Designer lipids: fortifying foods with omega-3s

More powerful than a bite-sized locomotive, omega-3s are a highly regarded superfood. Not only can they reduce the risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's, they can also provide relief to those suffering from depression and autoimmune disorders. They're called essential fatty acids because our body can not produce them, but they're essential to good health as well.

The highly processed foods we see on our supermarket shelves today have been mostly stripped clean of this important nutrient that is found in foods like fatty fish, nuts, and free-range eggs. But what if you could have it both ways? A company in Nova Scotia named Ocean's Nutrition has spent $50 million perfecting a technique that does just that. Using powdered fish oil surrounded in drops of pork gelatin, the company has fortified yogurt, milk, and even tortilla wraps with omega-3s -- and say a wider variety of foods are on their way.

Claiming that many foods that are rich in omega-3s are either too expensive for some or not palatable to others, the companies behind these "designer lipids" see this new food technology as a solution to our dietary shortcomings. But is spraying our food with powdered fish oil really the answer? If I know a cookie is bad for my health, should I feel better reaching for one that's loaded with omega-3s? Addressing how we eat, rather than improving the nutrition of food that is low in nutrients (such as processed baked goods) in the first place, makes for better habits in the long run. On the other hand, as the article points out, many of the problems in our food chain are hard to fix. We can't grass feed millions of cows, for instance, to increase the omega-3s in our hamburger.

What about you? Would you reach for an omega-3 enriched product before a conventionally prepared version? Me? I'm still trying to wrap my mind around fish oil floating in my yogurt.