Omega 9 is an essential nutrient that we need in our day to day. It is perhaps the most unknown of the 3 fatty acids that resonate the most in product packaging and in the media, but Omega 9 helps us, mainly, to keep our hearts in good health.
Eating a balanced and varied diet is basic and of vital importance if we want to avoid health problems. Many times we take into account the fat and sugars, but not the nutrients we need in our day to day for the body to function properly.
Why is this fatty acid so important?
There are a number of nutrients that go beyond proteins and vitamins and are fatty acids. The best known are Omega 3, 6 and 9. For our information, these fatty acids are very necessary for the correct health of the heart and to get the body to perform a multitude of functions every second.
To be more exact, Omega 9 fatty acid serves mainly to lower cholesterol, strengthen the immune system, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and strokes, among other functions.
Omega 9 is not a nutrient that the body produces by itself, unless it has many reserves of Omega 3 and 6, otherwise, our body needs us to give it to it on a platter and what better way than knowing where we can get it from Omega 9 to continue adding it to our usual diet.
Foods with the highest percentage of Omega 9
The positive is that the vast majority of foods with this fatty acid are of plant origin, so vegans and vegetarians have it quite easy and do not have to resort to supplementation:
Vegetable oils
Oils are always a great idea in the kitchen, from being the base for frying foods to being the ideal condiment for other dishes, and even as a distinctive ingredient. Be that as it may, vegetable trimmings are essential in today’s kitchen and vegetables are becoming more so every day.
On this occasion, the vegetable oils rich in fatty acids and, therefore, also in Omega 9 are: olive, sunflower (only high oleic), argan, peanut, linseed, canola, almonds, soy, corn, sesame, moringa and amaranth.
The purer the oils, the healthier it will be. We must flee from refined oils and go directly to those that are eco or bio and in the case of olive oil buy only the extra virgin.
Nuts
Nuts are an exceptional snack, as long as we do not go overboard or eat a balanced and healthy diet. Going over the consumption of nuts has certain consequences such as diarrhea.
The best nuts to give our body Omega 9 are: hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, peanuts and walnuts (all their variants). We have a fairly wide range from which to choose our perfect ingredient to give our body this essential fatty acid. In addition, many of them are very useful beyond eating them alone, since they are the star ingredient in salads, sauces, creams and others.
Sesame seeds
Seeds in general are the healthiest accompaniment we can make to bread, yogurt, fruit, soups, salads, etc. The vast majority of seeds are very healthy because they are full of vitamins, minerals and also the 3 types of Omega, as is the case of 9.
For example, sesame seeds and chia seeds , two very inexpensive types, that are bought in bulk and that can be mixed with salads, breads, yogurts, fruits, as well as mixed with other seeds such as seeds of pumpkin and sunflower, poppy seeds, among others.
Olives
Olives, is there a more Spanish snack than this? Olives, regardless of whether they are pitted or not, whether they are anchovy or pepper, are rich in Omega 9, almost 20 grams of fatty acids per 100 grams of product. A pretty good ratio, for such a small food.
From now on, we can add the olives in our day to day and invent recipes to add them. The point is to provide the body with all the nutrients it needs so that nothing goes wrong.
Cucumber
Cucumber has many properties for the skin, even helping against acne, dermatitis, burns, dry skin, etc. Hence, it is used both in beauty and aesthetic treatments, not only in specialized clinics, but also in cosmetic products that we can buy in the supermarket.
Cucumber is very versatile and can be eaten raw , with or without skin, fried, baked, hot or cold, etc. It is an inexhaustible source of vitamins and minerals without forgetting hydration, since 96% of it is water.
Tigernut
In small proportions, but yes, the tigernut has Omega 9. For those who do not know, the famous horchata is made from the tigernut. Well, tigernut is also a food rich in Omega 9 , therefore, if in summer or at any time of the year we eat horchata or tigernut, we will be offering this fatty acid to our body.
Also, tigernut has some interesting properties such as facilitating digestion, cutting diarrhea, reducing bad cholesterol and triglycerides and increasing levels of good cholesterol, it has prebiotic effects, helps the immune system, etc.
Avocado
The avocado is a delicious fruit, and we are not only referring to its flavor, but to how nourished it is and everything it gives us. Its consumption is accepted at any time of the day, especially in the morning and mid-afternoon since it gives energy to the body and keeps us satiated for longer.
Now we know that apart from all the benefits of avocado, such as reducing bad cholesterol, folic acid for pregnancy, anti acne properties, etc. It is also rich in Omega 9 fatty acids. This is why we now have no excuse not to eat it. In addition, we give a trick, and that is that it is cheaper to buy a bottle of 100% natural avocado cream (Mercadona, Carrefour, Lidl, etc.) than to buy 2 avocados by weight.
