We should all be consuming Omega 3’s daily. We should also be consuming them from WILD cold water fish. This post tells you exactly why that is and 3 easy ways to get in you Omega 3’s daily.
First an amazing fact every human should know!
- Did you know that it’s literally due to the fish swimming in cold water, that brings a huge benefit to your brain? Author and food science researcher, Max Lugavere explains:
“A fish has to stay limber and flexible at really cold temperatures, it’s those delicate polyunsaturated fats that help keep a fish really, really flexible and fluid, and it’s that same quality that polyunsaturated fats give to your brain,keeping your brain cell membranes nice and fluid and flexible, and so that’s why there’s this interesting relationship that our brains have with fish fat, that’s why fish oil is so important,
and the fish that are most abundant with that kind of fat, in particular DHA fat, which is one of
the most important structural building blocks of the brain is salmon.
It’s those Omega-3 fatty acids, DHA fat in particular, that keeps your brain cell membranes nice and supple and fluid, so that the receptors for various neurotransmitters, serotonin involved in having a healthy mood,dopamine involved in feelings of reward, acetylcholine, which is important for learning and memory, receptors for those neurotransmitters have to bob up to the surface of the cell
membrane, and they rely on that characteristic, that membrane fluidity in order to do so”
2. DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) is the most beneficial component of Omega 3’s.
It’s found in marine algae. It’s the fish eating the algae that we get the DHA from. This is why it’s super important to eat WILD fish. Farmed fish are often fed corn which creates inflammation in humans.
“DHA produces compounds called docosanoids, and docosanoids are both neuroprotective and antiinflammatory. It’s one reason why DHA is so good for the brain. And DHA also inhibits the expression of several inflammatory markers” Chris Kresser M.A
3. Humans need pre-formed omega 3’s. From fish not plant based sources (flax, chia & walnuts) Our bodies go through a long and inefficient conversion process to get to DHA. We tax valuable enzymes when we do this. Vegetarians and vegans have been proven to be poor converters of ALA to DHA.
OKAY! so how much do we need daily.
We need at least 3g (3,000mg daily)https://chriskresser.com/podcast-episode-ii-essential-fatty-acids-fish-and-fish-oil/
This is because of all the stress that our body takes on daily. Omega 3’s are anti-inflammatory and nuero protective. We all need this every day thanks to:
- High amounts of Omega 6 fatty acids in our daily diet ( restaurant & takeout cooking, packaged and processed foods)
- Declining quality inour environment: soil, air, water, pesticides..
- Stress you encounter in your daily life: work, family, social, past trauma, disorders..
Everyday stressors also create inflammation in our cells. The combined effect of more Omega 6’s and other stressors (poor soil, air, water, work, social..)
You know they are good for you, and that they are found in fish, flax, chia & walnuts. But do you know
- Why we need to get in our Omega 3’s every day
- How Much
- Why cold water fish is the best source
- How exactly to make sure you and your loved ones consistently consume Omega 3’s from fish.
To give you a little motivation to read on, here’s two really cool facts about Omega 3 fats from fish
- Fish eat the seaweed that has the huge nutritional benefits.
- Fish swimming in cold water that makes the magic! Cold water fish are able to keep their fats fluid and flexible at cold temperatures. This is a huge benefit to humans.
As stated by food science researcher Max Lugavere, “It’s those Omega-3 fatty
acids, DHA fat in particular, that keeps your brain cell membranes nice and supple and fluid, so
that the receptors for various neurotransmitters, serotonin involved in having a healthy mood,
dopamine involved in feelings of reward, acetylcholine, which is important for learning and
memory, receptors for those neurotransmitters have to bob up to the surface of the cell
membrane, and they rely on that characteristic, that membrane fluidity in order to do so”
The fat in the cold water fish allow our receptors to bob up to the top level of our brain cell membranes. This makes our neurons receptive to things that make us feel good and help us function better. We are able to trigger release of
- Humans need pre-formed Omega 3′ from fish . Plant-based forms of Omega-3s must be converted to usable forms in the body. It’s a complex process that is not efficient and it taxes valuable enzymes needed for other functions. Also vegans and vegetarians have been shown to be very poor converters of plant based omega 3’s to usable DHA
- These are “essential” fats. This means that our human bodies cannot make this on our own and we need them! We need Omega 3’s to protect our bodies against heart disease and to decrease inflammation throughout our bodies. Also our brains are mostly fat.
