(Homesteading.news) While it’s true that both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are considered “essential nutrients,” which means they have to come from your diet, an out-of-balance dietary ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 has been known to disrupt the body’s natural inflammatory process.
But as homesteaders there is a way to correct this imbalance, and Mother Earth News is providing the answers. The news site is currently in the process of analyzing results from field tests that measure the fatty acid profiles of 32 grass-fed, free-ranged and pastured cows, lambs, chickens and pigs.
“Overall,” the site reports, “pastured products are several times richer in beneficial omega-3 fats, and, at the same time, those samples are much lower in problematic omega-6 fatty acids when compared to the [U.S. Dept. of Agriculture] Nutrient Database numbers, which reflects levels found in industrial products.”
That means the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is far lower in grass-fed livestock and, thus, nutritionally better even than the USDA standard.
“As we continue to learn more about the relationship between omega fatty acids, the link between increased consumption of omega-6-rich corn and soy products, and obesity in the United States makes more sense,” Mother Earth News reported, adding that analysis of data for lamb, pork, milk and cheese was ongoing.
As reported by Natural News, omega-3’s have a plethora of health benefits:
— Improvement of children’s mental health and cognitive functions;
— Reduce depression in high-risk individuals;
— Lower risk of Type 2 diabetes;
— Aid in the prevention of skin cancer lines;
— Weight reduction
— Serve as gut-busting superfoods
In addition, a dearth of omega-3’s can lead increase your chances of developing dementia.
As for omega-6’s, Natural News notes they have often been misunderstood.
“Popular opinion says that we need more omega 3, and that too much omega 6 and too little omega 3 will cause cancer and inflammation. Omega 6 fats have been so vilified and misunderstood in the health community that they have become the new saturated fat or cholesterol,” Andrew Kim wrote in 2010.
Most Americans, he says, get too much omega-6 and at that, too much of the “bad” kind.
“We must avoid ALL supermarket oils and add in COLD PROCESSED, ORGANIC OMEGA 6 RICH OILS. Omega 6 fatty acids, or linoleic acid, are essential to health. The body cannot make them, so they must be replenished in the diet regularly,” he wrote.
Oils rich in omega 6 include:
– pumpkin seed oil
– sunflower oil
– safflower oil
– evening primrose oil
– borage oil
– hemp seed oil
As Mother Earth News’ analysis notes, however, a homesteader’s mostly organic lifestyle is providing you the right balance of omega-3 and omega-6.
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