Embracing Fat During Pregnancy and Beyond: Essential Fatty Acids
Filed Under Fitmom Wellness |
Fatty acids are simply components of fats. There are three essential fatty acids (EFAs). Essential means your body needs these for proper function. The two below need to be included in your diet because your body cannot manufacture them.
• The first is alpha-linolenic acid (LNA or ALA), from the omega-3 family of fatty acids.
· Found in flax (abundantly), and in small quantities in walnuts, cold pressed canola oil, wheat germ (the part taken out when making white flour), and dark green leafy vegetables (in tiny amounts)
• Linoleic acid (LA) is the other essential fatty acid, belonging to the omega-6 family of fatty acids.
· Found abundantly in soy oil, sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, tahini, corn oil, and in most nuts.
There exist also other (non-essential) fatty acids, which your body can manufacture from the two essential ones.
• Non-essential omega-3 fatty acids include DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), which the body makes from ALA (the omega-3 essential fatty acid). You may have heard about fish oil and omega-3 fats. Oily cold-water fish and algae contains good amounts of DHA and EPA. Infants and children need DHA for proper brain growth from their diet (and breast milk can have a lot of it!), so in that sense we could classify DHA as an essential fat for children.
• Non-essential omega-6 fatty acids include AA (arachidonic acid) and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), which your body makes from LA (the omega-6 essential fatty acid).
Does a woman need more EFAs during pregnancy/breastfeeding?
Yes. The brain is over 60% fat and very rich in both omega-3 and omega-6 EFA derivatives, so the baby needs EFAs for brain development and brain function. These are drawn from the mother’s body during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
So during pregnancy and breastfeeding, the mother gets depleted of essential fatty acids, especially the omega-3 fatty acids. Each child gets less EFAs than the previous child, depleting the mother even further, UNLESS the mother augments her diet with EFAs like flax oil, oily fish, or DHA/EPA from algae (a good vegan source).
This depletion of the mother’s EFA stores for baby’s brain building can explain why younger children have more developmental and behavioral problems than older children, especially if the children are born close together. It also can explain why women experience far more depression, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue, and more inflammatory, autoimmune, and collagen diseases than men.
Cheers,
Andrea Page
Sources
Dr. David William’s Alternatives Newsletter September 1999 issue
Udo Erasmus: Fats that Heal Fats that Kill
FAQ of Essential fats, oil processing, good fats, trans fats, etc. from Udoerasmus.com
Humans Turn omega-3 fatty acid ALA to omega-3 fatty acids EPA/DHA (Fish Oil) by Udo Erasmus
The Human Brain — Essential fatty acids
Fats for Health.com — Your source for Essential Fatty Acid Information and News
