People do seem to know about omega-3 fatty acids. I find people know they need them, but that is about it. They also know that they are in salmon, which is true, but beyond that? Crickets. This knowledge may be partly because we health professionals talk about omega-3 and eating salmon but never go much past that. So here is the mini-nutrition lesson for today about omega-3 fats.

Fat is an essential nutrient – we do need it in the diet. And there are two more specific kinds that we need to include regularly: omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Many people know omega-3 fatty acids though they may not know the details. However, I find that people either haven’t even heard of omega-6 fats or think we need to avoid them. Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fat since we need to get them from the diet. But why don’t we hear much about this one?

Continuing with part 3 of this series on the Nutrition Facts label addresses the required vitamins and minerals: vitamin D, sodium, iron, calcium, and potassium. Why are these nutrients the ones listed? What are the reference amounts are for them?

Continuing with part 2 of this series on the Nutrition Facts label covers the macronutrients: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. I also address the sub-categories of fat including saturated fat and trans-fat, cholesterol, and the sub-categories of carbohydrates including the newest addition to the Nutrition Facts - added sugars.

See why those numbers don’t always add up and why protein seems like an afterthought. It isn’t