5 Ways to Get in Omega Balance

By EatingWell Editors, May/June 2010

Easy tips for a better Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio.

READER'S COMMENT:

"Coconut oil is >85% saturated fatty acids, about 6% monounsaturated fatty acids, and

Though our ancestors evolved on about equal amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fats, Americans today get 10 to 25 times more omega-6s than omega-3s. This matters for mental health, says Joe Hibbeln, M.D., Acting Chief, Section on Nutritional Neurosciences at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, because omega-3s alter brain chemicals linked with mood; they also regulate more than 100 genes involved in transmitting messages between brain cells.

Finally, omega-3s soothe the inflammation known to play a role in conditions ranging from heart disease to dementia, while omega-6 fats transform into molecules that increase inflammation. Bring yourself back into “omega balance.” Here are tips to help you do just that.

5 Ways to Get in Omega Balance »