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Health
The Omega 3 Code
By Neeta Lal
Should we consume EFA
(Essential Fatty Acids) or PUFA (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids)? Perhaps
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) will work
better? The life of a fitness-conscious person is on a slippery slope,
indeed, with this mind-boggling alphabet soup of oils.
What fats are good, which
ones are bad? Is there a quantity restriction? There are many complex
equations here. So, while many people nowadays are conversant with
'good' and 'bad' fats, most are stumped when it comes to the
nitty-gritty of the kinds of fats that one ought to use. We do know that
'good' fats shore up the body's good cholesterol or LDL (Low Density
Lipoprotein) and that 'bad' fats cause the HDL (High Density
Lipoprotein) to shoot up. But most of us still do not know enough about
the specifics.
This could be why an increasing number of dieticians and nutritionists
are accentuating the importance of including the right kinds of fats and
oils in our diets. And in the right quantity too. In other words, while
there is no single parameter that can determine how much fat a person
ought to consume, some pointers - like one's age, weight, height,
genetic predisposition and Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR - can be borne in
mind. Also, the more active you are (high-training athletes, for
instance), the more enhanced your fat intake can be, provided the
prescribed upper limit is kept in mind. Similarly, infants, teenagers,
and pregnant and lactating women need relatively more fats in their diet
than sedentary adults and the elderly.
However, experts do state
that Asians need less fat in their diet than, say, Americans or
Europeans, who not only have larger builds but are also more
sports-oriented. "But even then, as a rule of thumb, no more than 10 to
30 per cent of your daily calorific intake should come from fats,"
explains weight loss expert Dr Shikha Sharma.
According to Dr Veena
Shroff, cardiologist at Max Heart Healthcare, rotating oil types while
cooking helps to sponge up the benefits from a vast repertoire of oils.
"Each type of oil has some benefit or the other," says Shroff. "So when
you consume a variety of oils, you stand a better chance of deriving the
health benefits from a range of fatty acids."
But what kinds of fats are best for us? And in what form should one
consume them? Doctors reiterate that EFAs are most beneficial because
these are polyunsaturated fats, which our bodies cannot manufacture even
though each cell in our bodies contains them.
The most important EFAs are Omega 3 and Omega 6, which play a crucial
role in keeping our mind and body agile. Apart from being
heart-friendly, Omega fatty acids are also needed for the synthesis of
prostaglandins, which help in blood clotting, stabilising body
temperature and blood pressure and improving immune function. "In
addition," states Shroff, "they also act as building blocks for the
brain's neurons and help fob off depression. Regular intake of
EFAs also keeps the blood thin and improves eyesight."
Interestingly, according to research by the University of Westminster,
London, in 2002, pregnant women deficient in Omega 3 were found to give
birth to children with more behavioral problems than those who did not
lack this EFA. Good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids - which also help
diminish arthritic pain and inflammation of joints - are fish, fish oil,
rapeseed, walnuts and walnut oil. Seeds of pumpkin and sunflower,
whole-wheat bread and wholegrain breakfast cereals are also packed with
these EFAs. On the other hand, Omega 6 fats are mostly found in organic
milk, cheese, green vegetables, meats (chicken/fish), grains and edible
vegetable oils, especially sunflower and corn.
But while the consumption of both Omega 3 and 6 is beneficial, their
daily consumption ratio is also of vital importance. Nutritionists
recommend an ideal ratio of 1:3 with Omega 3 being less. "Over or
under-dosage of these EFAs can lead to their own set of problems,"
cautions Sharma.
The best way to consume the good fats, advises New Delhi-based
nutritionist Ishi Khosla is to smear them over breads, sauté vegetables
in them, use them in salad dressings and, if required, pour them in
small quantities over dhals (lentils) and vegetables. Deep-frying,
asserts Khosla, is always a bad idea as it de- atures the oil and turns
it toxic. A small amount of ghee is also fine occasionally.
"However, many people falsely believe
that if pure ghee is consumed in liberal quantities, it can make one
healthy and intelligent. This is not true, as too much of it can clog
one's arteries leading to cardiac problems and can also make one
lethargic," explains
Shroff.
Rather than using ghee for cooking, experts recommend cold-pressed oils
(most refined vegetable oils and olive oil), which are antioxidant-rich.
Antioxidants accelerate the supply of oxygen to the brain and thus
benefit our bodies in several ways. Consuming rice bran oil (aids
digestion), mustard oil (heart-friendly) and sesame oil (which keeps the
skin lubricated and helps stabilize low blood pressure) is also a good
idea.
April 2, 2006
By arrangement with
Women's Feature Service
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| Health
The Week of April 2, 2006
In Indira's Footsteps: Will History Repeat Itself?
by Rajinder Puri
Wardrobe Malfunction - of Splits, Slips and More!
by Usha Kakkar
Weakness & Selfishness – Reluctant Parents of Virtue
by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
Freedom by Naira Yaqoob
How to Overcome Failure? by Sugandha
Indulkar
The First Line of Defense by Michael Levy
Helping Your Unpopular Child by Garima
Gupta
Is Your 8 - 10 Year Old Crazy? by Gary
Direnfeld
Why do we have Kids! by Meera Chowdhry
Child out of School is a Laborer by Malvika
Kaul
The Water Bridge A Short Story by NS Murty
And, The Bell Rang A Story by Raghvendra Singh
Saving our Life-Support System by William C.
Gladish
Will the Creation of One World Solve the Problems
of Today? by TA Ramesh
Neo Imperialism at its Best by Tahir Raj
Bhasin
Homeopathy: In a Realm of Its Own by
Rajgopal Nidamboor
The Homeopathic Treatment of Asthma by Dr.
Muneeb Faraaz
The Omega 3 Code by Neeta Lal
Risky Reconstruction & Breast Cancer by Elayne
Clift
Human Rights and Criminal Justice System by
Dr. Shanker Adawal
Panch-Kanya: The Five Virgins of Indian Epics
by Dr. Prema Nandakumar
Bheel Mahabharata: Kunti and the Birth of the Sun
God's Child by Satya Chaitanya
Sadaat Hasan Manto : A Profile compiled by
Aparna Chatterjee
Tamil Nadu, Here I Come! by Usha Kakkar
Mothers Without Strings by Tripat Kaur
Shaking Up the Diaspora by Crespo Sebunya
Looking Through Water by Darryl D'Monte
One Woman Army : A Profile of Zakia Arshad
Epic Adventure by Anjum Wasim Dar
Crowning Glory: An Interview with Manoj Bajpai
by MH Ahsan
Pakistan Calling: An Interview with Akbar Khan
by MH Ahsan
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