Omega 3 fatty acids
Omega 3 fats are found in cold water fish. These fats are hugely beneficial to humans. Due to increasing stressors in our daily life (environment, work, social, poor quality food, poor quality sleep…) people’s bodies are inflamed. This basically means that our cells are not functioning well and in turn we struggle, on every level.
Here’s a simple way to help your body out so you can feel better.. so you can function better!
Consume at least 3g of Omega 3’s daily. That means 3,000 mg
Also, make sure this is from cold water fatty fish. The reason plant based sources don’t work well – is the conversion process of ALA to DHA is very inefficient and actually taxes the body’s enzymes that are needed for other needs:
” Quote from Max Lugavere and Chris Kresser HERE from transcripts”
The reason why Cold water fatty fish works so well for our bodies is that their fats are super fluid and flexible. Turns out this is exactly what our brain cells need
“Quote from Max Lugavere on Model Health show podcast”
Since our diets are pretty high in pro inflammatory foods, we need to be consuming Fish Omega 3 fatty acids daily. In particular we need to eat fish that are high in DHA, Docosahexaenoic acid. DHA is what is found in marine algae. The fish eat the marine algae and then swim in the cold waters and create the fat that is like magic for our bodies.
We must consume “WILD” fish. The top being salmon, especially King Salmon, they swim in deeper, darker, colder waters. If you do not consume “wild” fish – those fish are not eating the algae that is so beneficial to us. Often they are farm fed corn – which is inflammatory (muy mal!)
Scroll Down for Baked Fish Recipe + Salad Recipe + One other Dinner Recipe
Baked Salmon
Gear:
Baking pan to cook fish in
Parchment paper to line the pan
Ingredients:
Frozen Salmon (10-12 ounces) ** 5-6 ounce serving per person ** put in fridge 1 day before to defrost
1 tbsp Ghee or grass-fed Butter
2 tsp Lemon juice
2 tsp Dried Dill *optional
Directions:
Defrost Salmon Preheat Oven to 385 degrees.
Line pan with parchment paper
Smear 1 tbsp of butter or ghee on the parchment paper
Place defrosted Salmon on the butter/ghee coated paper
Juice lemon on top
Add dill or other spices (pepper, etc..) on top
Bake for 16 mins.
Once done, turn the fish over and remove the skin before serving.
Salmon Salad:
Place Salmon on top of some greens with a vinaigrette, some cucumber and olives.
Enjoy with Avocado Toast! Use favorite bread of your choice and smash avocado on top with a little pink Himalayan salt and pepper on top OR gomasio sprinkled.
Baked Salmon with Veg and baked potatoes
Cook the salmon as directed above. Once the skin is removed, wrap it tightly in foil to keep it warm. Turn off the oven
On your stovetop in a large skillet put 1 tbsp of Olive oil
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
Mushrooms thinly sliced
Stir onion and mushrooms until the onion is a bit browned (carmelized) Then add 5 handfuls of leafy greens (swiss chard, spinach, wok choy, kale etc..)
Saute for 1-2 mins more and remove from heat.
Put the sautéed greens and veg on a large plate, add the baked salmon on top
Enjoy with roasted potatoes. I enjoy buying frozen potatoes and using my air fryer. Make any style you like!
Add 1/2 avocado on top of the salmon and veg. Enjoy!
Podcasts to link to :
Shawn Stevenson with Max Lugavere
Chris Kresser,
Kwik Brain with Jim Kwik
https://www.jimkwik.com/podcasts/eating-smarter-for-your-brain-part-2-with-shawn-stevenson/
Dr. Robert Lustwig on The Neuro Experience with Louisa Nicola