Essential Fatty Acids - These are the Good Guys!
• “Essential” means that you must consume foods
containing these fats – your body cannot make them
• Some of the most important essential fatty acids are the omega fatty acids
– Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 are all essential fatty acids
• Omega fatty acids reduce inflammation, keep your skin healthy, are necessary for brain development and
function, fight cancer, prevent arthritis, and more!
• Most Americans consume 16 - 30 times as much omega-6 as omega-3 (16:1 or 30:1)
• Americans use a lot of vegetable oils, which contain high levels of Omega-6
Why is High Omega-6 and Low Omega-3 a Problem?
• While necessary for you, too much omega-6 can cause inflammation and pain
• For the best health results try for just a little more omega-6 than omega-3
– A more balanced 4:1 or less ratio reduces risk of dying from heart disease by 70%
– Also reduces inflammation, colon and breast cancer risk, and more!
• Did you know? Trans-fats interfere with how omega fatty acids are metabolized and make
them less available to the body. Another reason
to avoid trans fats!!
How do I know if I need more fatty acids?
• 99% of people in the United States do not get enough omega-3 fatty acids so you probably need more!
• Some signs of omega fatty acid deficiency
– Dry skin and hair
– Depression and/or anxiety – Fatigue
– Dry eyes and dry mucous membranes
– Brain fog
How to get more Omega-3
• Number one food source of omega-3 fatty acids: cold water fish such as SALMON
• Why?
• Contains omega-3 as EPA and DHA – the specific forms of these fats as they are used by your body
• How much do you need? Ideally, eat cold water fish at least twice a week
– HOWEVER… fish are polluted with heavy metals, PCB and toxins – Women who are, or plan to be, pregnant should minimize intake of
fatty fish
Why Fish OIL isn’t the best choice either
• Omega-3 fats are carried on triglycerides (a type of fat)
– Triglycerides are inefficient carriers so high dosage level required
– High levels of triglycerides themselves are considered a risk for heart disease
• Require high level of processing: frozen for transport, thawed, and subjected to high heat, pressing, chemical solvents, and distillation
• Can be contaminated with heavy metals and other toxins, just like fish
• Processing, spiking with artificial levels of EPA/DHA, and triglycerides make the oil unstable and rancid
– Fish burps
– Likely to cause inflammation and damage, not relieve it
Here’s what consumers have to say about fish oil:
• 40% of consumers who are interested in
omega-3 supplements would prefer NOT to take as a fish oil
• Biggest turnoffs:
– bad taste
– bad aftertaste – fishy burps
– bad smell
– large capsule size
NutraIngredietnts.com. The Yuck Factor? US Survey reveals consumer demand for omega-3s… minus the fish. Available at:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Consumer-Trends/The-yuck-factor-US-survey-reveals-consumer-demand-for-omega-3s-minus-the- fish/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily&c=4b%2BHeRxCCWJQprFxCT44zQ%3D%3D
Tableted omega-3 from salmon
• A tablet form of omega-3 from salmon is an ideal way to get omega-3
• Omega-3 bound to phospholipids, not triglycerides
– Efficient transport; well-absorbed – allows for smaller dosage – Phospholipids are very healthy for the body, especially the brain
• Minimal processing – no heat, pressing or chemical solvents
• Very sustainable – fish are wild-farmed
– Healthy environment in natural ocean water
– No danger of over-fishing the wild salmon population
• From the head, not the body of the fish where the toxins are concentrated - very clean and pure
• Solid form – not an oil – so no problems with rancidity or aftertaste
Vectorization
What about fish farms?
• Three common sources of fish
– Inland fish farms
• Hole in the ground; very dirty; fish fed artificial diets
– Wild caught salmon
• Sustainability concerns
– Wild-farmed salmon
• Ocean water – clean, natural diets
• Managed population so no danger of overfishing
• Nothing is wasted – fillets are for food, heads are for supplements
What about other sources like KRILL or FLAX?
Who Can Benefit from Phospholipid Omega-3?
• Children – especially kids with ADD/ADHD
• Pregnant women
– Developing fetal brain needs omega-3 and
phospholipids, not triglycerides and heavy metals
• People with
– Diabetes (fish OIL has been shown to have adverse effects on blood sugar levels)
– History of heart disease or high blood pressure – Concerns about brain function
– Fatigue or other symptoms of fatty acid deficiency – Allergies, Asthma, or any inflammatory problem
