What is all the hype about Omega 3?
Over the last 20 years we have seen a huge interest grow in the part fats play in good nutrition. This interest has grown to levels of hysteria in some circumstances - we hear talk like
"All fats are bad!" "Stay away from saturated fats!" "Low-fat foods are best!"
Yet, you know what - they are all wrong!
The hype is just that hype - it's just like the carry on about cholesterol!
You Need Some Fat For Nutrition Everyday
If you don't get some fat everyday you are compromising your health big time since many of the vitamins you need are fat soluble and need to be consumed at regular intervals. When I say fats I also mean all varieties of fat too. The saturated fats are just as important as the unsaturated. It is just a question of balance for most people not exclusion!
If you wish to get a good handle on the history of this frenzy about saturated fats you would do well to read the free booklet about coconut oils. This is a typical saturated fat that has been denied it's proper place in your diet and it is about politics and marketing not health!
So, am I saying eat all the fat you like?
NO, I am not! What I am saying is that balance in all things is good and fat consumption in your diet is no different.
Fat is needed as part of your energy requirements each day and should be balanced between the various types. If you are a vegetarian or not the balance is still needed and is essentail for good health. Non-vegetarians can still eat meat in a healthy manner if your prepare your food and select you meat carefully. I personally prefer a little "wild" meat each week (had an emu pie yesterday) and my freezer holds kangaroo as well as quality free range chicken. These are low fat 0 but that is not why I eat them it is the type of fat that they have that appeals to me and this is the other consideration when balancing your fat needs.
Omega 3
A discussion of fats cannot really go past some comment about Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats as well. I will discuss this in more detail on another post but for now let me just add that the best source of Omega 3 is the ocean. Fish and krill are two good sources and the most pure comes from the southern oceans. I would encourage you to read the following article about Krill since it is so comprehensive I would be wasting my time trying to write anything here. Do You Know Why Krill is the Best...
Must dash and walk the dog!
To your health
John
