After owning my Toyota Corolla for a few months, it was time for an oil change. When I took it in, the mechanic asked me what kind of oil I wanted him to use. He surely saw the lost look on my face so he suggested the oil that the manufacturer recommends. Quickly, I agreed because Toyota definitely knows a lot more about the right oil for my car's engine than I do!
As you've probably heard from a number of different sources, omega-3 is a key ingredient to vibrant health and our body's ability to function well. If you read my blog post from December 2018 (He fed them fish!), you know that eating great sources of fatty fish (eg. anchovies, sardines, salmon, mackerel) and taking a fish oil supplement have been part of what God has used to bring healing to my body.
All fats fit into one of 3 categories: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. All 11 fatty acids fit into one of these 3 categories. Of the 11 fatty acids, three of them are most important so they are known as the omega 3 fatty acids or the essential fatty acids:
1. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) is supplied by some green vegetables, nuts, and seeds. (eg. kale, spinach, raw walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds). Although ALA is an essential fatty acid, numerous studies show our bodies can only convert about 15% of the ALA found in seeds, nuts, and vegetables into EPA and less than 1% into DHA. Often, I've seen packaged health foods that contain raw walnuts & seeds with the claim that they are a great source of omega 3s but they are ONLY a great source of ALA.....not EPA or DHA. Including the foods that are high in ALA is very beneficial to health and healing but I don't believe just including those foods is enough. Our bodies desperately long for great sources of ALA but also great sources of EPA and DHA for brain health and heart health.
2. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid);
3. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
The best source of EPA and DHA is fatty fish (eg. anchovies, sardines, salmon, mackerel), algae, or a good quality fish oil supplement. Additional sources of EPA and DHA are: some grass-fed animal products and pasture-raised eggs.
A few months ago, my son Daniel and I were discussing omega-3s. Daniel is an analytical thinker so he was struggling with the idea that many people in past generations lived their entire lives without a steady diet of fatty fish and they certainly never took a fish oil supplement. So how did they get the omega-3s their bodies needed?
At this point, we have to look back in time and revisit the farm! When my grandparents and certainly my great-grandparents were alive, they consumed plenty of wild game and wild plants which are very high in omega-3s. These foods were a much bigger part of their diet than the majority of Americans' food consumption today. Virtually all of the beef and animal products my great-grandparents would have consumed were pasture-raised, organic, grass-fed to the end (also referred to as grass-fed and finished), and contained no hormones or antibiotics. There was simply no other kind of meat or eggs for them to eat!
If the majority of your food today is being purchased at a grocery store then you are probably buying foods that were raised in industrialized food operations as opposed to the way food was raised (or hunted and gathered) in our great-grandparents day. Generations ago, the food they ate in this country came from local farms or in the wild where the soil was nutrient dense.
Recently, I went on another field trip to the farm where the majority of my eggs, chicken, and beef are raised. I buy from them regularly at the Farmers Market (www.Grasscorp.net). When I was at the farm, I walked out to watch the chickens, sheep, and goats grazing. The cows were grazing on the farm some distance away. The grass on the farm isn't regularly mowed because the animals are moved from one field to another to graze. The soil is rich with nutrients from manure, decomposing animals that have died and their remains are left in the field, etc. The animals are grazing in natural, nutrient-dense fields as compared to the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations that are used in our industrialized food chain. If you're looking for ways to feed your body a higher concentration of omega-3s, then it's time to buy from a local farm close to where you live. Any of those farmers are ready and willing to answer your questions!
Now, let's go back to the topic of oils including the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. In one of my favorite books, Conquering ANY Disease by author Jeff Primack, he says, "Of all the nutrients, fat is surely the most misunderstood part of the human diet." Hydrogenated oils (omega 6 fat) are in many foods including many "health foods." Read the labels! Consuming the omega 6 fat fuels the body's chronic inflammation and reduces the body's ability to benefit from omega 3 fats that are being included in our diet. Steer clear or greatly reduce your consumption of any packaged product that contains any form of hydrogenated oil. Examples are: canola, corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, sunflower oils. It's not enough to just increase omega 3s. The other side of the coin means decreasing omega 6 consumption so our bodies reach the balance they are longing for.
In his book, Jeff Primack states, "Canola oil is the single most toxic of all plant oils." If you still have canola oil or vegetable oil in your kitchen, please throw it away! It was in 1961 that the American Heart Association first introduced the idea that fat is bad. These hydrogenated oils (polyunsaturated fatty acids) all became available by the 1970's and these inflammatory oils replaced the traditional fats like butter, lard, coconut oil, and fat from cooked meats. He explains, "Margarine is made from vegetable oil that is infused with hydrogen gas. When this occurs the oil becomes solid like a stick of butter, but it's not butter. You'll wish it was." Most of us were taught at a young age to use these hydrogenated oils. In my mind, I vividly remember cooking in my childhood home with bacon drippings or butter until later when they were unfortunately replaced in our home with canola oil and vegetable oil.
So, you might be wondering, "What types of oils and fats should I be eating? Which ones do I cook with?" Dr. Mark Hyman, the Director of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Functional Medicine recommends the following fats which is completely in line with the oils and fats I've been consuming:
- Extra-virgin, cold-pressed, organic coconut oil - this oil is perfect to cook with because it's saturated so it can withstand high temperatures.
- Extra-virgin, cold-pressed, organic olive oil (omega 9)- Do NOT cook with olive oil. It becomes unstable when it's heated. Pour olive oil on after food has been cooked, use it in salad dressings, etc.
- Avocados - these are a great source of fat and fiber.
- Grass-fed meats - (Grass fed to the end. Ask! Any farm that's grass feeding to the end will love to tell you what they do and why. They'll also be able to answer questions about omega 3s in their products.)
- Grass-fed butter and ghee (clarified butter) - both of these are great to cook with.
- Nuts - raw walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia. NO peanuts!
- Fatty fish - anchovies, sardines, mackerel, herring, and wild caught cold water salmon.
Just as Toyota knows the optimal oil to maintain my car, God created the optimal fats for our bodies. Our bodies are longing for a greater amount of omega 3s versus the inflammatory omega 6s. We need some omega 6s but most Americans are way out of balance with these two fats so read the labels on any packaged foods especially "healthy protein bars" and "healthy chips". When I increased the omega 3s in my diet while reducing the omega 6s, my body responded as God designed it and I was healed of the diverticulitis, seasonal allergies, and my menopausal symptoms (hot flashes & night sweats). Our bodies know how to use good fats for vibrant health and healing!
Good gardeners and Farmers Markets are loaded with zucchini right now so I thought it was a good time to share my zucchini muffin recipe. My mom often made zucchini bread in the summer with white all-purpose flour, lots of granulated sugar, and canola oil along with other ingredients. She would be so pleased to know that this re-made version of her recipe is both tasty and nutritious!
