A balanced diet should have all nutrients in right proportions and with the popularity of good and bad diets some nutrients are considered unhealthy for us so we omit them from our diets without thinking much.

Fats and their role in the body is commonly misunderstood mainly because our body uses them as energy reserves which are often necessary. Abundance of food in today’s world has led to a stage where we are rarely hungry enough or further away from food, for our body to deplete the fat resources.

So in order to lose excess weight we often cut down eating fats and rightly so as the gram for gram they provide almost double the energy. In doing so we often miss out on some essential nutrients needed by our body every day.

One such group of nutrients is Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). EFAs perform critical functions within the human body and we can’t produce them, so it’s necessary to get them from food we eat —hence essential in the name.

Where are EFAs used:

1. Make cell membrane
2. Mature brain cells
3. Help in developing Retina
4. Regulate blood pressure
5. Support sleep cycle

Deficiency can cause

Poor absorption of nutrients and emission of waste from cells
Improper Hormonal response

Omega -3 Fatty Acids:

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is one of the most important omega-3 fatty acids.
DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that is vital for your skin, eyes and brain. Your body can’t produce it in adequate amounts, so you need to get it from your diet.
These fatty acids are found mainly in oily, cold water fish—which is why people are encouraged to eat fish or take fish oil supplements.
But with increasing toxicity and heavy metals in water, it is encouraged to take properly assayed fish oil supplements that talk bout heavy metals.

Omega-6 Fatty Acids:

You may have read or heard that Omega-3s are the good guys (they are!) and Omega-6s are the bad guys (they aren’t!). Here’s why: Omega-6 fatty acids are a key component of cell membrane structure. They affect both membrane fluidity and the properties of a range of membrane-bound receptors, enzymes, and channels.

How Much Omega-3 and Omega -6:

In fact, the typical North American diet (and the Israeli diet, too) tends to contain 10 to 30 times more Omega-6 than Omega-3 fatty acids when it should contain no more than four times more.

The problem is that these two EFAs actually compete for the attention of the enzymes that convert them into energy forms your body needs. Too much Omega-6 means Omega-3 will not get converted to the extent your body requires.

This imbalance contributes to long-term diseases such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, arthritis, and depression.

What About Omega-9?

In the first place, your body manufactures its own Omega-9 (it’s not an essential fatty acid). You do not need to supplement it.

In the second place, Omega-9 is an emergency alternative only for the -3s and -6s, and it’s only marginally effective.
Top diseases due to Omega deficiency:
1. Inflammation
2. Heart Disease
3. Aging
4. Pregnancy

Bottom Line Secrets

*A healthy diet should take in closer to 3 – 4 times the amount of Omega-6s compared to Omega-3s. People with an imbalanced diet need to cut back on Omega-6s and supplement with the Omega-3s (DHA and EPA).

*FISH OIL SUPPLEMENTS are considered the best source of the two fatty acids EPA and DHA.

*A DIET RICH IN THE RIGHT BALANCE of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids can go far to give you the right amount of body fat, effective brain functioning, and (with reasonable exercise) a generally fit and ready body. In turn, these three benefits can combine to significantly reduce the threat of chronic disease throughout your life.