People in Arizona looking for Omega-3 in their beef can look at the cattle being raised on the Santa Rita Ranch.

South of Tucson, the ranch’s stock includes grass-fed cattle.  The Omega-3 benefit from the grass-fed cattle is significant, says rancher Andrew McGibbon.  He claims the Omega-3 levels he tests can be 5 times higher than the fatty acid levels found in Salmon.

The Santa Rita Ranch sells grass fed beef directly to consumers.

Acai seems to be the poster child for all sorts of health benefits, and it does indeed contain Omega-3 fatty acids.

Acai also contains Omega-6 and Omega-9. Each of these can lower the so-called bad cholesterol, or LDL, and each can maintain our HDL, or good cholesterol.

Fatty acai berries most often are harvested from Palm trees in Brazil. Clinical research which quantifies the Omega-3 benefits of the popular antioxidant berry.

Clinical trials have shown that acai is not helpful in treating cancers.

Black Walnuts typically don’t show up on the radar of people looking for strong sources of Omega-3.But if you’re looking for ways to include more natural Omega-3 in your diet, here are few reasons why Black Walnuts work well.

Along with Omega-3 fatty acids, the Black Walnut is rich in Manganese and Copper, each of which is effective in fighting free radicals.

Melatonin and other antioxidants are additional ingredients. It contains no cholesterol.

Black Walnuts are easily combined into all sorts of recipes, from home made ice cream to cookies and cakes.

To the best of our knowledge, no clinical trials have been conducted to determine the precise health benefits of Black Walnuts. All we know is that the ingredients add up to a desirable profile.

If you’re looking for Omega-3 fatty acids in canned fish, the choice is simple.

Canned tuna is not a good source of Omega-3.  But canned Salmon is, and so are canned Sardines.

Fresh tuna is a good source of Omega-3, but the beneficial fat content is lost in the canning process.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in walnuts, and a researcher with Tufts University suggests that walnuts should part of a heart-healthy diet.

Dr. James Joseph is with the Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. He says that walnuts offer two key health benefits; polyphenols and Omega-3s.

The actual benefit: keeping the nerve membranes flexible and pliable, avoiding inflammation.

Dr. Joseph suggests diets rich in both blueberries and walnuts:

“Together, the polyphenols in berries and walnuts and the fatty acids in the walnuts fluidize the nerve cell membrane,” he says. “They make it more responsive to a wide array of signals.”

Walnuts are particularly rich in the Omega-3 Alpha-Linolenic acid.

We want to eat fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. But we also want fish free from toxins.

From the University of Minnesota comes this suggestion on how to make sure the fish we’re eating is indeed rich with Omega-3s but as free of pollutants as possible.

“Eat smaller fish and fish that are lower on the food chain — fish that are more vegetarian,” is the advice from Dr. Deborah Swackhamer, professor with the university’s environmental health sciences department.

“The contaminants are carried up the food web and are retained at each level of that web. So the top predators have a lot more contaminants than those lower on the food chain.”

Small fish rich in Omega-3 include sardines and anchovies.

]]> http://omega3healing.com/natural-omega-3/the-omega-3-benefits-of-eating-smaller-fish/feed/ 0 http://omega3healing.com/natural-omega-3/omega-3-could-be-a-benefit-of-grass-fed-beef/ http://omega3healing.com/natural-omega-3/omega-3-could-be-a-benefit-of-grass-fed-beef/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:27:03 +0000 admin http://omega3healing.com/?p=84

Omega-3 fatty acids are not something we tend to go looking for in beef. The best source for Omega-3 is fatty, deep-water fish.

But it appears that beef that is raised on strict organic standards may offer at least some Omega-3.

When cattle are raised with the ability to eat grass in a pasture rather than being fed fertilizers and hormones in a feedlot, the quality of meat they produce is significantly different from commercially raised stock.

One difference may be higher concentrations of Omega-3. Because cattle are consuming grass, there is a natural balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Research on the Omega-3 benefits of grass-fed beef, which is typically leaner beef, is being conducted by Dr. Dan Rule at the University of Wyoming.

Omega-3 fatty acids tend to be strongest in deep water fish. If you’re looking to build a diet with more fish rich in Omega-3, here are five great choices.

• Haddock

• Sardines

• Salmon

• Mackerel

• Tuna

A suggestion on the salmon… you’ll tend to get more Omega-3s with wild rather than farm-raised salmon. Farm raised fish are fed with products which are often rich with undesirable Omega-6 fatty acids.

The Tuna best for Omega-3s… Blue Fin. Unfortunately, Blue Fin Tuna is dangerously over fished. Canned tuna is not a good source of Omega-3.

Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in Anchovies.

Omega-3 fatty acids are not a key ingredient of cranberries. If you’re looking for Omega-3s in cranberries, you’re looking in the wrong place… cranberries are good for your polyphenol antioxidants, anthocyanidin flavonoids, cyanidin, peonidin and quercetin.

Cranberry products can be a good source of antioxidants, but like all products, consumers need to keep a watchful eye on the ingredient label of specific products.

Marketers are calling cranberries “superfruits” and in their pure form, rightly so… cranberries are rich in antioxidants.

Omega-3 fatty acids are not considered polyphenols, or anti-oxidants, which are found in the cranberry, but Omega-3s do deliver similar anti-inflammatory benefits.

Cranberry seeds are often used to produce oils. Manufacturers such as Fruit Essentials are now marketing cranberry seed oil products.

Cranberries are also loaded with tannins. Tannins offer anti-clotting properties which can help cut down on dental plaque and may reduce urinary tract infections.

Looking for more sources of Omega-3? Crack open a tin of Sardines.

Sardines have faded from fashion. They are not nearly as popular as they once were.

But these small fish are regaining lost attention as people look for sources of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. Sardines are also a good source of of B12, calcium, and Vitamin D.

Because they are typically caught in deeper waters, Sardines are not tarnished with PCBs or mercury.

These are oily fish, fatty, rich in nutrients, and from the family of fish related to herring. The oils are throughout the fillet in the sardine… this differs from most whitefish where rich, health oils are concentrated in the liver.

Sardines rich in Omega-3 typically come canned. The size of the sardine varies but is rarely more than four inches long. They are packed in oil with their heads and gills removed and they are usually eviscerated.

Omega-3 fatty acid levels in sardines are typically high because of the concentration of oil.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish