The healing fats


So much is written today about how bad fat is for us. Yes, the truth is the standard American diet, AKA the SAD diet, is loaded with the wrong kinds of fats, fats that clog and harden our arteries and can lead to heart attack and stroke. Yet low-fat or no-fat diets can, over long periods of time, be just as harmful. Children are even more vulnerable to illness and permanent disability from a diet too low in fat. EFAs or essential fatty acids are just that, essential.

Writer health educator Udo Eramus, author of ''Fats That Heal, Fats that Kill'' writes that EFAs are like vitamin F--essential to good health. He cites the following facts.--

We must have them to live and be healthy.--

Our bodies cannot make them from other food substances.--

We must obtain an adequate supply from external sources.--

Deficiency results in gradual deterioration of cells and tissues and an untimely death.--

Increasing the intake of EFAs to adequate levels reverses the signs brought about by the deficiency.

So what are these EFAs and why is it that we are just beginning to hear about them? They are complex organic compounds--polyunsaturated fatty acids known as omega 3 and omega 6 essential for proper brain and organ function. They can be obtained from plants including flax, sunflower seed, borage, evening prim rose and black currant seeds or from cold water fish such as cod or salmon.

In days past, the farmer fed his cattle flax seed. The healthy fats were then consumed with a meal of beef. This is no longer the case and very few of us are eating enough sunflower seeds or salmon to satisfy our body's requirements for these essential fatty acids.

What are the health benefits from consuming EFAs?--

They regulate oxygen use in the cells--

Exert a positive effect on the glandular system of our bodies--

They lubricate the joints and relieve the symptoms of arthritis--

Help prevent allergies--

Relieve the symptoms of PMS--

Help lower bad cholesterol levels and raises the good ones--

Increases energy levels and give a feeling of well being--

Helps lower blood pressure

Healing fats, those containing unspoiled EFAs, are vital to health. Experts now agree that our diet is deficient in these healing fats, and that could be at the root of many chronic degenerative diseases. It is difficult to obtain enough EFAs without the use of a supplement. I recommend flax as many of my clients have a difficult time using the fish oils but both are excellent. As with all supplementation, obtain only the highest quality chemical-free products. Your local health food store carrying a well-known high-quality brand or your holistic practitioner are your best sources.

Till next time, Rebecca.





Uploaded to The Zephyr Online April 25, 2000

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