Go Fish
Does anyone play cards anymore? Do you remember the card game “Go Fish” from childhood?
Getting the proper nutrients for our body is like the card game Go Fish. As I recall, the strategy of the card game was to collect a set of four cards of the same kind, and the game continued until the first person got rid of the rest of their cards. I liken aging to the game; one must hope to match the right foods, lifestyle, and exercise to age gracefully while maintaining a certain quality of health. If we miss the mark along the way, we can supplement.
Do you know what the most significant selling dietary supplement these days and why? It is not a multivitamin anymore, but it is omega 3. In the early 80s, a study paved the way for understanding the importance of omega-3 – 3 fatty acids. The study followed the fishermen in Greenland, whose primary dietary source is from the sea and is very rich in fatty acids. During the test period, it was found that there were fewer chronic diseases in the population being tested compared to the Western population. It was found that the fishing population was healthier, although they consumed fatty acids. These days, these fatty acids are now called omega-3.
Although much attention has been focused on reducing dietary fat, the body needs fat. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to the body, but it is not able to produce them.
Just another reminder that heart disease is the number one cause of death for women, especially African-American women of all ages in the United States, but there is an easy way to reduce your risk. Eating just two servings of fatty fish a week can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent.
Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids provide essential nutrients that have been shown to help protect your heart, lower triglycerides, raise high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol, and reduce inflammation in the body, to name a few benefits.
Oil-Rich Fish:
- Sardines
- Salmon
- Whiting
- Cod
- Shark
- Halibut
- Trout
- Flounder
- Tuna
My personal choice for a great source of omega-3 – 3 is Cod Liver Oil; it has tremendous benefits. However, as a child, I don’t recall anything amazing about taking the daily dose my Mom insisted I take. Since I have matured, I do now see and feel the benefits of taking cod liver oil, especially when my last blood test revealed I was slightly deficient in Vitamin D.
Cod liver oil is widely used to ease the pain and joint stiffness associated with arthritis. It may also have a positive effect on the heart and bone and help repair wounded skin, hair, nails, and teeth.
Additional sources of omega-3 include flaxseed, walnuts, green leafy vegetables, and olive oil, which provide plant-based omega-3.
If you don’t like to eat fish at least twice a week, then I hope you Go Fish (pun intended) for an omega-3 – 3 supplement.