Having the right balance of fats in your diet is important for both heart health and promoting best brain function, mental clarity, and energy levels. Including more unsaturated fats and essential fatty acids is a good place to begin. If you’ve heard of essential fatty acids and Omega-3’s before but are not sure what they are… keep reading!
Essential fatty acids are types of fats we need to eat. They are essential because our bodies cannot create them on their own.
There are 3 types of omega-3 fatty acids:
Eating 2 to 3 servings of fatty fish per week is associated with a lower risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults eat at least 2 servings of fatty fish per week. Fish oil supplements are available and may have benefits for those at higher risk for heart disease, however it is important to discuss supplements with your doctor before starting as they can interact with some medications (such as blood pressure medication) in high doses. ALA is converted to EPA and DHA at a low rate. There is a benefit to each type of omega-3 fatty acid. We recommend you include sources of each in your meals every week. Try canned sardines or anchovies as a way to get affordable omega-3’s in your diet.
At Project Open Hand, we aim to include fish in our weekly menu as a way to help our clients reach this goal.
And we want you to reach this goal too!
For more information about fish visit eatfresh.org, they have great recipes and cooking tips. Their website can be viewed in English, Spanish and Chinese!