Monday, September 22, 2008

Where can I get those good fats?

I find it not surprising that fruits are excellent sources of good fats. There are other foods the article Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good has enumerated but I am looking for something that I could easily get my hands on. I settled with fish. Fishes high in omega-3 fats have become a charmer because of its good taste. I don't know why omega-3 is so essential until I read another of their article Omega-3 Fats: An Essential Contribution that says my body cannot make them and so I have to get them from food. According to that (latter) article, omega-3 fats are needed by  my cell membranes and influence the function of those membrane's cell receptors. They actually provide the starting point for creating hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of the artery walls and inflammation. I can now see how they help reduce the risk of heart diseases and strokes, cancer and so on. Salmon is a good source of omega-3 fats. 

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They even posted a recipe for that. See here.  I sometimes love fresh fishes like salmon and tuna cooked in vinegar. Well, I don't really cook it because there is no heat involved. Just soaked in vinegar with onions and ginger then I let it stay in the refrigerator for hours. But sometimes I love to fry fish. So another question sprouted in my mind. Will omega-3 fats be destroyed if I fry the fish? Fortunately, Harvard University's School of Public Health is very kind they had another article Ask the Expert: Omega-3 Fatty Acids which gives a direct answer to my question. Dr. Frank Sacks said, "Not if the oil is fresh. In fact, even in frying oil that is used for days, you can still find ALA (alpha-linoleic acid, one major type of omega-3 fatty acids) in it. Hmmm..I'm craving for fish :).

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