Your Brain Needs Healthy Fats

Posted by Dr. Della Parker     on July 13, 2017

Fat head is usually a disparaging term, but the truth is, the brain inside your head is half fat and about 30% of those fats are essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. Due to the highly reactive nature of fats these essential fats oxidize easily. To maintain optimal brain function, you need high quality, undamaged omega-3s and omega-6 along with antioxidants to protect them from oxidation.

These two essential fatty acids cannot be produced by the body alone, meaning we must obtain them from our diet. Generally speaking the modern diet is probably already contributing to too much omega-6. Creating an imbalance and a need to increase Omega-3 intake.

Okay, so omega-3s and omega-6s are important. Where do I get them? We give you some good food options below for some great choices for both omega-3s and omeg-6s. It is also important to note that processed foods can damage and over oxidize essential omega-6 fatty acids.

FOOD SOURCES FOR OMEGA-3 ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS (LINOLENIC ACID)

• Avocados
• High-fat fish, especially wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, shad, herring, and trout
• Flaxseed oil (which has the highest linolenic content of any food), flaxseeds, flaxseed meal, hempseed oil, hempseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, and sesame seeds
• Certain dark green leafy vegetables, including kale, spinach, purslane, mustard greens, and collards

FOOD SOURCES FOR OMEGA-6 ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS (LINOLENIC ACID)

• Flaxseed oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed meal
• Hempseed oil, hempseeds
• Grapeseed oil
• Seeds such pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds
• Nuts, including pignolia (pine) nuts and pistachios
• Borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant see oil
• Acai

HOW DO I REDUCE MY OMEGA-6 INTAKE?

According to Dr. Weil, you can cut down you omega-6 by removing processed or fast foods from your diet. You also want to cut down on the polyunsaturated vegetable oils. These include: corn, sunflower, soy, cotton seed). It is recommended to use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and salad dressings. 

Does your body need herbs, nutrition, pharmaceuticals, dietary modifications? Any recommendations made without the use of muscle testing are guesses at best.

Nutrition Response Testing takes the guesswork out of the equation so you can be provided with a treatment plan beneficial to your health the first time around. Dr. Della treats all types of conditions but has a special interest in digestive problems, chronic fatigue, and thyroid dysfunction.

Contact Dr. Della Parker if you’re seeking a holistic approach to obtain optimal health.

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/06/25/good-bad-ugly-dietary-fats.aspx

https://www.drweil.com/vitamins-supplements-herbs/vitamins/balancing-omega-3-and-omega-6/