Some foods, or lack thereof, can be a stress to the body. Let’s take the nutrient fat, for example. There are two kinds of fats that your body cannot make. These are called essentials fats , specifically, Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s. If you do not consume these in your diet, your body’s physiology becomes stressed and various physiological functions cannot occur. Some organs might perform less optimally. Eventually they might not perform at all. By and large, Americans consume too much Omega 6’s (e.g., various cooking oils) and not enough Omega 3’s (found in cold water fish and flax seed). This imbalance can lead to several problems including inflammation of the joints. Food companies have figured out that by chemically tweaking lipids (liquid fats such as oils) they become solid at room temp (the dreaded hydrogenated oils or trans-fats). This prolongs shelf life of the products that contain these fats so they won’t go rancid, but as the saying goes, bacteria are smart, they won’t go near this stuff. Once in the body, trans-fats destroy cell membranes and this causes all kinds of physiological problems, most notably setting the stage for cancer and heart disease.
• Stress Tip of the Day
Getting a good source of Omega 3 oils is essential to your body’s health. Today you can find Omega 3’s in almost everything from eggs to cereals, but the best source is its most natural source: Flax seed oil (found in the health food section of your grocery store) and cold water fish (e.g. salmon). Make it habit to eat fresh caught salmon as farm salmon may be less expensive, but has many serious health issues. Also light and heat can make fats go rancid (which then act like trans fats in your body). Keep all oils in a cold dark place (like your fridge), not above the stove!
• Links Worth Noting:
No blog could do justice to the topic of lipids …and that’s why we have favorite links.. Here is one from Dr. Andy Weil..whom I feel is a great source of knowledge on the topic of nutrition
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400149/balancing-omega-3-and-omega-6.html
• Photo of the Day:
I didn’t have any photos of bottles of olive oil (perhaps next time). This photo of an tropical hummingbird was taken in St. Lucia last spring. Enjoy!
• Quote for the Day:
“God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.” Bumper sticker seen in Boulder
Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing and stress and human spirituality. He is the author of over 10 books including the bestsellers, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water, Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward, The Art of Calm, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart and Managing Stress (6E). He can be reached through his website:www.brianlukeseaward.net
© Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D.
