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May 24, 2012
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May 22, 2012
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The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
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Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
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The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
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The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
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May 9, 2012
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Jewish World Review
How Stuff Works: How Omega-3 fatty acids work
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Every day a typical American eats a lot of fat. We eat things like fench fries that are deep fried in hot liquid fat. We eat meat that contains saturated animal fats. We use things like butter and mayonnaise that contain a lot of fat. We add liquid fats like corn oil to dishes and dressings.
Which brings up several good questions, like, what is fat? And why are certain fats "good" while other fats are "bad"? And what is an Omega-3 fatty acid, and why do we constantly hear about the importance of Omega-3s? Let's find out.
A typical fat molecule looks like three molecules of diesel fuel hooked together by a little piece called glycerol. This is why fats are called triglycerides. Diesel fuel? That's no joke. A molecule of diesel fuel is a hydrocarbon made up, say, of 12 carbon atoms in a chain and 26 hydrogen atoms arranged around the carbons. Triglycerides have three pieces that look almost exactly like diesel fuel. You may have heard of a fuel called biodiesel. It is made by stripping off the glycerol to free the three diesel fuel molecules. Biodiesel is just like diesel fuel made from crude oil, except that biodiesel does not contain any of the impurities (like sulfur) that make diesel fuel smell funny.
Bottom line: when we eat fat, we are eating something that is an awful lot like diesel fuel. Our bodies can use the fat immediately as fuel, or store the fat as fuel for future use. If someone is 30 pounds overweight, they essentially have 30 pounds of diesel fuel — roughly four gallons — in storage for future use.
Those three diesel fuel molecules in the triglyceride are called "fatty acids" because they have a little knob at one end that makes them acidic. And those fatty acid molecules come in several different forms. A fatty acid is said to be "saturated" if it has the maximum number of hydrogen atoms allowed along the carbon chain. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are commonly found in meat. Saturated fats are said to be "bad" because they have a greater tendency to stick to artery walls and clog them.
If a fatty acid does not contain a full complement of hydrogen atoms, it is said to be "unsaturated". If it is missing just one hydrogen, it is said to be "mono-unsaturated". Olive oil is a good example, and is said to be one of the healthiest fats you can eat. If a fatty acid is missing more than one hydrogen atom, the fatty acid is said to be "poly-unsaturated". Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, so we refer to them as oils.
If you have corn oil, which is poly-unsaturated, and you chemically add extra hydrogen to it, you create "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil". This is a solid at room temperature, and is the main ingredient in margarine.
Now, with all this knowledge under our belts, we can talk about Omega-3 fatty acids. There are several different kinds of fatty acids that are called "essential fatty acids". They are "essential" because our bodies has no way to make them internally. The only way for your body to get the essential fatty acids it needs is by eating them. Some of these essential fatty acids are called Omega-6 fatty acids, and the rest are called Omega-3 fatty acids. Both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are poly-unsaturated, meaning that they are missing several hydrogen atoms. The 3 and the 6 refer to the position on the carbon chain where the first hydrogen atom is missing.
The reason why Omega-3s are important is because they are rare. Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in any oil, including corn oil, soybean oil, etc. To get Omega-3s, on the other hand, you have to work at it. Walnuts contain Omega-3, as do flax seeds and certain kinds of fish (e.g. salmon). In addition, you would like to have an even balance between Omega-3s and Omega-6s. But because Omega-3s are so rare, a typical American gets 20 times more Omega-6s than Omega-3s, and that is bad.
Heart disease is a leading killer in the United States. One cause of heart disease is the wrong kind of fats. The lack of Omega-3 fatty acids in the typical American diet is harmful. The reason why you hear people talking about Omega-3 fatty acids so much is because, if you get enough of them, it means better heart health.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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Previously:
Social networking
How trick birthday candles work
How electric cars like the Nissan Leaf work
How a manned mission to Mars works
How gold works
How bad breath works
How the ultimate sunglasses work
Any rocket is easily converted to a missile
How to have a great staycation
How a black box works
How a solar roof works
How nuclear bombs work
How the Hubble Space Telescope works
How hay fever works
How to know when to rent vs. buy
How swine flu works
How a kidney dialysis machine works
How children die in hot cars
How a trillion dollars works
How electronic cigarettes work
How chimpanzees work
How in vitro fertilization works
How supertankers work
How poisons work
How corn works
How dog ID chips work
How President Obama's limousine works
How emergency power works
How aircraft carriers work
How antibiotics and vaccines work
How mucus works
How iron and steel work
How aspirin works
How igloos work
How the Predator UAV works
How retention ponds work
How water absorbers work
How melamine works
How digital music works
How coal mining works
How an economic depression works
How the liver works
How 3D movies work
How oil pipelines work
How jet packs work
How seismographs work
How Olympic technology works
How Personal Rapid Transit works
How 3G works
How the Global Position System (GPS) works
How octane works
How cruise missiles work
How submarines work
How miles work
How octane works
How food preservation works
How beer works
How holding your breath works
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How your night vision works
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How your key fob works
How the common cold works
How the Large Hadron Collider Works
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How an oil refinery works
How landfills work
How the Orion spacecraft works
The cutting edge in HDTV
Redefining the CD
How the HDMI cable scam works
How glow-in-the-dark toys work
How the subprime mortgage crisis works
How gift cards work
How Tasers work
How giant TV screens work
How foreclosure works
How Air Force One works
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Why aren't we flying to work?
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© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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