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Essential Fatty Acids - which source is best?
Can you advise us on the best way to take essential fatty acids? I know cod liver oil is a rich source but it also contains cholesterol. What form do you take your fats?
I have a very fickle nature and so tend to chop and change many of the basic products I use. At the moment, my top-rated supplement to provide a therapeutic daily dose of the omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids that are so important for healthy skin and brain functioning is Green People’s new Organic Omega 3&6.
This is another of those new generation products where, thankfully, the name tells you what it does - and what is clever about it is that it is not in an unpleasant-tasting liquid form at all but comes in a powder that you can sprinkle on salads, cereals, yoghurts, pasta, rice, and fruit or vegetable juices. You can even add it to the mixing bowl when making fairy cakes!
Signs that you may not be getting enough good fats in your diet include dry skin, cracked heels, joint problems, hair loss, dry eyes, digestive disorders, and even clumsiness. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in grains and avocados and most people get enough of these fats in their diet. It is more difficult to eat enough of the Omega-3 fatty acids, which you can get from fish oils or, if you are vegetarian, flaxseed or walnut oil. Fish oils can increase levels of bad cholesterol - but this is an occasional, not a common problem which can be overcome if you take a supplement of pectin too.
The perfect health ratio of these two oils is 5:1 in favour of the Omega-6 fatty acid - but since we now eat only a sixth of the amount of Omega-3 that we used to 150 years ago, today’s typical diet provides a ratio closer to 24:1 in favour of Omega-6. Each 45g sachet of the new Green People supplement provides not only a therapeutic dose of essential fats (i.e. enough to really make a difference) but combines omega-3 and omega-6 in an almost perfect ratio. To mail order, call 01444-401444. If you prefer liquid oil mixes, again buy a good quality one and keep it in the fridge. Remember it will not have been heated to high temperatures to make it last and so try and finish it within eight weeks.