Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are
necessary for proper development and function of the brain and nervous system,
the physiologic regulation of blood pressure, immune response, inflammatory
response, hormone production, insulin regulation, the growth and division of
all cells, and for formation of healthy cell membranes.
Clearly fat is very important for
our bodies. So, why is our society so
messed up when it comes to fat?
Fat is not the problem, the problem is the TYPES of fats we choose to consume. Fats can mostly be broken down into omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. In general, omega-6’s are pro-inflammatory and considered unhealthy, and omega-3’s are considered anti-inflammatory and are considered healthier.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were believed to eat omega-6 to omega-3 fats at a ratio of about 1:1. In our modern society we eat fats at about a 20:1 ratio relatively. We eat SO much more omega-6 fats and SO much less omega-3 fats, the balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators in our bodies is hugely out of balance.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were free of the modern inflammatory diseases, like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, which are the primary causes of death today.
At this point, you should be thinking to yourself (or literally saying this out loud), “WOW, I want to be healthier and help reduce my risk of inflammatory diseases, so what do I do differently?”
Good question friend! It starts with your attitude and commitment to healthy change and then to sustain healthy lifestyle choices. From a practical stand point, I will list many foods to avoid and a number of foods to go for. First though, here is a summary of what a balanced intake of fat in your diet can do for you;
¤ Decreased
incidence of CANCER
¤ Lower risk of HEART DISEASE and STROKE
¤ Lower risk of DIABETES and OBESITY
¤ Improved BRAIN and NERVOUS system development and function
¤ Proper IMMUNE system response
¤ Proper INFLAMMATORY response to stress and trauma
I hope you are excited looking at this list of health benefits, and motivated to make positive change! Below is a list of foods to avoid. I recommend printing this off, reading over it a number of times, adding to the list based on your own research, taking the list to the grocery store, and reading the list of ingredients on the food label before making a purchase.
High fat cuts of meat (beef, pork, lamb)
Chicken with the skin
Dairy (Milk, Cream, Butter, Cheese, Ice Cream)
Palm Oil and Lard
Canola Oil, Sunflower Oil, Peanut Oil, Soybean Oil, Corn Oil, Safflower Oil
Peanut Butter
Soymilk
Pastries, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pizza dough
Packaged snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn, chips etc.)
Margarine
Vegetable shortening
Fried foods (french fries, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, breaded fish etc.)
Candy
Sugar
Here is a list of foods that are healthier fats;
Coconut Oil (raw, virgin)
Olive Oil (EVOO and organic is best)
Flaxseed Oil
Hempseed Oil
Avocados
Olives
Nuts (almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts pistachios)
Almond or Coconut Milk (unsweetened, organic is best)
Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseed, hempseed and pumpkin seeds
Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines (not farm raised, wild fish is best))
Tofu
The other easy thing you can consume is a healthy Fish Oil supplement. I recommend a high quality fish oil supplement you can pick-up at your local health food store.
My last thought for you is that eating food is not about perfection. When you decide to eat unhealthy food, do so without guilt, and remember that balance in our food intake does not mean perfection.
Fat is not the problem, the problem is the TYPES of fats we choose to consume. Fats can mostly be broken down into omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. In general, omega-6’s are pro-inflammatory and considered unhealthy, and omega-3’s are considered anti-inflammatory and are considered healthier.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were believed to eat omega-6 to omega-3 fats at a ratio of about 1:1. In our modern society we eat fats at about a 20:1 ratio relatively. We eat SO much more omega-6 fats and SO much less omega-3 fats, the balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators in our bodies is hugely out of balance.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were free of the modern inflammatory diseases, like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, which are the primary causes of death today.
At this point, you should be thinking to yourself (or literally saying this out loud), “WOW, I want to be healthier and help reduce my risk of inflammatory diseases, so what do I do differently?”
Good question friend! It starts with your attitude and commitment to healthy change and then to sustain healthy lifestyle choices. From a practical stand point, I will list many foods to avoid and a number of foods to go for. First though, here is a summary of what a balanced intake of fat in your diet can do for you;
¤ Lower risk of HEART DISEASE and STROKE
¤ Lower risk of DIABETES and OBESITY
¤ Improved BRAIN and NERVOUS system development and function
¤ Proper IMMUNE system response
¤ Proper INFLAMMATORY response to stress and trauma
I hope you are excited looking at this list of health benefits, and motivated to make positive change! Below is a list of foods to avoid. I recommend printing this off, reading over it a number of times, adding to the list based on your own research, taking the list to the grocery store, and reading the list of ingredients on the food label before making a purchase.
High fat cuts of meat (beef, pork, lamb)
Chicken with the skin
Dairy (Milk, Cream, Butter, Cheese, Ice Cream)
Palm Oil and Lard
Canola Oil, Sunflower Oil, Peanut Oil, Soybean Oil, Corn Oil, Safflower Oil
Peanut Butter
Soymilk
Pastries, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pizza dough
Packaged snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn, chips etc.)
Margarine
Vegetable shortening
Fried foods (french fries, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, breaded fish etc.)
Candy
Sugar
Here is a list of foods that are healthier fats;
Olive Oil (EVOO and organic is best)
Flaxseed Oil
Hempseed Oil
Avocados
Olives
Nuts (almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts pistachios)
Almond or Coconut Milk (unsweetened, organic is best)
Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseed, hempseed and pumpkin seeds
Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines (not farm raised, wild fish is best))
Tofu
The other easy thing you can consume is a healthy Fish Oil supplement. I recommend a high quality fish oil supplement you can pick-up at your local health food store.
My last thought for you is that eating food is not about perfection. When you decide to eat unhealthy food, do so without guilt, and remember that balance in our food intake does not mean perfection.
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