The Ultimate Guide to Omegas

Omega-3 fatty acids are nutrients that help build and maintain a healthy body.

The word “fat” usually depicts a negative connotation, but omega-3 fats are anything but negative. They are healthy fats that deliver many health benefits.

In this Ultimate Guide to Omega-3, you’ll learn more about the types of omega-3 fats and how to choose the omega-3 supplement that’s right for you.

Table of Contents

• Why We All Need Essential Fatty Acids
• What Are EPA and DHA?
• How to Choose an Omega Supplement
• Omega-3 Comparison Table

Why We All Need Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are essential! Since the body cannot make them, we need to get them through our diet or supplementation. EFAs, which include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, are vital for all stages of life, beginning with fetal brain development through to our senior years, preserving cognitive function.
 These healthy fats are required for the proper function of the heart, nervous system, vision, cell membranes, skin, and brain, as well as for energy metabolism, hormone production, and joint health.

Key Health Benefits of Omega-3s

Omega-3 EFAs are important for overall good health from infancy to adulthood. In summary, omega-3s support:

• Brain health – Support brain function and cognitive health
• Heart health – Help maintain cardiovascular health, and reduced serum triglycerides (a type of fat (lipid) found in the blood)
• Prenatal and children’s health – For the development of the brain, eyes, and nerves in children up to 12 years
• Healthy levels of anti-inflammatory activity in the body

Getting to Know Your Omegas!

The typical Western diet tends to be higher in meat and refined vegetable oils that provide a higher amount of omega-6 and is low in omega-3. This creates an unhealthy, imbalanced omega-3/6 fatty acid ratio in the body, estimated to be more like 10–20 parts omega-6 to 1 part omega-3, which is quite different from the 1–2:1 ratio of a human diet of the past. Low consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can result in nutritional deficiencies and impact the optimal health of our skin, eyes, and brain function.

Imbalances can be improved by consuming food or supplements that contain the long-chain omega-3s eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or the short-chain omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body converts into limited amounts of EPA and DHA.

Both omega-3 and omega-6 in supplements are easily damaged by light, heat, and exposure to oxygen in the air. Omega-3 in foods such as seeds and oils can also be damaged by excess heat, air, and light exposure. This means that it is best to get these EFAs from fresh food and cold-pressed oils like olive oil, rather than processed foods or highly refined oils used for cooking.

Omega-3 Food Sources

Cold-water fish and microalgae are especially rich in DHA and EPA. Great food sources include salmon, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and krill oil. Many plant sources, such as walnuts, flaxseeds and flax oil, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds/oil, hemp seeds/oil, and certain sea vegetables contain omega-3 ALA, which the body can then convert into EPA and limited amounts of DHA.

What are EPA and DHA?

EPA and DHA are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and are essential fatty acids that the body needs for optimal health. They help regulate triglycerides and blood pressure, keep brain and nerve cells healthy for memory and learning support, and help relieve certain types of arthritis.

How to Choose an Omega Supplement

Make Sure Your Omega-3 is an Eco-Friendly Omega

Fish burps occur when fish oil starts digesting in the stomach, and for some people, the discomfort leads to people avoiding omega-3 supplements all together.

Our clear enteric softgel technology enables the softgel to bypass the stomach completely and go straight to the intestine where it is digested and absorbed, thereby preventing fishy burps.

What does “clear enteric” mean?

Our omega-3 clear enteric softgels build natural enteric ingredients right into the softgels themselves, rather than spraying a coating on the outside.
As mentioned above, this technology allows them to pass through the stomach and into the lower gastrointestinal tract unharmed, without the risk of flaking, peeling, or cracking that sometimes causes external enteric coatings to fail.

The difference is clear. Our unique clear enteric technology guarantees no fishy aftertaste! 

Comparison Chart of Omega Supplements

If you want the omega-3 benefits of fish without eating fish, Webber Naturals offers a range of high-quality and sustainably sourced omega-3 supplements to complement a healthy diet.

Now that you know more about omega-3 supplements, take a look at the full line of Webber Naturals omegas to help you maintain good health.