Are you getting enought omega 3 fatty acids?

As everyone know, there is a major craze about Omega 3 fatty acids. But do people really know the benefits of this long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid? How do we get more of this?

First of all, the majority of us don't get as much as we need. American's normal diet will include more the the Omega 6 fatty acids. Interesting enough, these two fatty acids can not be made in the body, which mean we HAVE to get it from our diet. That is opposed to Omega 9, your body makes that naturally.

Second, the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids compete for the same enzymes to elongate. For our body to use these fatty acids, they have to elongate to be 20 carbons in length. These enzymes will favor elongating the omega 3 over the omega 6 and omega 9. The big concern with not getting enough omega 3 is that from the elongation of omega 3, we get specific eicosanoids (20 carbon chains) that will be converted to other molecules that can greatly help our body.

These molecules can then help with lowering our risk of heart disease (the #1 killer in the US), lowering triglyceride levels in the blood, and is anti-atherosclerotic (meaning that less plaque will accumulate in your arteries). These are some major advantages of increasing the omega 3 fatty acid content in your diet.

You may ask, "How do I do that?" It can be very easy! Some of the foods/oils that contain omega 3 include:
- flaxseeds and flaxseed oils
- fish oils or eating cold water fish (salmon, cod, etc)
- walnuts
- avocados
- canola oil

These are just to name a few

So the next meal that you eat, keep in mind how you can incorporate some omega 3 fatty acids. In the long run, your body and heart will thank you.

P.S. this will help also with adding exercise to your everyday routine :)

After Thanksgiving Burn up!

Everyone knows how hard the holidays are on a diet and exercise routine. All I have to say is "Give yourself a break every once in a while." There will be times that you slip up and others where you are right on target. You can't let that discourage you from your end goal. 

Start small with a goal and increase its worth a little bit at a time. This can help to ensure that it becomes more of a "habit" instead of a burden.

Encourage friends to join you. Moral support can go a long way in helping reach your goal.

The biggest of all, you have to have the DESIRE to change. Its very unhealthy doing the "yo-yo" dieting thing. You get down to a size you like and then you gain it all back. Your body, on the inside, is probably wondering what you are doing! That puts a lot of strain on your body. We only get one, so why not make sure it works properly? 

Diary of a Nutrition Student

This is my first blog ever! I am currently a Master's Student in Sports Nutrition at Florida State University. I am in my first semester in the nutrition program. Starting over in school is a bit difficult at age 26. I currently have my BS in Biology and then after 4 years I decided to go back because I didn't like my job. I always had a passion for exercising and then I competed in my first figure competition and realized how IMPORTANT nutrition is to losing weight. That is when I decided fully that I wanted to commit to going back to school and continue my education in nutrition.


So here I am, moving across the country (lived in Cali for 8 years) to go to school and I am one of the older people in the program :) I guess its better late than never! As my first semester comes to a close there are a few things that I have learned...
1. Nutrition people LOVE food!!!! I know we are supposed to be the ideal models for healthy eating but we love to eat!
2. We love food but in moderation
3. If people don't want to lose weight, they aren't going to... it's only the people that have the drive to lose weight that will
4. So this has nothing to do with nutrition but people in the south LOVE their football!!!! they go crazy! its awesome!

There has been more that I learned this past semester but I don't want to flood the blog with everything and i would like to calm my brain before the big push of finals is over!

So if anyone has questions relating to nutrition, don't hesitate to ask!