Omega or omega fatty acids are essential fats that are crucial for your health and are not produced in your body. Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in skin health, body composition in athletes, prevention of cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, and overall wellbeing and immunity.
How much omega-3 fatty acids do you need?
An average individual requires about 200-250 mcg of combined omega fatty acids each day. This range also depends on your age and sex.
Types of omega-3 fatty acids
There are 3 types of omega-3 fatty acids – docosahexaenoic acid or DHA, eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA, and alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. You must remember these from children’s energy or protein drinks.
DHA and EPA are found in a pre-formed stage in animal sources, whereas ALA is found in plant-based sources. The difference between these types of omega-3 fatty acids is their bioavailability, meaning their absorption rate in the body. DHA and EPA are readily absorbed in the body, whereas ALA is further metabolised into DHA and EPA.
Here are some ways that you can include omega-3 fatty acids in your diet
- Nuts – You must remember your mother feeding you nuts like almonds, walnuts, and cashews as a kid. The reason is simple, they are a good source of good fats, meaning the omega-3 fatty acids.
- Seeds – Seeds rarely tend to be a part of our diets unless prescribed by your fitness expert or doctor. Why wait for them? Include seeds such as flaxseeds, sesame seeds, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds in your diet.
- Plant oils – Make sure you use plant oils for cooking instead of butter or other unhealthy fats. Include oils such as canola oil, sunflower oil, sesame seeds oil. These are also good sources of vegetarian omega-3.
- Supplements – Since plant-based sources are rich in ALA, one can opt for vegetarian or plant-based supplements that are rich in DHA and EPA.
For example, OZiva Omega Multi is a plant-based omega-3 supplement that is rich in EPA and DHA along with other plant vitamins such as Vitamin A, D, and E. It is also fortified with olive oil that improves brain function and promotes heart health.
Takeaway
Omega-3 being an essential nutrient, can only be obtained through your diet. It plays an important role in maintaining a healthy cholesterol level, blood pressure, and brain and eye health. Make sure you consume it daily to fulfil your day to day requirements. If you aren’t getting enough of it through your diet, then opt for plant-based supplements like OZiva Omega Multi. To know more about the supplement in detail, you can watch this video
https://youtu.be/EZXRK-80ENI
Last modified: July 26, 2021