Nutrition and Health

A diet including Fatty Acids is critical to good health. In fact, this is the entire premise of the Zone Diet . According to the Zone Diet's creator, Dr Barry Sears, without these oils, health of the immune system, brain, heart, joint, and kidney suffers. The list of issues occurring as a result of Fatty Acid deficiency is quite extensive and includes :

• Acne
• ADD/ADHD
• Alzheimer's disease
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Eczema
• Eye diseases
• Growth retardation
• Hair loss
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Immune dysfunction
• Kidney deterioration
• Memory loss
• Psoriasis
• Schizophrenia

How significant is balanced nutrition that includes essential Fatty Acids? It is estimated that 80% of the American people will come down with serious illness because of nutritional deficiencies.

It is not enough to eat essential fatty acids randomly. There must be balance between the amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 consumed. Most people eat around 15 tablespoons of Omega-6 to 1 tablespoon of Omega-3. This trend puts one at risk for one of the diseases listed above. The ideal ratio is four times more Omega-3 oil than Omega-6 oil in the diet. Dr Sears has written a number of Zone Diet books detailing how to achieve this, and why it is important.

What are Essential Fatty Acids?

There are four important types of Essential Fatty Acids:

• Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) or Omega-3 Oil
• Linoleic Acid (LA) or Omega-6 Oil
• Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)
• Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

Sources of Fatty Acids

The Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids are found in everyday oils used for cooking, baking, and eating.

• Flax seed oil - contains four times more omega-3 than omega-6
• Perilla seed oil - contains three-four more omega-3 than omega-6
• Hemp oil - contain the ideal ratio of 4:1, four times more omega-6 to omega-3.
• Pumpkin oil - contains 3 times more omega-6 than omega-3
• Walnut oil contain ten times more omega-6 than omega-3
• Safflower - has no omega-3 and 75% of its oil is omega-6
• Sunflower - has no omega-3 and 65% of its oil is omega-6
• Wheat germ oil - slight amount of omega-3 but mostly omega-6
• Olive oil - no omega-3 and 8% of its oil is omega-6
• Corn oil - contains mostly omega- 6

You can see that most oils have very little omega-3. This is why you hear a lot about flax seeds and flax seed oil because they are high in omega-3.

In recent years, a new source of omega-3 was found in the seeds of the Perilla frutescens plant. Perilla oil was found not to cause digestive upset when used in large quantities. This oil is similar to flax seed oil in content, except that 19% of it oil is saturated, compared to 7% for flax seed oil. It's cheaper to buy perilla it in liquid form, since one tablespoon contains 7700 mg of omega-3 and one capsule contains 550 mg.

It is best to alternate between oils, using one bottle at a time of flax, perilla, and hemp oil. In this way you will get the benefits that the different oils have to give.

When buying your oils, try to buy them in dark bottles. This prevents oxidation from occurring, and assures that you get active and fresh oils that contain strong levels of omega oils.

Other sources of omega-3 oil include :

• Flax seeds
• Chia seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Walnuts
• Dark greens
• Soy products

A note on soy products. These products use up your body's minerals and have been associated various diseases. They cause fibrin to settles in your tissues and organs. Fibrin tends to clog the organs and causes arteries to close off when you're short on systemic enzymes. On the other hand, there is documented benefits of soy in the diets of perimenopausal and menopausal women.

Fish are also high in omega-3 oil. Include these in your diet at least once a week. The fish sources of Omega-3 oil are :

• Salmon
• Sardines
• Halibut
• Trout
• Albacore tuna
• Mackerel

Add the essential fatty acids to your eating habits everyday and gain the benefit of a better life.