After starting the cod liver right away I noticed an improvement in my PAC's. It felt like a miracle. About 6 months later I up-ed my dosage, and noticed another phenomonal change- my dreams became incredibly vivid and my memory of detail in them was shocking and in some regard disturbing. It really shook me to think that instead of checking out at night I started living this psuedo alter life and waking up feeling almost as if it had really happened. I had heard that fish oils and essential fats were candy for my brain and heart health, but I had no idea I would see the immediate benefits of them.
A friend sent me an article last spring written by the Stuart Tomc - former consultant to the Chief Medical Officer of the World Health Organization:
"The brain and nervous system are comprised mostly of fat, so their function becomes impaired to the degree than they do not get adequate amounts of high-quality dietary fats, specifically the omega-3 fats."
Tomc says that omega-3 began rapidly disappearing from the dinner table about 50 years ago when ranchers stopped feeding cattle omega-3 rich grass and began feeding them grains. Adding to the problem of adequate omega-3 intake is the fact that these nutrients are destroyed by heat; so, baked, fried, or barbecued meats and vegetables provide no omega-3 benefits to those who eat them."
In a nut shell, essential fats such as Omega 6's and Omega 3's are not produced in our bodies, but are essential for proper cell function and cell communication. They are important in preventing a number of conditions and diseases, such as:
- cardiovascular health
- diabetes
- rheumatoid arthritis
- skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis
- brain function
- infant development
- immune function
- cancer prevention
A lot of people have a misconception about good fats - they think they will gain weight with them. My nutritionist explained to me in layman's terms that when we feed ourselves good fats that our body can actually use it will release the bad fat that it has been storing for back up - the fat that makes us, well, fat! So you can actually LOSE weight adding essential fats to your diet.
So how do I explain why my dreams are so vivid? Considering that kids with ADHD and ADD are often treated with fish oil supplements I can only imagine that these oils are allowing their brains and mine to focus.
So look for added Omega's and essential fats when picking out your foods - and take some fish oil! Get the good kind, you don't want to take in high levels of mercury:
http://www.carlsonlabs.com/product_detail.phtml?prodid=00207&categid=0014
http://www.nordicnaturals.com/
