What are Omega's and why do you need them in your diet?
We love our food here at IV Pilates!! And if there are any “supplements” we encourage - this is definatly one of them…
Omega fatty acids are the healthy fats in your diet and are essential as part of our overall health and wellbeing. You may have heard people talking about eating more fish or taking a fish oil supplement so that they know they are getting more omega-3 fatty acids into the diet. But you don’t actually need to eat fish all the time to get the benefits!
Omega-3 is just one type of the fatty acids we should be consuming - we also need omega 5, 6, 7 and 9 in our diets. Let’s start off by going over the unique health benefits of each type of omega!
Omega-3 for Healthy Hearts:
Omega-3 is considered an essential fatty acid that needs to be consumed because our body can’t make it - therefore we need to get it from our diet!
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for the function of our body and play a role in:
Improving our heart health (because they increase the “good” HDL cholesterol)
Reducing symptoms of depression and improve overall mental health (there’s also research to show omega-3’s help slow the decline in brain function that comes with old age)
Helping with weight management
Supporting healthy brain development of the infant during pregnancy
Promoting healthy and strong bones
Helps protect adult eye health such as against cataracts, dry eye syndrome and even macular degeneration.
Omega-3 can be found in fish (particularly salmon), and also can be found in walnuts, flaxseeds and algal oil.
Omega-5 for your skin love:
Omega-5 is one of the lesser known fatty acids and can be found in pomegranate seed oil, coconut oil and full-fat grass-fed dairy products.
It has been shown to play a crucial role in skin rejuvenation due to it being anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants (hello radiance and goodbye wrinkles!)
Essential Omega-6:
Like omega-3, Omega-6 is classified as an essential fatty acid that needs to be obtained from our diets. However, the reason most people talk about supplementing with omega-3 and less with omega-6 is because our “western diet” is full of omega-6 fatty acids, but lacking in omega-3.
Omega-6’s, when present in the right balance, play a strong role in our health by:
Regulating inflammation &
Supporting cardiovascular health when lipids are within a healthy range
If not in the right balance, the opposite can occur and an excess of omega-6 can actually increase inflammation. So we need to find a healthy balance in the body!
Omega-6 can be found in vegetable oils, mayonnaise (although these are the kinds of foods we want to reduce!!); and in healthier options such as well as eggs, poultry, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and cashews.
Omega-7 For Healthy Skin, Nails & Hair:
Omega-7 is another omega that is often out of the limelight, but is incredibly important for healthy skin, nails and hair. Want to decrease acne or pimples? Sick of your nails breaking and bending easily? Is your hair thinning & you wish you would have more long luscious locks? Then Omega 7 is your best friend!!
Omega-7 can be found in macadamia nuts, seabuckthorn oil, avocado and grass-fed meat and dairy. Including omega-7’s in your diet may help reduce wrinkles, boost collagen production and strengthen your nails and hair.
Anti-Inflammatory Omega-9:
Omega-9 is a fatty acid that is not essential, meaning your body can produce it on its own, however it’s still super important to include in the diet if we want to boost our health.
Studies have shown that including more omega-9’s in your diet, in place of saturated fats, may improve metabolic health. They may also help with reducing inflammation!
Omega-9 can be found in olive oil, cashew oil, almond oil, avocado oil, and peanut oil.
To learn more about how you can get your hands on these incredible healthy bad boys, visit the Nutrition Tab - or your can visit our contact page where we will happily send you more details on the specific Omega we recommend to our clients.
