Hello Love!

So I love chia seeds and chia seed oil is one of nature’s glorious healers. One well-known reason for their goodness is that they are ridiculously high in polyunsaturated oils. These are oils that are not made by our bodies. Polyunsaturated oils are wonderful for you and your hair because they’re an excellent source of linoleic acid (18-20%) and alpha linoleic acid (55-60%).¹ These emollient acids rejuvenate skin, nourish the hair follicle from deep below the root, lubricates the hair shaft, and boosts hair growth. Your body converts these fatty acids into omega-3 essentials (YES!).

This gives you omega-3 power, but at a lower level (about 1%) than the omega-3s you can find in most fish oils. The EPA & DHA found there is already converted into a form your body can digest. This is important because it is the EPA & DHAs in omega-3’s that are linked to a gazillion health benefits. Two biggies: they help reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke along with any other chronic illness you can think of.

Yes…that too!

Some of the conditions with scientific support for their effectiveness include:

cancer
alzheimer’s disease
arthritis
neurological recovery
increased memory
hair loss

The Two Best Plant Based Sources of Omega 3’s are:

Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil
Chia seeds and chia seed oil

I used a lot of flaxseed oil in the past to help raise Damon’s omega-3 fatty acid levels. As they stated to increase, so did his speech. He still needed a little more but I started running out of ways to get all that oil in his system without causing other problems.

Flaxseeds are great sources of omega 3’s but you’ll have to have about 2 tablespoons a day (of flaxseeds or flaxseed oil) a day to get enough of the omega 3’s needed. This can be done by adding the oil to salad dressings, a pinch to your morning smoothie, or through flaxseed flour and meal.

It’s Like Butter

This homemade butter is a delicious, healthy source of flaxseeds. You can also change up the texture and taste slightly, by using chia seed eggs in this recipe instead.

EPA & DHA are extremely essential for continued brain development and overall health, growth, and prevention of chronic illness. If you download the DIY Hair Repair Oil recipe, I’ve also included how to make chia seed flour and a chia seed egg. You never know when you may need one:)

Why Fish Oils Are Bad For Health

The problem with fish oils is that they are often high in mercury and the body does not process or digest heavy metals. High mercury levels have been linked to one of the causes of autism.

Before you buy and always before you change your diet, make sure that you know where your oils are coming from. I’ve included a few I’ve used. Do you have a favorite?

All Chia Seeds Are Not Equal

Polyunsaturated oils stay liquid at room temperature and in the refrigerator. Raw, Ecuadorian chia seeds contain the highest amount of polyunsaturated oils and overall nutrients. I have found some places that sell them online, but I buy my chia seeds locally so I don’t know how their seeds are. Most of the chia seeds you buy will meet your chia challenge. If you have ordered these or have another favorite online, let us know in the comments!

What I Use

I’ve used OmegaGenetics for a few years now with DJ. I love it because you only need a teaspoon to get a mega dose of EPA, DHA, and Omega-3’s. It’s had a tremendous effect on his cognitive and neurological recovery from autism. (To those of you who continue to ask and pray for The Boss, thank you! We have a video update coming in a few weeks. Lots of good news:)

This brand is what his dr.’s office sells (and I like that he only needs a teaspoon of it and not a tablespoon), and it was significantly less ($19). It’s gone up since then and it’s still less than what I used to buy.

You probably don’t need a dose as high as the one we take so be sure to look around. Kirkland makes a good one and we used to use Nordic Naturals before that. They both worked well. He seems to like the taste of this one better, it has a lemon flavor. They all taste like oil to me:)

One more thing…I do not work for this company and none of these are affiliate links.

DIY Hair Repair Oil (don’t worry…it doesn’t contain fish oil:)

This post was getting super long so I moved this recipe to it’s own post. It’s the perfect oil for all seasons and especially during the winter months. Great for scalp massage, twists, ends and edges. Click the Download bar, enter your fabulous email, and never buy hair repair oil again!

Download Me

For more about Me & DJ read this and watch Why I Really Eat Probiotic Foods

Do you use fish oils for prevention?

Sources

Alpha-linoleic Acid: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/alphalinolenic-acid
Imran, M., Nadeem, M., Faisal Manzoor, M., Javed, A., Ali, Z., Nadeem Akhtar, M., & … Hussain, Y. (2016). Fatty acids characterization, oxidative perspectives and consumer acceptability of oil extracted from pre-treated chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds. Lipids In Health & Disease, 151-13. doi:10.1186/s12944-016-0329-x
Kim, E. J., Kim, M.-K., Jin, X.-J., Oh, J.-H., Kim, J. E., & Chung, J. H. (2010). Skin Aging and Photoaging Alter Fatty Acids Composition, Including 11,14,17-eicosatrienoic Acid, in the Epidermis of Human Skin. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 25(6), 980–983. http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2010.25.6.980
Mohd Ali, N., Yeap, S. K., Ho, W. Y., Beh, B. K., Tan, S. W., & Tan, S. G. (2012). The Promising Future of Chia, Salvia hispanica L. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2012, 171956. http://doi.org/10.1155/2012/171956
Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/#R113
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3518271/

Why I Use Fish Oil To Prevent & Treat Autism