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The fats and oils in our diet are made up of chains of fatty acids. These fatty acids are classified as essential or as non-essential, according to whether or not they can be produced by our bodies. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) are those which we cannot make ourselves and must obtain from our diets.

There is much evidence that modern diets are relatively deficient in EFA and that this can have broad implications for our health.

The two EFA of significance for humans are linolenic and linoleic acids. These are more commonly known as "omega 3" and "omega 6" oils respectively. Both are involved in a wide range of body functions and to ensure these are running efficiently we should try to increase in our diets the following excellent sources of omega oils:

  • Corn oil
  • Groundnut oil
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Safflower oil
  • Sunflower seed oil
  • Green vegetables
  • Linseed oil (flax seed oil)
  • Soybean oil
  • Walnuts

Watch labels for these ingredients and add them to your diet and/or recipes whenever possible.

See also: Dr. Approved Fatty Acid and Omega-3 Supplementation

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