A well-known nutritional author who often lectured in England found that when people heard him talk, they would often comment that during World War II, their parents’ arthritis cleared up. It was fish oil!

In World War II, all children in England were provided with a daily cod liver oil supplement as well as sufficient vitamin A and D—adults took it as well. Even though it tasted terrible, people learned to accept it. Add this to the low fat and low sugar war-time diet, and they had a winning combination.

Today, a tablespoon of flaxseeds is my best recommendation for sufficient eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are the two active ingredients in omega-3 fish oil.

DHA is believed to make up the “building blocks” of the brain, and by weight, it forms 8 percent of the brain. And EPA is vital for brain function and nerve stimulation.

Lets take a look at the different fats, which fall into three main groups:

• Saturated (hydrogenated)—becomes firm at room temperature.
• Monounsaturated—amber at room temperature but gets cloudy in the refrigerator.
• Polyunsaturated—is clear at room temperature and stays clear in the fridge.

Natural oils and fats are really a mixture of all three types of fat in which one makes up a larger portion of the mixture. Our focus should be on polyunsaturated fats because these essential fatty acids are the protectors.

Several papers have been printed showing that the omega-3 oils help relieve ulcerative colitis, an awful inflammatory bowel disease that I experienced for many years before I underwent surgery to have my colon removed.

Americans usually need to supplement these omega-3 oils daily or eat more of the following:

• Eat 3 servings of fish weekly—4 servings or more are even better. Don’t eat deep-fried square fish from fast food outlets—they have no omega-3 oils and are loaded with hydrogenated oils.
• Use omega-3 oils, such as canola oil, in salads and in baking, whenever possible.
• Omega-3 oil supplements are fine. Strive for 500 milligrams of omega-3 oils as supplements each day if you don’t eat any fish.