Nevertheless, a lot of major products now tote labels that say their omega-3s work the same as fish oil, providing the same benefits, but I did a little research on the Silk DHA Omega-3 & Calcium soy milk product. What I found is each 8-ounce serving contains only 32mg of omega-3, most likely from the soy bean product used as an ingredient. Compare this amount to what studies use in finding out omega-3 helps in improving brain development in kids with behavioral disorders, which is 3,000mg per day. Even at the Silk company’s website, the research that supports their claim that their product is a healthy source of omega-3 fatty acids specifically says, “The only good sources are fish and seafood, together with “omega-3″ eggs” (reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17254747).
After learning about this information, I looked into Jif Omega-3 Creamy Peanut Butter which also claims to have healthy levels of omega-3 in every serving. It turns out that it also only has 32 mg per 2-tablespoon serving. Combine that with 2.5 grams of saturated fat and you have yourself a not so healthy product, though peanut butter is great for weight gain and protein. I also looked into Smart Balance Omega-3 Peanut Butter and found a nice 1,000mg of omega-3 per serving but also 1,500mg of omega-6. This 1.5 to 1 ratio is not as bad as you might imagine, but being that the peanut butter contains 17g of total fat and 3g of saturated fat per 2-tablespoon serving, I would hardly say it is a food you should overeat unless you want to gain weight. Furthermore, the omega-3 in Smart Balance Peanut Butter comes from flax seed, which as I already stated does not actually provide the same omega-3 benefits as fish oil.
I have read dozens of journal articles that support the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. I am a believer in their aid of frontal cortex brain development, helping in the control of unwanted behaviors, and that they boost immune responses of infants and reduce inflammation due to arthritis. However, I am not convinced that flax seed provides the same benefits of omega-3 fatty acids as fish does or that food which contains less than 100mg of omega-3 actually does what 3g of omega-3 does.
My recommendation to you is research any food product that claims to be beneficial to your health. Really look closely at how much of a “healthy” ingredient it has and if it outweighs the negatives of saturated fat or refined sugars. Furthermore, never believe because a product claims to be good for your heart, it is. Advertisers smartly place labels that, while true the way they are written (e.g., “Omega-3 [has been] shown to support brain and heart health”), do not accurately reflect the product’s impact on your health. The safest way to be health smart is to do your research.
Page :« previous | next »
Pages: 1 2