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Omega 3 benefits on your Health

Taking care of our health

At this exceptional time, it’s essential to take care of  our health on a daily basis. It’s possible to strengthen the immune system through our diet by favouring products rich in Vitamins C and D, Zinc and especially Omega-3. The oceans contain many species that are good for our health. Eating two portions of oily fish per week provides the equivalent of 300 to 500 mg of Omega-3 daily. This corresponds to the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. Oily fish has many virtues – it’s rich in fatty acids, minerals and proteins.
In this article, we will give you some tips for an optimal consumption of marine products, according to your needs, & with a special focus on Omega-3 fatty acids and fish oils.

Omega-3 fatty acids are divided into 3 categories: ALA, EPA and DHA. EPA contributes significantly to the protection of the arteries and the heart; it has a recognized anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect. DHA plays a fundamental role in the development of the brain and retina; it also helps in the correct functioning of hormones. ALA is mainly found in products of plant origin such as rapeseed oil or flaxseed.
All seafood products, whether fish or shellfish, contain many benefits and the list of products we mention below is not exhaustive.

Fish and Shellfish : Source of essential nutrients

Source of Omega-3 fatty acids

Overall, seafood is the best way to consume EPA and DHA. The fish that are richest in Omega-3 include salmon, tuna, mackerel and pollock. Smaller forage fish species are also a high source of EPA and DHA. This category includes sardines, anchovies, herring, mackerel, capelin and hoki.

Source of Vitamins

Fish is a source of vitamins – mainly vitamin D, which is not naturally present in our bodies, but is nonetheless vital for our health. It boosts our vitality and increases the strength of our immune system as well as our bones and teeth! If you lack Vitamin D, in addition to exposure to the sun, it is possible to make up for your deficiencies with smoked herring from Canada, French trout, Moroccan sardines, Norwegian salmon, mackerel from the Faroe Islands or anchovies from Peru. Cod liver oil, usually from Iceland, also contains Vitamin D in very large quantities.

Source of Trace Elements

Iodine: Mussels from the Atlantic coast, tuna from Mauritius, cod from Norway, crab from Russia, oysters from Canada, whiting from Spain and sardines from Morocco contain iodine, which is very important for brain development and thyroid hormones.
Zinc: It is mainly found in oysters and is vital for our immune defences!
Selenium: Monkfish and whiting have a high selenium content, a molecule that reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and plays a role in slowing down cellular ageing.
Fluorine: The strength of our skeleton and teeth depends in part on fluorine, which you can find in various shellfish such as crab and shrimp.

Protein Source

Proteins, along with carbohydrates and fats, are macronutrients and contribute to energy intake. Fish is as rich in protein as meat. Tuna, mackerel, salmon and sardines all contain more than 20g of protein per 100g of fish!

 

Supplement your diet with fish oil

Many countries are below the recommended level of Omega-3 intake due to a low consumption of fish by the population. If you don’t eat much fish, it’s possible to make up for these deficiencies with fish oil supplements. Fish oil is obtained from the biological tissues of fatty fish and has a  high content in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Cod liver oil supplements were one of the first Omega-3 dietary supplements available on the market and were originally sold for their Vitamin content rather than for EPA and DHA, but remain a popular source of Omega-3. 

Saithe oil is primarily extracted from livers from Alaskan Saithe. The benefits are similar to those of Cod Liver Oil. 
Anchovy Oil is the primary oil available in Omega-3 supplements from a number of different fisheries around the world, including Peru, Chile, Morocco and Turkey. 
Tuna oils are generally produced from the by-products of skipjack and yellowfin tuna (non-endangered species) and are often used to enrich infant formulas due to their high DHA content. 
There is also a small and growing market for calanus oil; EPA and DHA supplements based on calanus, a small Arctic crustacean. 
Squid oil is produced from the by-products of the squid meat production industry, and is relatively high in DHA. Salmon oil is made from salmon by-products that can be cold-pressed to produce “virgin” or lightly processed salmon oils that preserve some of the nutrients lost in traditional processing. Genetically modified canola and camelina oils are terrestrial plants that have been modified to express EPA and DHA. Both are currently undergoing agricultural trials in different countries and the first commercial products will focus on aquaculture. 
Oils based on fish eggs such as herring are also available in feed supplements. 
New Zealand’s green shell mussel oils also contain EPA and DHA and are used in supplements.
Krill oil is used to produce supplements made from krill – tiny crustaceans from Antarctic waters – which provide a source of EPA and DHA phospholipids and are usually available in a smaller pill.
Algae oil containing DHA has been on the market for decades – additional sources of algae have only recently become commercially available. There are now options for EPA from algae, additional sources of DHA from algae and combinations of the two with different levels of EPA and DHA. Algae riche in Omega-3 should not be confused with other algae such as spirulina or chlorella. They have the advantage that they are suitable for Vegetarians.

How do I test my Omega-3 fatty acid level ?

You can have your omega-3 or fatty acid levels tested to see if your Omega-3 levels are below the recommended levels. Your current blood levels will help your healthcare professional determine the best intake for you. 

Click on the links below to see the options in the Omega-3 test kit:

 ·  Index oméga-3 

 ·  Omega3Test.com  

For further information

Follow the Seafoodlovers on our social networks for even more information on our wonders from the Ocean; how to eat them, their benefits and even some recipe ideas!

At Seafoodia, we are committed to offering you quality products that are good for your health and for the planet every day. We are members of GOED (The Global Organization for EPA & DHA Omega-3s) and IFFO (The Marine Ingredients Organization), which keep us up to date with the latest nutrition news & ensure we offer you the best products on the market!