Daily Tip #35: Omega-3 Brain Health Daily Habit Challenge
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VARSHA: ~, I have this here. Okay, let me have that here.~
~Did it again. All right. If you've been struggling with the brain fog. If you've been struggling with brain fog, ~[00:00:00] if you've been struggling with brain fog, the inability to make decisions and feel like you suddenly have ADHD, your brain might actually be missing something essential. Your brain could be aging faster right now, not because of what's on your plate, but because of what's missing from it.
Here's something most people don't realize. Nearly one third of your brain is made of a single nutrient, and if you're like most. You're probably not getting nearly enough of it. I'm talking about Omega-3 fatty acids. Why are Omega-3 fatty acids non-negotiable for brain health?
Omega 3's, particularly DHA, makes up roughly one third of the fatty acids that form your brain cell membranes.
DHA is critical for what's called synaptic fluidity. That's the flexibility and responsiveness of the connections between your brain cells. Studies show that DHA improves receptor binding and the release of [00:01:00] neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, so your brain cells can communicate more clearly.
But when you're deficient in omega 3's, your cell membranes become rigid and inflamed, and neurotransmission slows down. It just can't communicate as well. And this isn't just theoretical. Omega-3 deficiency has been directly linked to depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, poor memory, and even increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Omega 3's are also powerful anti-inflammatories. Remember, chronic inflammation is the root cause of most chronic diseases, and that absolutely includes brain diseases. When we're looking at root causes in functional medicine, Omega-3 status is one of the first things that I check, especially if somebody has any kind of cardiovascular risk, because
ePA, the other Omega-3 is important for heart health.
~Here's the problem. The standard American diet is loaded with Omega six fatty acids, and these come from processed foods, vegetable oils, grain fed meat, which are, and, and we. I, I don't know why this,~
~the American diet.~
~But Omega-3, but ~optimal Omega-3 levels are foundational nutrition for your brain [00:02:00] health.
This leads me to my daily habit challenge. Today I want you to include one Omega 3 rich food in your diet today, and if you can do it every single day, you will be doing your brain a great favor, and it'll thank you because you are feeding it with the brain food. But where can you get Omega-3? So you can get 'em from fatty fish?
That's one of the best sources
~and wild caught salmon is key because, and ~if it's doable within your budget, I would get wild caught salmon because it has a higher Omega-3 to omega six ratio and also has less mercury than farm raised salmon. Sardines are also packed in omega 3's low in mercury. And you wanna get it in water, olive oil or avocado oil. Do not get it in soybean oil. Uh, my patients kind of cringe when I mention sardines. I like sardines as long as I don't look at it when I'm eating it because it is a little creepy to see a little like the body of the fish.
But anyways, uh, they're [00:03:00] also, good for vitamin D. So because a lot of the canned salmon has the bones in there.
But three ounces of sardines gives you about 1200 milligrams of omega 3's.
There are also, other fishes like mackerel, anchovies, and herring.
Now, what if you're vegetarian? Well, there are some plant, and even if you're not vegetarian, these are also excellent sources of Omega-3.
~Um, so like I said. It may be. ~Now, it may be harder to get the Omega-3 from the plant-based foods because your body has to undergo several steps to get the DHA and EPA, unlike the wild co fish, and that conversion rate is only about five to 10%. So you have to.
Consume much more of it to get your Omega-3, and there are many things that can affect how well that enzyme converts it into your DHA and EPA, including certain nutrient deficiencies such as. [00:04:00] B6, zinc or magnesium. Also, if you are insulin resistant, then this may also slow down this enzyme, so you may not be able to get as much Omega-3 ~from your plant sourced, uh, ~from your plant-based sources.
But what are some of the best sources? Ground flax seeds, you could do one to two tablespoons a day in smoothies. Yogurt, I put it in my oatmeal. You can also do one to two tablespoons of chia seeds. Now, if you use chia seeds, they do gel up. So you wanna be mindful of that. I usually add about a half to one tablespoon if I make like overnight oats. cheese seeds are also high in fiber,
And then I also love hemp seeds, they are also a good source of Omega-3
you can also get an algae based DHA supplement algae is where fish get their Omega-3 in the first place, so it. Gives you the preformed DHA that your brain may need.
~So, as I mentioned, ~Omega-3 is one of the most important biomarkers ~that I will check on. You can check it on your blood to work ~that I will check on a blood test, especially if somebody has [00:05:00] a family history of dementia or have memory issues or cardiovascular issues. So, as I mentioned, DHA is important for brain health and EPA is your other Omega-3 fatty acid that's important for heart health.
If it's difficult for you, you don't like fish, or it's difficult for you to eat some of the other Omega-3 sources, you can check with your healthcare provider to see if a supplement might be worthwhile. Now if you are on blood thinners, you have to be careful, but work with your healthcare provider on this.
So for today, choose an Omega-3 rich food, and then I hope you'll incorporate it even beyond today, and you will be feeding your brain such wonderful nutrition. I hope this is helpful. ~Thanks for joining me today. There are some downloadables in the description below that you may find useful. Please leave a.~
~Please let me know what other topics you may want to hear about. Please subscribe. Okay. ~Thanks for joining me today. Please follow or subscribe and share. If you are listening on the podcast, [00:06:00] I would encourage you to check out my YouTube channel because there are videos on there that aren't on this podcast.
~Thanks for listening and thanks for listening or watching, and have a fantastic day. Stay tuned for tomorrow for another Daily Habit Challenge. ~Thanks for listening or watching, and have a fantastic day!
