Omega-3 is a class of fatty acids that are beyond ESSENTIAL for vibrant, extraordinary human health. They are essential because we cannot manufacture them ourselves from other fat sources, and we cannot convert vegetable sources very efficiently – our enzyme systems aren’t setup for this purpose.
Fat is a critically important nutritional requirement for your health – including cholesterol!
You must eat the right types of fat, and eat them in the right ratios as part of your daily menu, and ideally as part of every meal if you want to promote ideal cellular health.
Certain unsaturated fats (DHA and EPA are great examples) are specifically required by our bodies to work at their best – they’re used in many parts (cells) of the body, particularly in the ‘outer layer’ of each and every cell.
The problems is that we CAN’T manufacture enough to meet our body’s needs.
This is the very definition of an essential nutrient: something we must eat every day to make sure our body has/gets what it needs to live our best life possible.
A good quality source of Omega-3, particularly in the form of both EPA and DHA is essential for the best health possible!
We humans have some pretty different cellular ‘machinery’ to a lot of other animals though (such as the inability to make our own Vitamin C) and one problem is we don’t have enough of the enzyme required to convert Omega-3’s found in plant sources into the active EPA and DHA forms our body really needs.
What this means is that without wholesale change to our menu which involves sourcing better quality meats and complete removal of grain, it becomes essential to supplement with these products, from a natural animal source throughout our entire lives.
Our ancestors ate a menu matched to our genetic requirements. Through hunting and scavenging they were able to source lean ‘game’ meats to supplement their otherwise vegetable-based menu. This lean meat has a much better ratio of fats in it and a higher proportion of the vital Omega-3’s.
Modern farming practices including grain-fed and mass-produced meats are much higher in saturated fats and much less balanced in the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6.
Eating this type of meat, plus the fats in dairy (as well as some tropical oils), plus the cultural movement toward carbs (which have a high Omega-6 content) and avoiding fat in general and we have become profoundly deficient in DHA and EPA.
The primary outcome of this is that our body suffers from deficiency of required fats, and oversupply of problematic fats, which results in stress that our cells have to adapt to.
Some of the ‘symptoms’ that arise from this include:
- hyperactivity,
- learning and behavioural disorders,
- a decrease in brain-size,
- a change in cholesterol ratios and levels in the blood,
- a change in how our liver processes fat-components, carbohydrate and bile,
- dyslexia,
- violence,
- depression,
- memory problems,
- weight gain,
- cancer,
- heart disease,
- eczema,
- dandruff,
- dry eyes,
- lowered immunity,
- irritability,
- slow/poor wound healing,
- allergies,
- inflammatory disease,
- arthritis,
- excessive thirst (and excessive urination) and
- diabetes
Because of the issues outlined above, we have to actively seek a better quantity and quality of particular fats in our menu/nutrition plan.
Learn more about nutrition and our internal chemistry via the topic of Vital Life Key #2. These keys are about moving toward life the way it’s meant to be!
