1.     Omega 6 Fats: This type of fat is found in corn oil and soybean oil and the amount we use has increased over the years because we eat more processed foods. Go check a few boxed foods in your kitchen cupboard and you will likely find soybean oil in the ingredient list. Too much omega-6 fat can increase inflammation.

2.      Omega 3 Fats: There are 3 omega-3 fats – DHA, EPA and ALA.  The first two are found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel, and herring. ALA is the plant source of omega-3 and is found in flax seed and walnuts.  Omega-3 fats help reduce inflammation.  If you can eat fish high in omega 3 twice a week you can get a good base amount for heart health. If you don’t like fish then you can take fish oil capsules. Remember to read the dosage directions on your supplement bottle. If your doctor recommends 1000mg or 1gram fish oil daily, that actually means 1000mg EPA/DHA. What you need to do is add the EPA and DHA amounts. Most bottles have about 300mg of these once you add them together so that means you need 3-4 pills to get 1000mg of omega-3. You also want to buy a brand you feel has good quality.

Since supplements are not regulated you have no guarantee what is actually in the bottle. Flax seed is a grain and can be purchased as seed or milled. You need to eat the ground form to get the health benefits because the body can not break down the seed form. Once it is ground be sure to keep it refrigerated. Add 1-2 tablespoons to cereal, yogurt, or any dish you are having. You will get the benefit of the omega-3 and the fiber! 

3.     Monounsaturated fats are also anti-inflammatory and good for our heart and cholesterol. The Mediterranean Diet is high in monounsaturated fats and includes regular intake of foods like olive oil, canola oil, avocados and nuts. Eating these good fats can lower blood pressure, cholesterol and reduce risk for diabetes.

4.     Trans fats are not good for our health. Some trans fats are naturally found in animal foods but most of our excess trans fats are from processed fat in packaged foods. Stick margarine is the classic example of trans fats. When stick margarine is made, oil is processed to become solid. This process is called hydrogenation and you will often see the words “partially hydrogenated” on ingredient labels. The chemical process of making oil turn solid creates trans fats which have been found to raise artery clogging cholesterol (LDL) and lower artery cleaning cholesterol (HDL).  Trans fat amounts are required to be on labels by FDA and you want to try to keep your intake as close to zero as possible. The simplest way to keep trans fat intake low is to eat less processed food.

5.     Saturated fats can also raise cholesterol.  Just think of saturated fat as solid fat like lard or butter.  Whole and 2% milk, cheese and fatty meats are also high in saturated fat. Some snack foods and bakery products are high in saturated fats as well. Check the labels and try to keep saturated fat less than 20 grams daily.  You do not need to quit eating cheese and eggs. My recommendation is to choose small portions of less processed cheese. I personally don’t like fat-free cheese for the taste or texture. Eggs have a little saturated fat but are also a very good protein source. They have gotten a bad reputation over the years due to their higher cholesterol content. Reducing processed foods will do much more for your health than cutting out the eggs.

Food Manufacturers’ Misleading Labeling

What is even more shocking is our food manufacturers distorting and disregarding the harm caused to American health by mislabeling Omega 3 on their products when they’ve added more Omega 6 instead. And the trusting, unsuspecting American who hasn’t the time to delve into the confusing research jumps on the Omega 3 bandwagon buying products off the shelf hoping they purchased something good for their health. From Omega 3 eggs to Omega 3 bread, the addition of Omega 3 in their product is plant derived, the culprit.

Little did the consumer know they just added more chronic inflammation to their bodies.

Center for Science In The Public Interest (CSPI)

“Research shows that omega-3s found only in fish and some plants are “good” fatty acids, and help prevent heart disease. But the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says consumers are being hoodwinked when it comes to omega-3 eggs. These egg producers, egged on by their trade association, is brazenly putting omega-3 claims in big print on the front of the labels, knowing that that is a buzzword that will attract people,” says Michael Jacobson of the CSPI.

On Thursday the organization called on the FDA to enforce its own regulations and stop the egg industry from using what it calls misleading labels and advertising. “It’s like using filtered cigarettes to prevent cancer. It ain’t gonna happen. These eggs are loaded with cholesterol, which promotes heart disease,” Jacobson claims.

“It’s not just economic fraud, which it is, but it is a serious health problem,” Jacobson argues”.

The egg industry isn’t the only culprit of economic fraud. It is rampant throughout the food manufacturing industry and we’re falling for it. And the FDA and the USDA, the watch dogs for American health, tightly bound to the food manufacturers allows this to continue. Michael Jacobson calls it economic fraud – my feelings run more to gross injustice, unethical, and the single most damaging mislabeling of foods to American health. And now meats.

