First of all, the paleo diet is a diet where you are supposed to eat what your ancestors ate. I know this is a very short description, but it captures the essence of this diet. It may be difficult to replicate the exact diet of our ancestors, but you can always eat a modernized version of it.
How could you do this right? First, you can start by implementing more nuts, seeds, grass-fed meat, and wild-caught fish into your diet. If you implement more of these foods, you will most likely increase your omega 3 intake.
Why your omega-3 intake might increase when you follow the paleo diet:
• Grass-fed meat has a lower omega 6:3 ratio than industrially raised meat.
• Flax seeds contain high amounts of omega 3
• Wild-caught fish contains more omega 3s than farm-raised fish.
• Pasture eggs contain large amounts of omega 3 and have a considerably lower omega 6:3 ratio than conventional eggs.
Why it is important to get enough omega 3:
These are some of the positive effects that omega 3 is said to have:
• Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
• Anti-inflammatory
• Improve your cholesterol
• Support against cancer, depression, ADHD and Alzheimer’s
Omega 3 of plant origin:
Another great source of omega 3s that you are likely to find when following a paleo diet are seeds, such as flaxseeds. Flaxseeds contain large amounts of ALA fatty acids, which is a type of omega 3.
When ingested, ALA is converted to DHA and EPA in the body. These two types of omega 3s are what most of the omega 3 health benefits are linked to. However, your body converts ALA to EPA/DHA at a low rate, so it may be difficult to get the same amounts of DHA/EPA from plant-based omega-3 sources than from animal-based fat sources. However, omega 3 from plant sources such as flaxseeds is still beneficial for you and should be a part of your diet.
An easy way to implement flaxseeds into your diet is to include them in bread recipes. Here it is important to grind the seeds so that your body digests them properly.
Why it’s important to focus on the omega 6:3 ratio:
When it comes to omega 3s, it’s important to pay attention to the omega 6:3 ratio and not just the omega 3 intake itself. The ratio I’m talking about here is the ratio in your body.
The modern man probably has a ratio of around 20:1, and the optimal omega 6:3 ratio that is associated with the most health benefits is somewhere around 4:1-1:1. When regular grain-fed beef has a 6:3 ratio of about 20:1, and grass-fed beef has a 6:3 ratio of about 3:1, then you’ll see why it’s beneficial to consume grass-fed beef instead of grain-fed beef.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, omega 3 fatty acids are very beneficial for you. However, it is important to note that the omega 6:3 ratio is vital in order to enjoy the benefits of omega 3s. Seeds, grass-fed meat, and wild-caught fish may help you optimize the ratio of omega 6:3 in your body. .