Feature Story

Marianna L. Moles
Feature Story, 770
April 27, 2008
The Omega Way
Everyone’s always telling us what to do to fight cancer, reduce our risk of heart disease and boost our IQ.

Walk more. Exercise three times a week. Eat veggies, fruits, and whole grains. Go organic. Stay away from cheeseburgers, fries, and soda. Exercise the brain and read more. Don’t watch so much TV. Get off the computer. Read the newspaper. Stay away from preservatives. Make sure to get a daily dose of antioxidants. Eat raisins, blue berries, and wheat grass. Drink tea. Cleanse the digestive system. Schedule regular check-ups with the doctor. Get eight hours of sleep every night, and spend ten minutes a day deep breathing.

We are told to do so much in order to keep our bodies in shape. And let’s face it, we live in a constantly moving world. We don’t have the time to do all of these things everyday. For those of us who think we could be doing much more, by doing only one thing differently, read on.

It’s true. Research shows that eating foods high in antioxidants helps prevent cancer. Exercising does lower cholesterol. Reading can, perhaps, make us smarter. However, there is one thing out there that is all natural and found in many foods that can do all three of these things at the same time. And for those of us who are pregnant, it can even work its magic on our un-born babies.

The magic word is Omega. Not to be related to the its well known scripture meaning, “The End.” Of course, it could be said that this wonderful polyunsaturated fatty acid is the end to all other “magic” life ingredients. But we won’t go that far. It is, however, a step in the right direction.

First, polyunsaturated fatty acids, unlike saturated fatty acids, are GOOD oils. The HEALTHY fats. In other words, these are the fats that are good for our health.

A polyunsaturated fatty acid is made up of an acid called alpha linolenic acid (ALA), which converts to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosanexaenoic acid (DHA). These three combined together create a force stronger than any raisin, yoga exercise, or brain exercise combined. Together, they do a whole lot of good.

For instance, when ingested, Omega’s may help balance hormones, increase the IQ of our unborn babies, help prevent post pardon depression and fight against breast cancer. And Judy Berigtold, employee at Sheri’s Sonshine Nutrition has her own personal experiences to offer, as well as what she has learned working in the world of nutrition, to help us better understand what Omega 3’s are all about.

First of all, Omega’s are good for babies. Especially, “in the womb” babies. Yes, they are so good in fact, that our babies’ IQ’s can be increased even when their brain is not fully developed. Pretty amazing, huh?

Simply put, “over half of an unborn baby’s brain is made up of DHA,” says Judy. Studies have shown that women who eat fish when they are pregnant benefit their baby’s health, brain, and over all well- being. We’re all thinking, but pregnant women are not supposed to eat fish because the fish may contain mercury. Problem solved. Health food stores carry fish oil in easy to swallow softgels. Just make sure that “if you’re getting fish oil, get good quality, especially if you’re pregnant,” says Judy. She adds, “get molecularly distilled fish oil, such as Nordic Naturals or Barlean’s Brand.”

Now, the benefits for us. Anything that may help with mood and balance hormones sounds like a winning product. Seriously though. Judy takes flax softgels and has noticed a change in her mood. She says that her hormones seem more balanced, especially during her menstrual cycle. It all has to do with estrogen balance, and the Omegas found in flax oil have a lot to do with this.

Also, flax oil containing high lignans, help fight against breast cancer. “Phyto-estrogens bind to the receptors sites in our breast and compete against bad estrogen,” says Judy. This helps fight one of our greatest fears as women.

Plus more and more doctors are prescribing Omegas to their patients. “Customers come in all the time saying their Dr. wants them to take Omegas,” says Judy.

For those of us who do not have the time to cook spinach and make a tuna casserole to get our Omegas, there are other ways to obtain these perhaps life-changing fats. Health food stores, such as Trader Joes and Sheri’s Sonshine Nutrition, carry flax seed meal and oil, and Omega 3’s in the form of softgels. A table spoon mixed into oatmeal or used as a dressing over a salad will give anyone the daily serving they need. Flax seed meal can be used for baking or even sprinkled over yogurt.

However, these beneficial fats can be found in other forms besides softgels.

Many foods, in fact, contain Omega 3’s. Walnuts, soybean oil, tuna fish, pumpkin seeds, avocados, spinach, salmon, anchovies, and hemp seeds all contain high amounts of Omega’s.

For women “there are many benefits for taking Omega 3’s through flax seed or fish oil,” says Judy.

Now we can confidently fight cancer, reduce our risk of heart disease, and even smarten up without harming our bodies. Thanks to Omega’s, the end of hope is far from close.