How Essential Fatty Acids Affect Belly Fat LossTo help you get rid of belly fat while losing weight, make sure that you include essential fatty acids (EFAs) in your diet. They cannot be made by the body so we have to get them in our diet. The essential fatty acids, Omega-3 and Omega-6, have received tons of publicity because of their good and bad affects on health.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Omega-3s are found in cold water fish like salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, black cod, bluefish and tuna. Omega-3s are also found in green leafy plants like spinach and purslane, flaxseed (best plant source), canola oil, soybean oil, wheat germ and soy. Pure fish oil is a great source for Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s provide a long list of benefits like promoting cardiovascular health, regulating blood pressure and normalizing triglyceride levels. They help elevate your mood, improve your attention span and even fight varicose veins by increasing blood circulation. Omega-3s aid in weight loss by stabilizing blood sugar and regulating cholesterol. Since most overweight people suffer from poor blood sugar control, diabetes and high cholesterol, this is very important. Omega-3s provide an excellent way to prevent the buildup of
dangerous belly fat.
Omega-6s
Omega-6 fatty acids are easy to find in the western diet. They are found in seeds and nuts and the oils made from them. Refined vegetable oils like soybean, safflower, sunflower, corn and cottonseed are a staple in cookies, crackers and chips. It’s estimated that the calories from these sources alone make up about 20% of our diet!This will give you some belly fat. Omega-6 fatty acids are also found in egg yolks and meat (especially organ meats) and other animal based sources. Omega-6 fatty acids are a major contributor to weight gain and belly fat. They also promote inflammation leading to heart disease, cancer, asthma, arthritis and depression. Too much Omega-6 is bad, bad news.
Diet Recommentations Back when diets were simple and more nutritious we ate a lot more Omega-3s than Omega-6s. We ate more plants, nuts and fish. We ate a whole lot less meat and when we did, it was meat that was grass raised. Processed and refined foods were unheard of. A healthy diet should contain one Omega-3 to four Omega-6 fatty acids. A typical American diet has 11 to 30 times more Omega-6s than Omega-3s. Ouch!
If you’re using an Omega-3 supplement, 1 gram per day is considered a safe amount. If you’re using fish oil make sure that it is pharmaceutical grade and pure. You can get a big dose of contamination with impure fish oil. It’s not the overall amount of fish oil in a supplement that’s most important. It’s the amount of EPA and DHA-two major types of essential fatty acids, what’s most important. EPA and DHA are the two types of essential fatty acids that are most readily used by the body. A typical supplement contains 180mg EPA to 120mg of DHA.
Cautions Persons with congestive heart failure (CHF), angina or any evidence that their heart is not receiving sufficient blood flow should consult with their doctor before taking Omega-3 supplements. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that pregnant women and mothers, nursing mothers and young children, women who expect to become pregnant not eat: shark, swordfish, and king mackerel. Also limit albacore tuna, salmon and herring. This is because more and more of our oceans are becoming contaminated. The AHA states “they can take
Omega-3 fatty acids
in quality dietary supplements that are certified mercury-free by a reputable 3rd party lab.”
The tremendous health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids are well documented. They can provide additional help in fighting belly fat. Limiting Omega-6 fatty acids from processed and refined foods should be the goal of anyone interested in better health. Taking a pure fish oil supplement is a convenient way to get your Omega-3s.
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