Let’s talk about Omega-3 (n-3) & Omega-6 (n-6), and how to get them the plant power way. First of all our body requires only two types of fat to function. These two types of fats are essential for our body because they can’t produce them themselves. The fatty acids are called alfa-linolenic acid and linoleic acid, aka. Omega-3 & Omega-6. Omega-3 & 6 fall under the category of poly-unsaturated fat. Other types of fat are mono-unsaturated fat and saturated fat.
Where n-6 is found in plants:
– Almost all vegetables
Where n-3 is found in plants:
– Soybeans
– Nuts (Especially Walnuts)
– Chia seed
– Flax seed
– Seaweed
– Leafy vegetables
Recommended intake pr. day for men and women is 2% of the daily energy intake. This is approximately 5 g. n-6 and 1 g. n-3 for women. For men, it is approximately 6 g. n-6 and 1,6 g. n-3. You could get your daily intake of n-3 by eating 6 g. of ground flaxseeds.
What are some of the properties of omega-3 & 6?
You might be wondering what these do for your body and why they are so important.
Some of the properties of n-3:
– Its anti-inflammatory ability and the ability to reduces coagulation tendency, which means that it thins out the blood. This is very helpful for people with high blood pressure.
– It reduces the penetration and deposition of LDL cholesterol in the walls of the blood vessels. This means that the fat that clogs your arteries can easier be removed from your arteries.
Linoleic acid or n-6 is giving our cells energy.
The important thing is the ratios between Omega-3 & Omega-6. The optimal is 1:1 but with the typical western diet its around 15:1, which means 15 times as much n-6 than n-3. This information tells us that we should cut down on n-6 and higher the intake of n-3.
The reason for this huge ratio in the western diet is because meat, dairy, and refined oils also contain n-6. Fried food and animal products are eaten in large amounts while nuts and seeds that contain n-3 are not nearly eaten at the same doses. If the balance is not right between n-3 and n-6 it can result in a lot of lifestyle diseases such as type-2-diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure.
It’s important to mention that you can’t just higher the doses of n-3 to balance the two, you also need to lower and cut down on n-6. The reason for this is you only need a certain amount of fat in your diet.
Clifton, P. Keogh, J (2017) A systematic review of the effect of dietary saturated and polyunsaturated fat on heart disease. : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29174025/
Fooddata.dk: https://frida.fooddata.dk/food/149?
Nutritionfact.org (2011) Trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol: Tolerable upper intake of zero.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZrxS7v2FDA&feature=emb_rel_end&ab_channel=LowCarbDownUnder