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The Alpha for Our Omegas
This started out as a single post, but took on a life of its own – there’s no way I could have put all the information I wanted in one post and expect anyone to read it without falling asleep and drooling all over their keyboard, so this is the first in a series of posts about fats and why they’re so important in our diet.
When I wrote a letter to food, proclaiming my intention to make it my bitch, I got a lot of interesting comments. I also got a lot of requests to document my little adventure in cooking and eating all of this wholesome, natural food and one commenter said it was great I’d changed my diet seemingly overnight.
I can see how it seems that way, but it ain’t necessarily so. I don’t talk about anything until I’ve pretty much researched it to death.
There are a couple of reasons for that: 1) it’s simply my nature to want to be as well-informed as possible (partly from fear of sounding like an idiot) and B) Beloved. The man takes nothing at face value – if you tell him something with any kind of authority at all, he will ask you to explain it until he understands. It really is a marvelous trait but it has, on occasion, made me want to yank my own hair out and beat him about the head and neck with it – especially because he has little patience with me reading material to him; he insists that I explain it “in my own words.”
So when I banished all oils* from our home (except olive, coconut and palm kernel oils) and began insisting we buy 100% pastured, grass fed beef and he asked “why” I said:
“Omega 6 to omega 3 essential fatty acids ratios.”
That, of course, necessitated an explanation. Several explanations.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ve heard about “heart-healthy omega 3′s” and the benefits of fish oil. But do you know why it’s all so important? Omega 3s are, along with omega 6s, essential fatty acids. These essential fatty acids are, well, essential to your good health, and you must ingest them – your body can’t create them from other nutritional components.
Why are the omega 3 fats getting all the press these days? Because we get plenty of omega 6 fats already. In fact, we get way too many of them.
Human beings evolved eating a diet that provided a 1-to-1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids. Nowadays, the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids in our diet is more like 20-to-1; in many instances, it’s even higher. Scientists tell us we should be getting a ratio of no more than 4-to-1 omega 6 to omega 3, and that 2-to-1 would be optimal.
Why the disparity? Well, it’s really quite simple: omega 6 fatty acids are abundant in plant foods, and omega 3 fatty acids are mostly found in animal foods – particularly oily fish and grass-fed beef**. As a society, we’ve (incorrectly) been made very afraid of animal fats***, so we eat a lot of omega 6 fatty acids in the form of vegetable oils. And to compound the problem, the vast majority of the meat we eat is fed grain, making the commercially farmed beef we consume much higher in omega 6 fatty acids than it should be.
As I researched the subject, I realized I had a couple of courses of action here – I could start giving The Young One fish oil supplements (Beloved and I already eat a lot of fatty fish), cut beef out of our diet along with the vegetable oils and live with the rioting that would ensue when I deprived my husband and son of their favorite food, or I could give The Young One fish oil supplements, cut all the vegetable oils from our diet and find a source of local, 100% grass-fed beef.
Is it any surprise I decided on the latter?
*There are many reasons why I’ve banned vegetable oils from our home, and I’ll go into all that in a later post.
**I’m going to talk more about the sources of omega 3 essential fatty acids in my next post, which will cover why flax seed oil isn’t always the best choice.
***More on animal fats, and why many saturated fats have been wrongly demonized, later in the series.
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Still listening, so keep it coming. There are just so many “food wars” to battle out there, I’m always interested to hear what parts other people are battling.
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And you will tell us, won’t you, what fish oil supplements you find that don’t wreak havoc with one’s digestion. Right? BTW, a good friend of mine did the Perricone diet 3 years ago. He called it All Salmon All The Time, but he also lost 40 pounds that has for the most part stayed off. And the diet changes have, in many ways, stuck. Although grass-fed beef was a very happy re-addition.
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More info please!
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I take fish oil supplements, but the rest of my family won’t take them. I keep them in the fridge and take them at night before bed because otherwise I “taste” them for hours which makes me want to barf. I *only* use olive oil to cook with and that includes fried eggs, etc.
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Omega-6 fatty acids are also implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Nuts have a lot of them. I used to think nuts were a good, healthy snack. Now I never touch them. I’m getting to that age. And I think fish oil supplements are a good idea. I am seriously thinking of following your example and getting local grass-fed beef. It is readily available here where I live. But now and then I would have to give in to the desire for a juicy grain-fed rare T-bone steak. Our local beef is pretty tough and usually requires long cooking.
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Anne – Yeah – I too always thought that corn fed beef (ie: Chicago style) was the bomb. While Jan is THE boss of our kitchen, the grill is my purview. And grilling can be temperamental; learning a grill is a lot like learning a girl but when you find your balance it can be quite a “treat”. I have found that the grass fed beef cooks at a lower heat because it isn’t fatty (though we ordered our ground beef to be “fatty” and that makes for very juicy burgers). Buy a good thermometer! I also find that the FLAVOR of grass fed is heads and tails better once you learn the temperature difference. I have already prepared two briskets, one of the tougher cuts, but it is absolutely marvelous (am trying a new rub this weekend so you might see a new recipe next week). I find that the flavor is just a LOT richer (maybe because it is Omega 3s instead of 6s?). I suspect that after a few months of only eating out of our heartily stocked freezer (you wouldn’t believe it) I won’t be able to stomach a “juicy grain-fed rare T-Bone”.
I can’t wait to eat up Chuck (my name for our steer)!
love to hear more very informing
Well kudos for doing your research and I’m finding this quite interesting. I gave up red meat before Lent this year and never went back and won’t – I don’t care if it’s grain-fed or not. My stomach has trouble digesting beef – period and I get tired of eating Tums. But I certainly understand your point. I have instead taken up eating plenty of oily fish – particularly salmon, sardines, even the occasional anchovies (yum but so salty) and tuna with an assortment of other fishes (tilapia being one of my favorites). I also now eat plenty of fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables and whole grain products (bread and pasta but ONLY whole grains – nothing white at all). And I eat organic poultry. I have lost 30 pounds since March. I still eat some dairy – I rather like cottage cheese but I eat low-fat or fat free version. What I look for in my diet is less chemicals and less processing – more organic real food – if it comes in a package and has ingredients I can’t pronounce I leave it alone. My doctor is quite impressed with the turn for the better my health has taken. Interesting what something like food can do, isn’t it? I used to take fish oil supplements but kept burping up fish for hours – so if you have a particular recommendation there, I’d love to hear it. Cheers!
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No I have another reason to love your blog. Like I said on the beef post, this is a subject of great interest to me. I bought the books Animal, Vegetable Mineral and In Defense of Food at the beginning of summer, but have not gotten to them. Luckily I read you Jan!
Now. Not no. Must. Proofread. comments.
Just when I think I’m doing things right, someone goes and upsets my sense of euphoria.
I thought canola oil is good for you! I thought red meat is bad for you! I hate fish!
I do love olive oil and use it a lot.
I am trying so hard. And now, I learn maybe I’ve got it all wrong?
Pardon me while I go cry.
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Rather than falling asleep and drooling on my keyboard, I’m actually looking forward to more info.
Also, can I assume you are my dropped reader again? I miss your comments lately.
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[...] couple of weeks ago, I wrote about essential fatty acids and how the omega 3′s are greatly lacking in the Standard American Diet and the omega [...]