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Importance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Aging Parents

Home Care in Wailea: In a world of fast food and pre-packaged staples, Americans can find their diet woefully lacking in Omega-3 fatty acids and overrun with Omega-6 fatty acids.

Home Care in Wailea

In a world of fast food and pre-packaged staples, Americans can find their diet woefully lacking in Omega-3 fatty acids and overrun with Omega-6 fatty acids. While both are derived solely fromHome-Care-in-Wailea the diet and are considered essential to people’s health and well-being, even survival, Omega-3s provide anti-inflammatory properties crucial to staving off the common chronic diseases of today.

The Past

Hunter-gatherer tribes ate Omega-3s and Omega-6s in an approximate ratio of 1:1. There is evidence that these ancient tribes did not suffer from the modern inflammatory diseases of today such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, macular degeneration, and some autoimmune diseases. Today this ratio ranges from 1:10 to 1:20 in large part to the increased consumption of vegetable oil.

Benefits

Omega-3s are predominantly found in fatty fish. Studies show that people who eat fish two times a week or more have a lower rate of heart disease. Higher amounts of Omega-3s in the diet also correlate with decreased breast, colon, prostrate and esophageal cancers. They have been found to lower triglycerides, sometimes by 50 percent. It is also found to lower the risk of dementia.

Sources

Fatty fish such as salmon, which should be wild as compared to farmed, and sardines are some of the best sources. It is also found in flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans, and spinach. If your parent does not have an inclination toward fish, consider a fatty acid supplement that contains all fatty acids in their correct proportions. Before adding any type of supplement to your parent’s regime, it’s important to check with their health care provider or pharmacist to determine that there are no possible interactions with their other medications.

Another option is doctoring up the fish to reduce any fishy flavor. As it’s always best to derive nutrition from your food, consider the following recipe designed to delight even the anti-fishiest of taste buds. Recipe: 1 lb of fresh salmon / 2 tsp Dijon mustard / 1 tbs soy sauce / 2 tbs olive oil / ¼ tsp minced garlic. Whisk together ingredients and use half of it to marinade the salmon for 10 minutes. Grill for five minutes on each side, plate and top with remaining sauce.

Home Care Provider

If you find the thought of creating a grocery list with Omega-3s in mind, shopping for such items, and then preparing the meals leaves you feeling overwhelmed, it may be time to consider obtaining the services of an in-home care provider. Not only can they take on the task of grocery shopping and meal preparation, they can help you with the other daily activities of living, leaving you more quality time with your parent and personal recharging time for yourself.

Have questions about Home Care in Wailea? Contact the caring staff at All Care Hawaii today.  Call Oahu (808) 206-8409 or Maui (808) 664-3853.  Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

 

Resources:   www.webmd.com/diet/features/who-needs-omega-3s

 

Jermie Chadwick, CEO

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