Why Low Fat Diets May be Harmful

For 2 decades or more we have been indoctrinated by doctors and researchers that fats are bad. This is an example of the partial truth being paraded as The Truth. The simple fact is one cannot accurately state that "fats" are bad and a "low" fat diet is good.

It is erroneous to label fats as a single entity. There are many types of fat consumed in the diet...some are very good for you, some are neutral and other fats may be detrimental to your health. The body uses fats in many ways: as a source for energy, transformed into hormones, warmth, lubricating joints and keeping the skin supple and many other uses.

To keep it simple just remember that fatty acids (fats) are, depending on its molecular structure, placed in one of three groups.

1. Omega 3
2. Omega 6
3. Omega 9

Although, physiologically it much more complicated than the following, this will be simple enough for you to understand the difference.

Omega 3's are considered anti-inflammatory. They are converted into structures that can help stop tinflammatory processes. Inflammatory processes include: Osteo-arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), diabetes, lupus, etc. By ingesting Omega 3 oils it can help slow down the inflammatory process. Sources of omega 3's include fish oil, salmon, chicken, flax oil, primrose oil etc. These are considered the good fats.

Omega 6's are considered pro-inflammatory. That is, too much omega 6's can increase the inflammatory processes and incite problems as listed above. Omega 6's are in high ratio's in red meat, especially farmed red meat as from our cattle industry and pork (not the "other white meat"). Also vegetable oils such as corn oil, canola oil, etc. usually have a high ratio of Omega 6's to omega 3's.

Omega 9's are generally believed to be neutral in the inflammatory process, neither inciting or slowing down the inflammatory response. Olive oil generally has high levels of omega 9. By using olive oil instead of corn oil or canola oil, you will ingest less of the pro-inflammatory omega 6 and increase the neutral omega 9 fatty acid.

Although omega 6 is considered pro-inflammatory it is still necessary for proper physiological uses. The important thing to remember is it is all about the ratio! The proper ratio between omega 3, 6, and 9 is important for your health. It has been estimated that our predecessors the "cave-man" had a 6 to 1 ratio between omega 6 and omega 3. That is, in their diets our predecessors ate 6 times more omega 6 than omega 3. By studying the bones of these predecessors it has been found that they were not affected by diseases such as arthritis, joint problems, etc.

Today it is estimated that with the Standard American Diet (the SAD diet), we are consuming a 20 to 1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3's. The result of this imbalance is the pandemic of inflammatory diseases in our society. We are becoming overwhelmed by diseases that can be prevented with proper diet.

The way a person can lower the ratio between omega 6 and omega 3 is by swithching to a more plant based diet. Limit the amount of red meat in the diet. Increase salmon and other high fat fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, blue fish) or use fish oil capsules. The danger of increasing fatty fish intake is the heavy metals that may be in the fat of the fish (mercury in particular). Therefore, eat fish once a week and take fish oil capsules. Fish oil capsules are usually tested for toxicity and the good company's will place a buyers assurance on the label.

Take flax oil. Flax oil has a healthy ratio between omega 6 and omega 3. It will increase the levels of omega 3 in relation to omega 6. The best flax oil is the liquid that needs to be refrigerated. Take 1 or 2 tablespoons a day. Another is the flax seed itself. By in bulk, keep in the refrigerator and using a clean coffee grinder grind 1/4 cup at a time and spread on salads, oatmeal, cereal, etc. In this manner you will consume the extra fiber the seeds offer plus all the other vitamins, minerals that a whole seed contains.

The least desirable way to take flax seed oil are the capsules. These are highly processed and you must take about 9 of the horsepills a day to get maximum benefit.

Each of these methods will help you bring the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 down to a more desirable 6 to 1 ratio. By doing so you should feel better, look better and be less prone to the debilitating effects of inflammatory diseases.