Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Why Fat Says it All

Fat. So many people avoid it but did you know that we actually NEED fat.  The right fats are needed for many functions in our bodies and our brains require it!  Yes, there are beneficial fats and then there are detrimental fats.  Since covering this subject of fat may be long and boring for you to read, I will just cover a small area here.

By now I'm sure that most people have heard about Omega 3 fatty acids. This is not the newest health kick out there, Omega 3 fats are so needed and are slowly getting pushed out of many fatty foods.  The culprit behind this? Fats such as Omega 6's and 9's.  These insidious little attention-seekers are found in animal products and most vegetable oils.  Why are these fatty acids taking over these foods?  Before the era of factory farms cows were allowed to graze on grassy fields and spent much of their days outside.  This is what nature intended.  Once people start messing with nature funny things happened.  Instead of having the correct BALANCE of the fatty acids (i.e. Omega 3's, 6's, 9's) the balance become one sided and the content of the Omega 3's in cow meats and milk became lower and lower.  The grasses, weeds and flowers that the cows graze on contain amounts of Omega 3's: when the cow consumes this, these highly beneficial fats are then found in the animal.

Makes sense, right?  This is why some manufacturer's are including Omega 3's in dairy.  And now, there are more and more small farms popping up (well, they were already there but society is finally taking notice) that are providing us with grass fed beef and dairy.  I've been ordering meat from Burgundy Farms, a local farm that sells grass fed beef that is pretty much organic.  It's very difficult for farms to get the USDA Organic Certification (lot's of red tape, etc.) but I consider this farm to be organic.  You can both TASTE and SEE the difference!  I love this farm.  The great thing is, there are many, many more small, family farms throughout North America that can provide you with excellent products such as this!

 As my readers know, I have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for just over 13 years now.  RA is an autoimmune disease in which the body basically attacks itself.  When I was first diagnosed my doctor believed me to have an aggressive form and wanted to immediately put me on medication.  I was actually trying to get pregnant with my second child at the time and wasn't able to take the meds.  That was a good excuse on my part because I wanted to avoid medication as much as possible.  So I went on a quest to find out what could help me.  This is why I became a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and, with diet and other modifications, I have been able to avoid medication and am able to live a pretty healthy life.  Why I'm explaining this to you is this: I truly believe that many diseases come down to inflammation in the body.  I believe that if we can keep inflammation down this is a positive and proactive step in our personal health and longevity.  One of these ways is to consume beneficial fats like Omega 3's.

Omega 3's are also found in fatty fish such as salmon (most fish actually contain some amount of Omega 3's).  The great thing about fish is that the Omega 3's are already converted to DHA and EPA, long chain fatty acids that our bodies can readily use.  The rare person may not be able to convert Omega 3's properly so this is why fish is a great option.  Walnuts, flax seeds, grass fed beef and dairy, salmon and sardines are excellent sources.

For ways that you can personally reduce inflammation in your body please contact me at inspiredbynutrition@gmail.com or click on the link to the right to find me on Facebook.