Now many people, especially those who are losing fat and losing weight, are like enemies when they hear "fat", so they are afraid to avoid it. But in fact, fat is also one of the essential nutrients for the human body, what we have to do is not to "refuse fat", but to "choose good fat and consume it appropriately".
Like a kind of fat, it can help a lot in many aspects such as brain health, eye protection, cardiovascular protection, etc., and there are many benefits if you eat enough! It is the omega-3 fatty acid.
Supplement Omega-3 appropriately
The body will reap 5 benefits
Omega-3 fatty acids, also written as Ω-3 fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, are a class of polyunsaturated fatty acids that the human body cannot synthesize on its own and must obtain from food.
There are many types of omega-3 fatty acids, of which docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and α-linolenic acid (ALA), which can be converted into the first two, are relatively common, and there is relatively more evidence of benefits for human health.
What are the specific benefits of supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids?
1
Protect cognitive function
Omega-3 fatty acids can improve the activity of brain cells, enhance memory and thinking ability, and DHA is more known as "brain gold", and appropriate supplementation is helpful for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Clinical trial data also show that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has a certain effect in improving the cognitive state of young and middle-aged people, maintaining normal cognitive function and preventing age-related cognitive deficits.
2
Protect your eyes
Omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA are beneficial to activate declining retinal cells, and have an auxiliary effect on diseases such as tiredness, senile dizziness, blurred vision, and glaucoma caused by excessive eye use. Eating more foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids in the daily diet can also have certain benefits in preventing dry eyes.
3
Protect cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases
Omega-3 fatty acids have a certain hypolipidemic effect. A meta-analysis of 86 clinical trials published as of February 2019 lasting at least 12 months found that additional supplementation with EPA and DHA in oil or capsule form, including concentrated fish oil and algal oil, reduced serum triglycerides by about 15%.
At the same time, omega-3 fatty acids can also help relieve blood viscosity and improve blood microcirculation.
4
Protects the skin
Omega-3 fatty acids are the raw materials of the phospholipid bilayer of cell membranes, and their insufficient intake will affect the stability of cell membranes, resulting in poor hydrophilicity of cell membranes, which is reflected in dryness on the skin.
In addition, a number of studies have observed that dietary supplementation of DHA and EPA can reduce the degree of skin damage to ultraviolet rays to a certain extent, thereby slowing down skin aging.
5
Improves sleep
One interventional study, after 26 weeks, found that healthy young and middle-aged people who took DHA and EPA not only fell asleep significantly faster, but also had longer total sleep duration than the placebo group. It can be seen that adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids also helps to improve sleep quality.
Status quo:
Imbalances in fatty acid intake are severe
But in real life, omega-3 fatty acids not only have the problem of insufficient intake, but also have the problem of imbalance in intake - when the proportion of omega-6 fatty acids is high, omega-3 fatty acids will be reduced.
In general, the ratio of Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6 fatty acids is 1:4~6. Because omega-3 fatty acids can delay the body's overreaction in the self-defense mechanism, as well as inhibit the resulting inflammation; Omega-6 fatty acids, on the other hand, promote inflammation. Once the ratio is out of balance, it may increase the risk of chronic inflammation and the development of many chronic diseases.
However, according to statistics, since entering industrialization, the proportion of Omega-6 fatty acids in the daily diet has risen sharply, and the proportion of Omega-3 fatty acids has decreased rapidly, and the ratio can be as low as 1:15 or even 1:20.
So, how to increase the level of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet?
Do this daily
Increases Omega-3 levels in the body
1
Eat the right food
(1) Eat enough recommended amounts
Fish is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, especially fatty marine fish such as salmon, tuna, saury, ribbonfish, mackerel, etc., which are abundant.
If it is inconvenient to eat marine fish, then the content of DHA and EPA in freshwater fish such as sea bass, river eel, catfish, bighead carp, and silver carp is also relatively high.
The 2022 edition of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends that each person should consume 120~200 grams of animal food per day, and emphasizes eating fish and other aquatic products at least twice a week.
(2) Choose the right cooking method
Studies have found that boiling, microwave heating and baking (200°C) can retain the Omega-3 fatty acid content in fish as much as possible, which is the recommended way.
If you choose steaming, it is best not to steam for more than 30 minutes, otherwise the DHA and EPA in it will begin to lose a lot; Cooking methods such as frying and frying are best used sparingly.
2
Adjust the oil used
Corn oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil these edible oils have a relatively high content of Omega-6 fatty acids, should not eat too much daily.
Friends with conditions can partially replace it with flaxseed oil, perilla seed oil, walnut oil, olive oil and other oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and eat it with other oils.
In addition, flaxseed oil, perilla seed oil, virgin olive oil these oils have poor heat resistance, in order to avoid oxidation to produce harmful substances, it is best not to use them to fry, fry, fry. Moreover, the dietary guidelines recommend that each person control the cooking oil at 25-30 grams / day, so you should not exceed it.
3
Eat some nuts
The ratio of Omega-3 fatty acids to Omega-6 fatty acids in walnuts is 1:6, which is exactly a high-quality ratio and is very in line with the needs of the human body.
In addition, nuts such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, aromatic, pistachios and other nuts are also relatively high in omega-3 fatty acids, and they can be used as snacks daily, or mixed with yogurt, porridge, and cold dishes, delicious and nutritious.
However, the oil content of nuts is relatively high, generally 25-30 grams a day is enough.
In addition, individual fruits and vegetables, such as edamame, peppers, soybean sprouts, spinach, avocados, durian, also contain a certain amount of Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be used as a supplement option.
Source: CCTV Home for Dinner