Why Eating Fish High in Fat Could Extend Your Life

It seems a little ironic that as you make the effort to eat healthier you’re told to eat fish high in fat. Aren’t you trying to cut fat?

Of course, it’s a totally different kind of fat than what you find in macaroni and cheese or hamburgers. The fat in fish is the “good” fat that’s essential to your good health. Fish is full of EFA’s or essential fatty acids also known as omega 3′s.

These omega 3′s benefit your heart, your mind and your skin. Without them, you’re at a higher risk of heart disease, depression and less healthy skin and hair.

The Upside Down Diet

In the last 50-70 years, eating patterns have change drastically. Instead of eating primarily whole foods with a healthy mix of nutrients and omega 3′s fatty acids, we’re subsisting on highly processed foods which are high in omega 6 fatty acids. The omega 6′s are ok in small quantities but Westerners are consuming them in the highest quantities ever before seen in the history of humankind.

They’re in corn oil, safflower oil and all other vegetable oils. They’re in salad dressings, cereals and mayonnaise. In short, omega 6′s have permeated our diets. They increase inflammation and can be linked with cardiovascular disease, obesity, asthma, and even cancer.

And, we’re not eating many omega 3′s to offset the omega 6′s.

Get Your Omega 3′s by Eating Fish High in Fat

• Reduce inflammation in your body – the root cause of all disease

• They naturally thin your blood which reduces plaque buildup in your veins. Less plaque =less risk of dangerous blood clots leading to heart attack or stroke.

• They help improve your memory-your brain is mostly made of fat. The omega 3 brings necessary nutrients to your brain cell membranes to keep it healthy and keep your neurons firing quickly.

• They improve your eyesight and can protect you from age related macular degeneration because they also “feed” the membranes around your eyes.

• Studies show they slow DNA aging so your skin stays young and healthy looking.

And that’s just a partial list of their health benefits. You can enjoy these and other benefits by eating fish high in fat 2-3 times a week. These fish are wild caught fatty salmon, tuna, sardines and herring. All fish has some amount of omega 3′s in them.

You can also take fish oil supplements high in omega 3′s. Make sure they have DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids. You’ll also want to make sure they measure up to or exceed the International Fish Oil Standards for purity. There’s no sense in taking supplements with mercury and other heavy metals is there?