The good fats

Your body's billions of cells need essential fatty acids.

Q What are essential fatty acids and what foods are they in?

-- J. Schell, New Orleans, La.

First, it's important to know that saturated fat's bad rap as an artery-clogging precursor to heart disease and stroke does not apply to essential fatty acids (EFAs). This collection of "good" polyunsaturated fats are actually vital to body function. "Without EFAs, our bodies run out of the building blocks our cells require to maintain peak function," says Michael Schmidt, a research scientist at the Functional Medicine Research Center in Gig Harbor, Wash., and author of Smart Fats: How Dietary fats and Oils Affect mental, Physical and Emotional Intelligence (Frog Ltd., 1997).

EFAs include both omega-6 (linoleic) and omega-3 (alpha-linoleic) fatty acids. Together they're used to create prostaglandins, the hormone-like chemical messengers responsible for regulating blood pressure, oxygen transport and pain and inflammation. But EFAs primary function is to maintain the liquid barrier surrounding each cell, known as the cell membrane, and to transport waste and nutrients (amino acids, hormones, minerals, vitamins and water) in and out of cells. "The lining of every cell in the body is made of fat," explains Ray Sahelein, M.D., author of HTP: Nature's Serotonin Solution (Avery Publishing, 1998). "In order for cell to communicate with each other, the membrane needs to be fluid. Hence, our need for polyunsaturated fats, such as the EFAs which are fluid, as opposed to saturated fats, the hard fats, which are not fluid."

Given their role in cell activity, EFAs have a profound influence on brain function as well as the cadiovascular, inflammatory and immune systems. Without EFAs, our risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke increases, according to Michael T. Murray, N.D., and Jade Beutler, R.R.T., R.C.P., authors of Understanding Fats and Oils: Your Guide to Healing with Essential fatty Acids (Progressive health Publishing, 1996). A host of additional ailments--skin problems, depression, learning disabilities and even diabetes--also can be traced to low levels of EFAs, says Schmidt.

The body naturally makes dozens of fatty acids, but it can't manufacture the EFAs. These must come from food sources. Unfortunately, about 80 percent of Americans aren't meeting their EFA requirements, according to Murray and Beutler. The reason? The standard Western diet, which is loaded with processed foods and delivers many more omega-6s than omega-3s. A balance between the two (generally, a 1:1 ratio) is absolutely critical for efficient prostaglandin production.

To get a proper mix of omega-6s and omega-3s, start by trading processed foods for whole foods. Good vegetarian sources that deliver the right amounts of both fatty acids include legumes, nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens and flaxseed oil, considered a mother lode of EFAs (see 7 Ways to Eat Your EFAs, p. 108). Simply add one to three teaspoons of flaxseed oil a day to your meals. For instance, Susan M. Lark, M.D., author of Women's Health Companion: Self-Help Nutrition Guide and Cookbook (Celestial Arts, 1995), uses flaxseed oil in place of butter on mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and bread.

RELATED ARTICLE: 7 Ways to Eat Your EFAs

Getting more of these vital nutrients into your diet isn't difficult; just follow these tips:

1 Mix up a salad dressing with flaxseed oil.

2 Snack on walnuts, almonds, cashews, brazil and pistachio nuts, as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

3 Help yourself to an extra serving of dark green leafy vegetables.

4 Swap your regular cereal for a flaxseed cereal instead.

5 Grind up flaxseeds and sprinkle then on your salad and baked potatoes.

6 Buy flaxmeal and stir into smoothies and other beverages.

7 Replace the oil in your favorite dip with flaxseed oil.

RELATED ARTICLE: Buying and Using EFA Supplements

You'll find EFAs in natural food stores. Here are a few hints for smart buying.

Head for the refrigerated section. Oil supplements, like flaxseed, need to be kept cold to keep them from going rancid. Store your bottle in the refrigerator when you get home and never heat.

Look for cold-pressed oils. This process avoids high temperatures and eliminates exposure to light and oxygen to preserve the oils integrity. Choose one in a dark plastic bottle, which also prevent light damage.

Check the use-by date. Avoid bottles nearing their expiration dates. At home, note the supplement's use-by date on your calendar.

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