Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

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ORGANIZATIONS

American Dietetic Association. (800) 877-1600. www

.eatright.org.

American Obesity Association (AOA). 1250 24th Street

NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20037. (202) 776-7711

or (800) 98-OBESE. http://www.obesity.org.

American Society for Bariatric Surgery. 7328 West Univer-

sity Avenue, Suite F, Gainesville, FL 32607. (352) 331-

4900. http://www.asbs.org.
      American Society of Bariatric Physicians. 5453 East Evans
      Place, Denver, CO 80222-5234. (303) 770-2526.
      http://www.asbp.org.
      HCF Nutrition Research Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 22124,
      Lexington, KY 40522. (606) 276-3119.
      National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
      Diseases. 31 Center Drive, USC2560, Building 31,
      Room 9A-04, Bethesda, MD 20892-2560. (301) 496-


4901. http://www.niddk.nih/gov.
      National Obesity Research Foundation. Temple University,
      Weiss Hall 867, Philadelphia, PA 19122.
      Weight-Control Information Network. 1 Win Way,
      Bethesda, MD 20896-3665. (301) 951-1120. www
      .navigator.tufts.edu/special/win.html.

Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD

Rebecca J. Frey, PhD

Omega-3 fatty acids

Definition

Essential to human health, omega-3 fatty acids are

a form of polyunsaturatedfatsthat are not made by

the body and must be obtained from a person’s food.

Purpose

Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids is part of

a healthy diet and helps people maintain their health.

Description

In recent years, a great deal of attention has been

placed on the value of eating alow fat diet. In some

cases, people have taken this advice to the extreme by

adopting a diet that is far too low in fat or, worse yet, a

diet that has no fat at all. But the truth is that not all fat

is bad. Although it is true that trans and saturated fats,

which are found in high amounts in red meat, butter,

whole milk, and some prepackaged foods, have been

shown to raise a person’s total cholesterol, polyunsa-

turated fats can actually play a part in keeping choles-

terol low. Two especially good fats are the omega-3

Mercury in fish

Moderate mercury

(eat 3 servings or Highest level

Least mercury less per month) (Avoid eating)

Anchovies

Catfish

Clams

Crab (domestic)

Flounder

Haddock (Atlantic)

Herring

Mackerel (N. Atlantic,

chub)

Oysters

Perch (ocean)

Pollock

Salmon (canned)

Salmon (fresh)

Sardines

Scallops

Shad (American)

Shrimp

Sole (Pacific)

Squid (calamari)

Tilapia

Trout (freshwater)

Whitefish

Whiting

Bluefish

Grouper

Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)

Sea Bass (Chilean)

Tuna (canned albacore)

Tuna (yellowfin)

Mackerel (king)

Marlin

Orange Roughy

Shark

Swordfish

Tilefish

SOURCE: National Resources Defense Council

(Illustration by GGS Information Services/Thomson Gale.)

Omega-3 fatty acids