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With the increasing tendency for people to live rather rushed and hurried lives, a number of us tend to ignore our overall health until it is too late. Our very fast paced lifestyles not only push us to a lack of exercise, but also a very unhealthy diet, with fast food being the predominant staple diet – lacking most or all of the essential vitamin and nutritional intake that the body requires to function efficiently. Omega 3 fatty acids is a substance that plays a very important role in the upkeep and maintenance of the human body and is considered to be an essential fatty acid because of the inability of the body to produce the substance naturally – thereby relying on a sufficient consumptive intake of the substance. Some of the more important functions that omega 3 acids play a role in include the reduction of any inflammation in the body as well as playing a significant role in the reduction of risk when it comes to serious conditions like chronic heart disease, cancer or even arthritis. One aspect to keep in mind is the fact that the body should have a balance of omega 3 fatty acid content and omega 6 fats.
This is because while omega 3 fats reduce inflammation, the omega 6 fats promote it. Some of the more prominent symptoms that indicate an individual is suffering from an omega 3 fatty acid deficiency include a poor memory, dry skin, fatigue, heart problems, mood swings and depression. Moreover, studies have shown that infants that have not received even a minimal intake of omega 3 acids during pregnancy are at a high risk of suffering from vision and nerve problems. Because of the fact that the most well known sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are fish, a number of people simply assume that vegetarian sources of the substance are hard to come by. In fact, most of these sources are more likely to already be a part of a vegetarian’s dietary intake. For example, leafy green vegetables such as spinach hold a lot of omega 3 fatty acids while most nuts like hazelnut, walnut and pecans also hold a lot of omega 3 fatty acid content. Using certain oils in your cooking such as canola oil, soya bean oil or even rapeseed oil will substantially increase your intake of omega 3 fatty acids. You can also lightly crush a handful of assorted nuts and sprinkle it in over your salad to increase the amount of omega fats in the dish.
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