Teens need omega-3
I have two sons. And although I have given both of them the same good advice about eating well, they both make different choices now that they’re older. While my one son will go for the fruits and veggies the other inevitably goes for the cookies, cakes, potato chips and pretzels. No amount of coaxing will convince son #2 to pick up son #1’s good habits. And yet, I want both of my children to be healthy and see that eating well now is a huge advantage later in life. I also try to convince them of the importance of good fats and bad fats and how to tell the difference.
Bad: Saturated fats are found in fatty cuts of meat, whole-milk dairy products, lard, and vegetables oils (coconut and palm oil). Saturated fat raises cholesterol (LDL) levels, and while this is a natural and oftentimes unavoidable form of fat, it should be taken in moderation.
Really Bad: Trans fatsare invented by scientists who began to “hydrogenate” liquid oils so as have a better shelf life. Trans fatty acids are found in so many foods that there are now laws regulating them or banning them. Sadly, transfats are found in most of the foods that teens go for such as frozen foods like frozen pies, pot pies, waffles, pizzas, and breaded fish sticks. They are especially found in baked goods like doughnuts, cookies, cakes (anything with margarine, butter or shortening), and of course, they are found in fast foods like french fries, fried chicken, potato chips, etc. Can you avoid foods with trans fatty acids? Probably not. But a good rule of thumb is that if you buy packaged foods, frozen or canned, your chances are pretty high that whatever it is will have a high amount of trans fats. Cooking at home, from scratch is the way to go. Use more whole wheat or whole grains for baking and try a butter or margarine substitute like olive oil.
Good: Unsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, nuts, olives, avocados, and fatty fish like salmon, and are comprised of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. “When used instead of saturated fat, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats help lower blood cholesterol levels.”
Aside from teaching my kids about good fats versus bad, I’ve also talked to them about the importance of taking omega-3s (a really good fat!). Of all the benefits of this amazing molecule, these are perhaps the greatest:
Brainpower and concentration: Deficiencies of Omega-3 fatty acids are linked to decreased learning ability, ADHD, depression, and dyslexia. It’s a simple fact: good fats in children’s and teen’s diets help with concentration, focus, increased learning ability and overall brain performance. And because brain development begin in the uterus higher concentrations of EPA and DHA (the molecules within omega-3s) are most important earlier in life.
Prevention of heart disease: Let’s face it, it takes years for heart disease to develop. It takes years of eating foods high in saturated fats and trans-fats for bad cholesterol to build up in the body. It takes years for plaque to build in arteries. And it takes years of inactivity for the heart muscle to atrophy. You don’t just wake up one day and have heart disease. It’s progressive. The same can’t be said about health. Most of us are born strong and healthy-it’s one of the gifts of life. But it’s our job to maintain that gift by living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of our bodies. The National Cholesterol Education Program states that, “Blood cholesterol begins to rise around age 20 and continues to go up until about age 60 or 65.” This rise in cholesterol happens naturally; you don’t, however, need to quicken the process by eating bad foods. But if you do, eating omega-3-rich foods will help. Omega-3s have been shown to be one of our best sources of prevention when it comes to heart disease.
Health care system: The current financial burden of families and individuals who pay into the healthcare system is enormous, despite the onset of a comprehensive health care system. As it stands now health care is expensive, and the less we take care of ourselves, the more we will collectively tax the system and become dependent upon the system. If, however, we can prevent sickness and disease later in life, by staring young and taking good care of our bodies, we will not have a future that is dependent on the healthcare system. Prevention is the key to a longer, healthier life.
Good sources of omega-3′s are flax oil, ground flaxseed, cold water fish like salmon and fresh tuna, canola oil, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. Other “good” fats to include in your diet are found in olive oil, avocados, and grapeseed oil. But how many teens do you know who will eat salmon or snack on flaxseed muffins? I don’t know many who will consciously choose these foods. That’s why, as a parent, it’s important to start educating your teen about eating healthier, and to make better choices for yourself and your family when it comes to preparing meals.
If you’re anything like the typical American family on the go, or have a child like mine who refuses to eat the good stuff, try supplementing. Omega-3 supplements generally come in the form of a capsule or a liquid. For kids, I tend to use a lemony-flavored liquid, mixed in with their juice. One shot and they’re good to go. Whatever the case may be, don’t give up. It may be frustrating getting children to make the right choices but if you don’t try and continue to educate them, the learning is done and in many cases, the bridge to a healthier life has been burned. So continue to add salads to every meal, remove junk food from your home and keep fast food to a minimum of once or twice a month. You are guaranteed to see a difference in your child the better he or she eats!
Coming up next week: The top five vitamin and mineral supplements you can’t live without.
Tags: diet, eating, eating for health, fats, Features, fish, foods, good fats, healthier teens, heart, heart disease, life, oils, omega, omega-3, prevention, saturated fats, supplements, teens, trans fats
Hi All. First time here. Nice site, lots of information.
Eating fish has no problems if you don’t do it too often. But if you want to supplement your diet with the proper amounts of omega 3 by just eating fish, it could be a big heath risk. You would have to eat fish almost every day and that could mean dangerous amounts of mercury in your nervous system.
It is important to have in mind that there are certain conditions to get the benefits fish oil can bring.
You need to take a good quality fish oil, free from mercury and other contaminants. That is a molecularly distilled fish oil.
Then, you need to take a minimum amount of fish oil, krill oil or cod liver oil at a certain frequency.
There is not an establish amount of omega 3 for any health benefit but I recommend to take at least 900 mg per day of omega 3 fats (close to 3.000 mg of fish oil), EPA plus DHA, per day.
Also, you should lower your intake of omega 6 fats (mostly grains and grain oils) since omega 3 and omega 6 counteract each other in the body. The best way to reduce omega 6 fats is to eliminate all starches from your diet, that is all grains and grain oil.
Best wishes,
Alfredoe
I eat fish as part of my diet but I still need to take Res-Q 1250 so that I can obtain a therapeutic level of omega-3. I don’t eat fish everyday due to the pollution found in fish. I take my Res-Q 1250 everyday.
I choose Res-Q 1250 because it is a pure omega-3 supplement free of the harmful levels of mercury or pollution found in fish.
Res-Q 1250 is made from omega-3 rich fish from the sardine and herring family.
After the fish are harvested, the oil is extracted and detoxified using molecular distillation. The active omega-3 ingredients EPA and DHA are maintained while most of the residual fish oil is discarded. The fishy taste is removed and a hint of natural lemon oil is added to further enhance the taste.
The purification process takes place at a licensed facility that follows cGMP guidelines (current good manufacturing practices). After this extensive purification process, each batch of oil is tested for mercury, Pcb’s, dioxins, and other environmental concerns prior to encapsulation. After the oil is assayed, showing a pure and potent product, Res-Q 1250 is encapsulated or bottled.