1. If you’re not eating enough fat, your body is making it anyway. Your body makes saturated fat, a fatty acid called “palmitic acid,” when your diet is low in fat and high in carbohydrates. Saturated fat will be stored in the stomach and thighs and is directly related to heart disease.
2. Eating fat substitutes creates a craving for real fat. If you’re eating a lot of fat-free foods, you’re much more likely to crave very fattening foods the next day. This is not the case when you are constantly eating healthy fats.
3. Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fats that the body cannot produce. These fatty acids are omega-6 or omega-3. The American diet is loaded with omega-6s (vegetable oil, seeds, nuts) and low in omega-3s (fish, flaxseed, canola oil, green vegetables).
4. Increasing your omega-3 intake can increase HDL (good) cholesterol, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and lower blood pressure and the risk of blood clots.
5. Omega-3 fatty acids delay the appearance of tumors in animals, slow down their growth and reduce the risk of metastasis.
6. Oils rich in omega-6 fatty acids, on the contrary, accelerate the growth of malignant tumors and make them more aggressive.
7. Decreasing omega-6 intake while increasing omega-3 intake has been shown to reduce the risk or decrease the severity of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including: Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, menstrual pain and arthritis.
8. Your brain is made up of a high percentage of fat, and is especially rich in the omega-3 fatty acid DHA. These “structural” fats form cell membranes and play a vital role in the functioning of the brain.
9. Don’t be afraid to eat “fatty” fish. These fish are rarely fattier than lean meat cuts and are loaded with omega-3s. Tuna, salmon, herring, and mackerel are solid choices.
10. Take 2 fish oil pills with a meal during the day. This will greatly increase your omega-3 intake.
11. Use canola oil or olive oil as your main oil. Canola oil is high in omega-3s, and olive oil is low in omega-6s and contains cholesterol-lowering squalene.
12. As for nuts, walnuts, walnuts, and chestnuts have the highest amounts of omega-3 acids. Choose these if you like to snack on nuts.
