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As you may already know there are good and bad fats. Good fats protect your body from diverse illnesses ranging from heart conditions to arthritis. On the other hand, bad fats clog your arteries and make you more vulnerable to strokes.

One of the leaders in positive fats is omega-3 fatty acid. The most popular source of this fat is fish, especially those that live in deep water such as salmon and tuna.

But recently the food industry has transferred the highly publicized success of omega-3 fatty acid onto other products. That's why in supermarket aisles you can find bread, eggs, cereals, milk, and spreadable margarine fortified with omega 3 and even orange juice with this substance added. Take the time to carefully read the content labels of products and you'll be taken by surprise.

The number of healthy options has multiplied and they are backed by the American Heart Association (AHA) which has compiled the virtues of omega-3 fatty acid in the following list:

• Improves conditions of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
• Alleviates symptoms of psoriasis and asthma.
• Lowers blood pressure and triglyceride levels.
• Increases HDL or good cholesterol.
• Reduces the symptoms of depression as well as bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's disease.

That's why the association recommends consuming the following amounts of omega-3 fatty acid:

• People who don't suffer from heart disease should consume lean fish, such as salmon, in at least 2 meals per week.
• People with heart disease should consume 1 gram of DHA and EPA (two variants of omega-3 fatty acids) a day. They can be in the form of prescription pills.

Among foods that naturally contain omega-3 fatty acids in addition to fish are beans, broccoli, canola, and certain other oils.

Just as Cathy Lewis, director of the AHA Consumer Health News department, explains, healthy options have multiplied and there are more possibilities to eat this fantastic nutrient. "The aim is to get rid of excuses for not eating this fat that is fundamental for our body because of not liking one food or another," explains Lewis.

In other words, there are no excuses . . .

Fats are organic substances made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and are the source of energy in foods. Together with proteins and carbohydrates, they make up the triad of nutrients that provide the body with calories. However, unlike their "colleagues," they provide double the calories: 9 for every gram. Since the body doesn't produce its own essential fatty acids, they need to be obtained from foods.