The Fat Story Continued

The anti fat message not only went mainstream, but became so embedded in modern medicine and nutrition that it was almost impossible for scientists with contrary opinions to publish research. This began to change when Dr. Walter Willett published the results  of a very important study. His team followed the diets and heart health of more than 40,000 middle aged men. They found that if subjects replaced foods high in saturated fats with carbohydrates, there was no reduction in heart disease.

Partly because of this study a gradual change began in the way that people thought about fat. An awareness of the importance of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in a healthy diet developed, and the Mediterranean diet became accepted even though it was high in total fat.

The story continues as we explore the truth about saturated fat in the next blog.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

Do You Need To Take Supplements?

One of the most important questions in nutrition and certainly the most controversial is whether you need to take supplements. Almost weekly on the newscasts, in magazines and in newspapers you will find expert commentary for and against the need to take supplements. Those opposed state with conviction that there is absolutely no need to take any supplement or vitamin. They make the case that there is no evidence that you need more of those things then you can get from the food that you eat.

Those who are advocates for the need to supplement make a very strong case with two key points. The first is that most of us do not eat a balanced diet with adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and good protein. For example in order to get an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids it is necessary to consume three servings of cold water fish a week. How many of us follow this advice? The American Dietetic Association estimates that only one in ten people eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables.  Most of us eat the SAD (Standard American Diet) This diet is skewed toward a lot of white flour, sugar, high fructose corn syrup and unhealthy fats. 59 per cent of the calories come from nutrient poor food sources.  In fact the food is so nutritionally depleted that many Americans are on the verge of serious vitamin deficiencies.

The second key point is that even if you follow the food pyramid and consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, there is no assurance that the produce you eat was grown in soil that has not been depleted in nutrients by years of farming. We will present more evidence to prove this point in future blogs.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net

How Much Fish Oil Do You Need?

Fish oil is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. They are essential fatty acids and belong to a family of nutrients that can also be obtained from other marine sources such as algae, krill and calamari.  EPA and DHA are polyunsaturated fats (good fats) as contrasted to saturated fats that increase the risk of heart disease.  The body can manufacture only limited amounts of EPA and DHA therefore it is necessary to supplement your body's production with nutrients from your diet..

Omega-3 fatty acids have a number of potentially healthy effects such as reducing triglyceride levels, raising levels of HDL (good cholesterol), Possibly "thinning the blood", slowing the progression of atherosclerosis and decreasing inflammation in the body.

Omega-3 fatty acids need to be differentiated from omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are also essential fatty acids. They are found in almost all of the processed foods that we eat especially foods that have have had oils from sunflowers, corn, soybean and cottonseed.  Omega-6 fatty acids are also essential for healthy body functioning, but the problem with the typical western diet is that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is unhealthy.

Why is this a problem? The reason is that omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory. Omega-6 fatty acids are inflammatory. Historically  before the onset of mass produced processed foods the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio that our ancestors lived with was about 4:1. Going back even further in time our ancestors who were hunter gatherers had a ratio of about 1:1. Even today the Inuits who eat a diet high in seafood have a ratio of 1:4 and the healthy mediterranean diet has a ratio of about 3:1.

Many of us who eat a typical American diet have a ratio of 16:1 or even higher. This imbalance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids is one of the reasons for the high incidence of heart disease, auto-immune disease and cancer in our western civilization. In subsequent blogs we will discuss the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and give our recommendations.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net