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By Rick and Jan HansonFats That Are Good for a MotherI always thought fat was bad, but now I’m reading about "good fats." What should I do? Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are in the news because they are needed for a healthy heart and brain, plus they are absolutely crucial for the healthy development of a fetus or child. Unfortunately, they are usually deficient in mothers since they are drawn on heavily to grow a baby during pregnancy and breast milk is loaded with them, and most women don’t have anywhere near enough to start with. Increasing your intake of one type of EFAs—omega-3 oils found in fish and flax—can help prevent cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and depression. It can also make your hair and skin more moist; dryness, including dandruff, is a potential sign of omega-3 deficiency. And pregnant or breastfeeding women can help the optimal development of their child’s brain by getting optimal amounts of these important oils. Here’s how to get the good fats you need: Do not use refined oils. Make virgin olive oil your everyday oil. Minimize your use of safflower, sunflower, soybean, and sesame oils. Avoid trans-fatty acids. These are found in deep-fried foods, and in the hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats used in margarine, and in most baked or packaged foods. Increase your intake of a vital type of EFA’s – omega-3’s:
§ Eat omega-3 rich fish (salmon, mackerel, trout, or sardines); but try to consume no more than 2 servings a week, to avoid getting too much of the mercury, alas, and is increasingly found in fish at the top of the food chain. § Take a fish oil supplement that indicates on the label that it has been "molecularly distilled" for purity. Take enough to get about 500 milligrams/day of a key ingredient called DHA. Some people can tolerate taking the oil in a spoonful, but most people will want to spend a little more and get it in capsules. Some people prefer flax oil to fish oil due to being a vegetarian. Unfortunately, many people lack some of the enzymes or co-factors needed to convert flax oil into the long-chain fatty acids your body needs, which already exist in fish oil. If you do choose to use flax oil, make sure you’re taking a good multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement as well, for the co-factors it contains.) § Use a gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) supplement if you have symptoms that suggest a deficiency, such as premenstrual tension, eczema, or arthritis. You can find GLA in supplements of primrose, borage, or black currant oil. Daily suggested doses are given on the labels. With these small steps, you'll be supporting your health and well-being every day! About The Author ...Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist who works with couples, individual adults, and children. He has written and lectured extensively on parental stress and depletion, ways to nurture mothers and fathers, and how a couple can be both strong teammates and intimate friends while raising a family. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, Dr. Hanson did management consulting before earning his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Wright Institute. Jan Hanson, M.S., is an acupuncturist and nutritionist whose private practice focuses on women's health and on temperament problems in children. In addition to developing protocols for preventing and reversing maternal depletion, she has written articles and presented workshops on family health and on holistic approaches to childhood illnesses. She and Rick have been married for over twenty years, and they have a teenage son and pre-teen daughter. Visit their site at nurturemom.com.
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