Why you need plant based omegas in your life

health

Aug 13

Omega fatty acids are healthy fats that are an essential part of our overall health and wellbeing. You’ve probably heard people talking about eating more fish or taking a fish oil supplement to get more omega-3 fatty acids into the diet… but there’s much more to the story when it comes to optimal health (and you don’t actually need to eat fish to get the benefits!)

Omega-3 is just one type of fatty acid - we also need omega 5, 6, 7 and 9 in our diets. And most importantly, we need an optimal balance of each type because each omega has different properties.

Let’s start off by going over the unique health benefits of each type of omega!

Heart-Healthy Omega-3:

Omega-3 is considered an essential fatty acid because our body can’t make it - we need to get it from our diet!

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for the function of our body and play a role in:

Improving our heart health (because they increase the “good” HDL cholesterol)
Reducing symptoms of depression and improve overall mental health (there’s also research to show omega-3’s help slow the decline in brain function that comes with old age)
Helping with weight management
Supporting healthy brain development of the infant during pregnancy
Promoting healthy and strong bones
Helps protect adult eye health such as against cataracts, dry eye syndrome and even macular degeneration.

Most of us don’t get enough of this incredible nutrient in our diets, so using a supplement can be beneficial to prevent disease (like heart disease, diabetes and obesity) and to keep us healthy and glowing.

Omega-3 can be found in fish (particularly salmon), but can also be found in walnuts, flaxseeds and algal oil (which is vegan and odor-free!)

Skin-Loving Omega-5:

Omega-5 is one of the lesser known fatty acids and can be found in pomegranate seed oil, coconut oil and full-fat grass-fed dairy products. It has been shown to play a crucial role in skin rejuvenation due to it being anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants (hello radiance and goodbye wrinkles!)

Essential Omega-6:

Like omega-3, omega-6 is classified as an essential fatty acid that needs to be obtained from the diet. Our bodies just dont make this one! However, the reason most people talk about supplementing with omega-3 and less with omega-6 is because the typical western diet is full of omega-6 fatty acids, but lacking in omega-3.

This creates an imbalance that is detrimental to our health - bad news!

Still, omega-6’s, when present in the right balance, play a strong role in our health by:

Regulating inflammation &
Supporting cardiovascular health when lipids are within a healthy range

If not in the right balance, the opposite can occur and an excess of omega-6 can actually increase inflammation. So you can see it’s all about finding a healthy balance in the body!

Omega-6 can be found in vegetable oils and mayonnaise (these are the kinds of foods we want to reduce) and in healthier options such as well as eggs, poultry, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and cashews.

Omega-7 For Healthy Skin, Nails & Hair:

Omega-7 is another omega that is often out of the limelight, but is incredibly important for healthy skin, nails and hair. Needing to decrease acne or pimples? Or are you sick of your nails breaking and bending easily? Or are you feeling like your hair is thinning & you wish you would have more long luscious locks? Then Omega 7 is your guy!

You can find omega-7 in macadamia nuts, seabuckthorn oil, avocado and grass-fed meat and dairy. Including omega-7’s in your diet may help reduce wrinkles, boost collagen production and strengthen your nails and hair!

Anti-Inflammatory Omega-9:

Omega-9 is a fatty acid that is not essential, meaning your body can produce it on its own, however it’s still super important to include in the diet if we want to boost our health!

Studies have shown that including more omega-9’s in your diet, in place of saturated fats, may improve metabolic health. They may also help with reducing inflammation!

Omega-9 can be found in olive oil, cashew oil, almond oil, avocado oil, and peanut oil.

Benefits of omega fatty acids you can actually see:

We’ve spoken a lot about all the amazing health benefits of all the different types of omega fatty acids, but there’s one benefit in particular that is incredible because you can SEE it straight away - and that’s glowing skin!

One of the keys to healthy and glowing skin is proper blood circulation, also called microcirculation. Microcirculation can be improved by eating healthy foods and exercising (think that post run or yoga dewy skin glow!) but it may also be improved by consuming more omega fatty acids!

As we age, our skin loses the ability to retain moisture, thickness and blood flow - this is why we start to see thinner skin, wrinkles and dull complexion as we get older.

While we can’t stop the process of aging, we can slow it down a bit and promote healthy, glowing skin from the inside with omega fatty acids! The right balance of omegas can boost circulation near the skin surface and may even improve skin hydration.

Introducing my essential nutraceutical omega blend:

Now that you know all the incredible health benefits that come from the right balance of omegas, you might be wondering how to fit all of them into your diet...it can get overwhelming!

Enter one of my fave nutraceuticals, the Omega Blend we recommend inside my online 16 week holistic health program - The Healthstyle Emporium - this little capsule contains omega 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 (yep, all of them!) from six different plant based sources.

Do you want to know what else is crazy? Its *the only* plant based omega on the planet that has all 5 strands of EFA in one little capsule!!

Rather than stocking up on mountains of nuts, seeds and fish in your diet, you can just take these little vegan capsules instead!

I take the omega blend capsules daily and I swear not only is my skin glowing brighter and I feel amazing when I take them, but something I’ve noticed is my vision is better! I wear glasses being short sighted and I work in front of a computer most of the day and one thing ive noticed for sure is my night vision and my ability to see has improved!

To learn more about how you can get your hands on these incredible healthy bad boys, just hit the button below to contact me - I would love to answer any of your questions, or send you more details on the specific Omega I take and recommend to my clients.