Have you ever wonder why so many people like to take cod liver oil, fish oils or omega 3 as a supplement? Find out why omega 3 is so important and why we need to take it.
Story of Fats
Basically, there are 4 types of fat, 2 bad and 2 good.
The bad fat are Saturated fat and Trans Fat which raises the level of LDL-cholesterol in our body, which increases the risk of heart disease.
The good fat are Monounsaturated fat and Polyunsaturated fat which helps improve heart health by reducing total and LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood.
In simple terms, the good fats reduces LDL-cholesterol whereas the bad fats increases it.
Omega 3 vs Omega 6 vs Omega 9
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are two types of polyunsaturated fat. They are considered essential fatty acids because the body cannot manufacture them. We need totake in food that contains omega-3 and omega-6.
Omega-9 fatty acids are from a family of monounsaturated fats and can be created by the human body from unsaturated fat. Therefore there is less or no need to take omega 9 supplement.
So how much omega 3 and omega 6 should we take? To stay healthy, it is recommended to take in a balance amount of omega 3 vs omega 6. Unfortunately, our modern day diet are much higher in omega 6 then omega 3. Which is the reason why people always take omega 3 supplement and not omega 6 or omega 9.
Omega 3 vs Omega-3-6-9 supplement
There are some Omega-3-6-9 supplement in market which sounds good. Take one and you get all 3 omega fatty acids which are good for your body.
Omega-3-6-9 supplement are just marketing gimmick. Omega-3 is the only fat that is really lacking in most modern day diet. If you need to buy supplements, you may as well pay for what you really need: omega-3 and not 3 in 1 like Omega-3-6-9.
Types of Omega 3
ALA (α-linolenic acid)
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)
Natural sources of Omega 3
Fatty fish, such as salmon, lake trout, herring, sardines and tuna.
Plants such as Chia seeds, Flax seeds, Walnuts and Soybeans.
Sardines is one of the best sources of Omega 3 and it is very affordable as compare to salmon and tuna.Another important point is sardine is smaller in size and lower down in the marine food chain and thus contains much less mercury that other bigger fishes.
Omega 3 Supplements
Athough there are pretty of food that contains the very important omega-3 that our body need, but our modern day diet are always not taking in enough of these omega 3 rich foods. Especially if your lived in Singapore... Chicken rice, Char kway teow, hokkien mee, Bak Kut Teh, Lasksa, Curry, Chilli Crabs, Roti Prata, Satay, Nasi Lemak, etc. All those heavenly food awaits, difficult to settle for just sardines and flax seeds, right?
If you don't have the discipline of a bodybuilder to take in healthy foods that have omega 3.
So how? Next best alternate choice is to settle for omega 3 supplement loh. At least you are getting omega 3 from supplements.
Affordable Omega 3 Supplements in Singapore.
Singapore is the cheapest place to live in and getting your Omega 3 supplement in Singapore may be expensive. I get my omega 3 supplements from iHerb.
Madre Labs, Omega-3 Premium Fish Oil, 180 mg EPA/120 mg DHA, 100 Softgels cost only US$4.95 at iHerb. Where can you find this price in Singapore?
