Essential Fatty Acid Tidbits:

FACT: Your Body Can't Live without Fat.

• The human brain is 60% fat.
• Fat maintains the integrity of the nervous system, your brain's "communication center" with the rest of your body.
• Fat is needed by all the cells in your body: Nerve cells, eye cells, brain cells and even heart cells need fat to survive.
• Your body needs fat in order to properly absorb and use crucial vitamins such as A, D, E, K and Beta-Carotene
• Fat boosts your immune system and acts as a shield to keep out harmful germs and microbes that can cause illness.

 http://www.nahanniriverherbs.com/186

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are well, like the name says, essential for daily living. Most commonly known as Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential acids are actually categorized by numbers for accuracy and clarity. There are over 52 different varriations of EFAs including Omega 3, Omega 6 and there is also Omega 9.  Part of what is essential that I didn’t realize until recently is not just that I need to put them in my body but how they interact with each other and just how much of what the body needs.

Did you know that the human body requires a 3:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6? Meaning that the proper amounts are part of what is “Essential” about them. Here are a few quotes that I found interesting from the internet (I think Wikipedia).

Essential fatty acids play a part in many metabolic processes, and there is evidence to suggest that low levels of essential fatty acids, or the wrong balance of types among the essential fatty acids, may be a factor in a number of illnesses, including osteoporosis.^[14]
In the body, essential fatty acids serve multiple functions. In each of these, the balance between dietary ω-3 and ω-6 strongly affects function.

• They are modified to make
• the classic eicosanoids (affecting inflammation and many other cellular functions)
• the endocannabinoids (affecting mood, behavior and inflammation)
• the lipoxins from ω-6 EFAs and resolvins from ω-3 (in the presence of aspirin, downregulating inflammation.)
• the isofurans, neurofurans, isoprostanes, hepoxilins, epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and Neuroprotectin D
• They form lipid rafts (affecting cellular signaling)^[7]
• They act on DNA (activating or inhibiting transcription factors such as NF-κB, which is linked to pro-inflammatory cytokine production)^[8]

Research suggests that high intakes of fish and omega-3 fatty acids are linked to decreased rates of major depression.

Basically, the moral of the story (and purpose of this blog) is know what you’re eating and why (to whatever degree you are comfortable with). Don’t take my word for it either, try it out for yourself. Set a weekly goal or challenge about nutrition or whatever area you’d like to improve and see where the results take you.

I’ve been monitoring to make sure I’ve had as close to appropriate nutritional levels as possible (manageable within the circumstance of each day, aka I don’t stress out of the place I’m eating at lunch doesn’t have fish or omega 3 containing foods, I just make sure to incorporate it with dinner or if I missed the mark that day I know I’ll eat it as soon as I can the next). I’ve already noticed a difference in my hair and skin (I started this last week actually) and have refined my challenge this week as I kept thinking I was missing the “mark” on my goal but really, I misunderstood what nutrition is all about. It’s more about an accumulation of vitamins and minerals on a daily basis so the body can do it’s job.  What I eat today is important for how the body will function not just for today but for the next week or month or however long. Ok, ok… I’ll get off the soap box now and have some fish tacos for lunch! :o)

Here's a quick and easy recipe for fish tacos (this photo is from Rachel Ray' website- her's look most like mine). PS the thought of fish tacos used to repulse me until I moved to San Diego and learned what mexican food (and fish tacos) were supposed to taste like. Yum-o as someone might say!

Ingreditents:

Taco:

1 pound cooked white fish (halibut is my favorite but it'll work with any fish, really. made salmon tacos last week and making Ahi tacos today). I pan sear or BBQ

1 package sprouted corn tortillas (or whatever your favorite is or make them homemade), warmed  (bake in oven on low or on a gas burner on low for a few minutes then remove and place in a tortilla warmer (or just before eating)

Slaw

1/2 medium green cabbage sliced as thin as possible and then into more bite sized pieces (or red cabbage is ok too. I've also used crunchy romaine hearts when I'm out)

1/2 cup fresh prepared salsa (cheat and buy in a store OR make avocado cilantro salsa and skip the mayo- see recipe below-SO GOOD!)

1 tbsp canola (or grapeseed or your fav) mayonaise

While fish cooking place tortillas in oven set to warm. Chop cabbage and place in medium sized bowl, add salda and mayo or skip to preparing cilantro avocado salsa and stir until well mixed. Set aside.

On plates arrange tortillas and assemble; fish, slaw and maybe garnish with a little hot sauce, cilantro and/or some more salsa and enjoy!


AVOCADO CILANTRO SALSA

Ingredients: 

1 small green basket of tomatillos (or about 6-7 medium tomatillos).
2 ripe hass avocados
1 bunch of cilantro
1 onion or 3 stems green onions
2 medium jalapeño (and seeds of ONE jalapeno for medium spicy- best to add less and taste, then add more), if necessary)
sea salt
Pepper

Preparation: 

Peel the leaves off of the tomatillos and throw them in the blender until creamy, I needed to add a little bit of water to get it goin'.  Next add the cilantro, jalapeño and onions.  Then with the blender running add the avocado (pitted, just spoon the meat out).  I add the salt and pepper (to taste) and after about 30 seconds stop blending, it should be rich and creamy. Hands down the best salsa ever. You can also roast the tomatillos if you prefer it that way. I used it once for green enchilada sauce it was awesome!