Sugar and Starch Free, No Problem

I’ve always wished I could be one of those people who loves to eat seafood, but I live in Colorado, and seafood isn’t exactly easy to come by in a landlocked state. The more I learn about nutrition, the more I realize that a lot of what we eat depends on where we live. Even today, when grocery stores and access to food are much easier, it seems we gravitate toward things we’re familiar with.

For me, that tends to be foods high in Omega-6. I actually didn’t realize how much Omega-6 I was consuming until I started tracking my food intake daily. Omega-6 is kind of found in everything, but Omega-3 is really lacking.

I started to read labels, scanning for the other names of Omega-3 at the grocery store. There was alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). All of these names are pretty hard to pronounce, but I knew if I saw the letters, I’d be able to recognize what I was looking for. I passed shelf after shelf and finally stumbled on the Omega-3 fatty acids when I came to flaxseed oil and some fortified dairy products. What gives I thought?

When we balance Omega-3 and Omega-6, we get a number of health benefits. Honestly, Omega-3 in things we would naturally eat is hard to come by. Omega-3 and Omega-6 in balance can give us heart and brain health benefits, increase our energy levels, and help stabilize our blood pressure.

These are some of the reasons why we should pay attention to ensuring we’re getting closer to a 2:1 or even 1:1 ratio in our diet. The Western diet is currently, on average, getting closer to a 15:1 ratio, which means we’re getting 15 times the amount of Omega-6 as compared to Omega-3 in our diets.

One of the cool things our body does as we consume more Omega-3 replaces Omega-6 to create its own equilibrium. So next time you’re at the grocery store, look for eggs with Omega-3 or even replace your cooking oil with flaxseed oil.

I tend to avoid supplements, but I recently started taking these Ultra-Strength Women’s Multi+Omega 3 Softgels. I am very wary and cautious of vitamins and supplements and try to ensure they have a USP-verified mark.

I’ve been taking the OLLY brand for a while and had to research the company. OLLY vitamins and supplements are independently tested to ensure that they meet criteria set by the NSF on quality, safety, and label claims. The company is also a certified B corporation, which meets high environmental, ethical, and social standards. They also offer a full refund within 30 days if bought on the website, and you can purchase a Joy Jar or refillable glass jar that’s more eco-friendly than plastic bottles.