Your Body Needs Essential Fatty Acids
With the boom of fast food chains, deep fried as well as super coated in sugar foods have become a staple meal of most people especially those living in the city. Top this unhealthy eating with sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle and you have the perfect recipe for disaster. Many people today, even the younger ones are at risk of various serious heart diseases as well as diabetes which can lead to complicated illnesses and even death.
The great news is there has been a movement to combat this problem. More people are becoming conscious about how healthy they are. We are now seeing the media tackle the problem of obesity and unhealthy eating. You see shows like the Biggest Loser and Heavy that aim to educate the people on how to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle.
You probably have been hearing about essential fatty acids mentioned in these shows and even in TV ads. But what are they really and how essential are they to our body? You read food labels with essential fatty acids (EFAs) or with Omega 3 or Omega 6 but do you know what these nutrients are?
EFAs are nutritional elements that the human body needs however it is not capable of producing them. We get the EFAs that we need from various food sources. Omega 3 and Omega 6 are two types of EFAs. Omega 3 can be found in fish oils and plant oils while Omega 6 is found in plant oils. Omega 9 is another essential fatty acid that can be produced by the body from ingestion of Omega 3 and Omega 6. One can get Omega 9 from plant oils as well.
In Northern European countries, many people are suffering from degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancer, arthritis, asthma and even certain disorders in the functioning of the brain like depression and the now very common disorder in children ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
How Beneficial are EFAs?
- EFAs are necessary in many bodily processes. They play a major role in the formation of healthy cell membranes as well as proper cognitive development and functioning of our brain and the nervous system. They are also crucial in the production of hormones and proper thyroid and adrenal activity.
- EFAs also aid in regulating our blood pressure, functioning of the liver as well as inflammatory and immune responses. Omega 6 is known to help blood clot while Omega 3 prevents over clotting. Therefore it is necessary that your body has a balance of these two essential fatty acids.
- EFAs also transport and break down the cholesterol in our body. By preventing build up of cholesterol, heart diseases are avoided. EFAs also benefit the skin and hair.
Omega 6 in Argan Oil
A great source of the Omega 6 is Argan oil. This oil from Morocco has been hailed as a miracle oil and is popular in the beauty industry because of its benefits to the skin and hair. However the Argan oil can also be used in dishes. A drizzle of Argan oil on your salads and grilled dishes would give you a potent dose of the much needed Omega 6.
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Filed Under: Argan Oil in General