If you’re moisturizing your skin from within, then chances are the omegas have already kicked in; only someone with a good head on their shoulders would optimize their essential fat intake for mind- and body-health first, knowing that beautiful, glowing skin is the natural side effect.
The essential fats—omega-3s and -6s—aka essential fatty acids (EFAs)—are called “essential” specifically because they’re required for many basic functions in the body, just like certain essential vitamins or minerals, but the body cannot make EFAs from any other nutrients and therefore must be obtained from dietary sources.
While coconut oil, olive oil, and avocados are popular sources of omega-9s and have some health benefits, it is important to understand that omega-9s and saturated fats are nonessential because the body can make them from other nutrients as needed. That is the crucial difference between essential and nonessential fats. EFAs are also more easily damaged by heat, light, and oxygen so they must be handled with extra care. When we eat and drink, a healthy body sorts and sends nutrients where they are needed most.
On a cellular level, EFAs play a crucial role in building brain structure: the human brain is about 60% fat. EFAs also act as messengers for brain synthesis and neurotransmitter activity and therefore play a key role in mental performance and health. Undamaged EFAs have been shown to elevate mood, improve mental capacity for processing information, and in some studies, have shown to increase IQ.
Since survival always takes priority, nutrients are fed to the vital organs first—the brain, heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs—with skin getting them last. This is why dry skin is a reliable indicator that you are not getting optimal amounts of good fats. Skin is an organ that acts as a natural barrier against the loss of moisture and tends to thin as we age, making us more susceptible to dry, flaky skin. In addition to drinking plenty of water, eliminating excess sugars and processed foods from the diet, and limiting sun exposure, ask any knowledgeable dermatologist what their top natural skincare tips are and they will tell you: get plenty of undamaged omega-3s and -6s.
If your skin doesn’t feel soft and velvety, you are not maintaining optimal amounts of EFAs. We are talking about building a foundation of food oils (as opposed to a pill supplement) first: sustainable, plant-based, undamaged fats, with a higher ratio of omega-3s to -6s, kept in the fridge, added to foods once they’ve been removed from the heat source. Oils made with health in mind!
In life there are no shortcuts, only smart choices. If you don’t take care of nutrition first, you’re probably not doing yourself any favors. If you believe that true beauty starts from the inside, then optimizing your essential fat foundation first just makes sense from a health (and even a cost!) perspective. And proof enough that you’re not just a pretty face!
Udo’s Oil™ 3·6·9 Blend supplies omega-3 and omega-6 EFAs in a 2:1 ratio. It is a special formulation of natural, unrefined oils from fresh, certified organic flax, sunflower, sesame and evening primrose seeds as well as oils from coconut, rice and bran. This formula is the result of many years of scientific study by world-renowned nutrition expert Udo Erasmus, author of the best-selling book, Fats That Heal Fats That Kill.
