Why do we need them?

The Answer is very simple. The North American diet! We have too much fat in our diets. Virtually no one cooks their meals from scratch using raw foods and grains. It is to time consuming, instead we focus on quick convenient at home meals or take out. We consume an excess of processed foods that can be reheated in a microwave, popped in a toaster or prepared in five minutes or less. The problem with this is, that hundreds of so called healthy snacks include man-made preservatives to ensure a longer shelve life. This "additive process" removes vital omega essential fatty acids from our foods in order to prevent spoilage, therefore causing our diet to be deficient in the very fatty acids that we require.

The Fatty Truth:

In contemporary terms, FAT has gotten a bad rap and is woefully misunderstood. Most of us think that we must eliminate all fat from our diets, Not true. To actually remove all fats from our diets is not only impossible but more important ridiculous because...

Not all Fats are BAD (Fat Phobia) - Some fats are essential to sustain life, the challenge being that we are eating the wrong kinds of fats!

Good Fats: Fish Oil, flax seed, evening primrose and borage oil- these fats are essential nutrients and are necessary for the health and well being of our mind and bodies.

Bad Fats: Hydrogenated, fried and heat processed. Trans fatty acids are an example of bad fats. Trans fats are not recognized by the body as natural fats due to the fact that they are man made and chemically transformed. If the body cannot recognize them, there is an increased risk that these fats will not be processed efficiently, effectively, or completely. Bad fats interfere with the body's natural ability to process good fats (essential fatty acids).

Essential Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids. They are essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the body. For this reason, omega-3 fatty acids must be obtained from food. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut, other marine life such as algae and krill, certain plants (including purslane), and nut oils. Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish (particularly fatty fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon) at least 2 times a week.

Omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids (EFAs), which means that they are essential to human health but cannot be made in the body. For this reason, they must be obtained from food or supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids are another important group of essential fatty acids. Together, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development. EFAs belong to the class of fatty acids called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). They are generally necessary for stimulating skin and hair growth, maintaining bone health, regulating metabolism, and maintaining reproductive capability.

Omega-9 fatty acids are the most abundant fatty acids of all in nature, and they are not in short supply in our diets. They are also not considered essential because our bodies can make omega-9's from unsaturated fat in our bodies. Omega-9 fatty acids can be used by the body as a substitute for omega-3's or 6's if they are not present. But this is a temporary fix and should not be relied on for the long term. Omega-9's are found in animal fats, vegetable oils and olive oil.

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