The USDA Gives Approval for Omega 3 Labeling On Meats

“Natural and Organic Food Group, Inc. (NOFG) announced today that the company has obtained USDA approval for a full line of Omega 3 DELI products under the PEI PORK brand. First to market, NOFG’S product portfolio include Omega 3 Hot Dogs, Omega 3 sliced and bulk Ham, Omega 3 Kielbasy, Omega 3 Bologna and Omega 3 Bacon all under the PEI PORK brand. In addition to the high Omega 3 content that has a perfect Healthy Balance™ ratio with Omega 6, the Omega 3 DELI line features NO MSG, GLUTEN FREE and NO FILLERS.”

“Our animals are fed a wholesome diet of primarily roasted soybeans and flaxseed which provide a flavorful culinary experience”. NOFG’S PEI PORK Omega 3 DELI products provide enough Omega 3 fatty acids to supply the FDA recommended daily allowance for a North American adult.

Let’s Clear The Stage For The Truth

There are three essential fatty acids we must have in balance – ALA derived from plant oils, and EPA and DHA derived from fish oils. Flax seed oil, soybean oil, other vegetable oils, have so proliferated the American diet, the statistics show the ratios in our bodies are a shocking 20 plant oils to 1 (less than) fish oil. In the high Omega 3 content of this line of food, they have added high amounts of ALA (Omega 6) from flaxseed oil and soybean oil they proudly feed their animals for you to consume.

Medical communities from Harvard to UCLA to the National Institutes of Health, with scores in between, daily publish research and studies showing Omega 6 at the core of the health epidemic in America. Why? An over-abundance of ALA, in simple terms, produces arachidonic acid which begins a vicious cycle of chronic inflammation. And chronic inflammation is at the core of every disease we have.

The argument is given, some plant oils may convert ALA to EPA and DHA but the truth is, without going into a lengthy discussion of long chains, our bodies ability to convert plant derived ALA to anything that is good for our health is nill. This small yet critical detail has confused the American public more than any other single element to the Omega 3 craze. And the shocking proof of that is the continued and daily documented rise in disease in America from an over-abundance of ALA seed oils.

We Are Floating In ALA Plant Oils

Americans are attracted to the buzzword “Omega 3” and rarely question the integrity of our food manufacturers. Nor do they suspect the greatest breakthrough in medicine today is being manipulated to line the coffers of the food industry for they rely on the FDA to alert the public. They’ll read an announcement that the USDA gave full approval for a line of meat products being labeled “Omega 3″ and buy them for their doctor said, add Omega 3. But the doctor said, add Omega 3 fish oil.

The distinction between the two is so critical yet the free license of food manufacturers to cash in on the Omega 3 band wagon grows more each day to the detriment of our health. And the FDA, USDA and can’t grasp and agree and instead ignore the medical science that is abundantly clear. They have all become the most ineffectual government agencies of all time yet hold the most power to determine what is good for health in America.

It is of the utmost importance to your health that you understand the difference. Omega 3 (6) derived from plant oils is the culprit – flaxseed oil, soybean oil, vegetable oils (ALA) that without going into lengthy understanding of long chains, is Omega 6. Omega 3 EPA and DHA is derived from fish oil.

Finding A Good Fish Oil Supplement

The only way to bring the balance of oils to a 1:1 ratio as they were intended from evolution is through adding pure Omega 3 EPA DHA fish oil from a reputable manufacturer of fish oils. Not a dealer, reseller or retailer for their oils have been purchased in 50 gallon drums, source and origin of fish unknown, sat in warehouses for six months then shipped to a plant for rendering into capsule form. Those oils lack the right source of fish and purification process needed to effect a change in your health. Those dealers, resellers and retailers of inferior fish oil are as unethical and as guilty of committing economic fraud as are food manufacturers for both take advantage of consumer trust.

If you purchase a fish oil product that says it contains EPA and DHA, moleculary distilled, consume the equivalent of one teaspoon a day or 20 capsules at 500 milligrams each for 30 days and have felt no relief or change in your health, it isn’t going to come. The American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health recommends one gram a day to maintain health, and up to 4 grams and more for challenging health issues. One gram a day is 20 capsules, not four!

Freebies, Two For One’s, Half Price

The shelves of stores and the internet are proliferated with fish oil supplements, half price, two for one, free bottles, and while we all love a good deal, we want good health more for without that, life holds little joy. Molecular distillation is an expensive process requiring skill, trained personnel, exposure and timing of distilling oils critical, special equipment, all of which must begin with the right fatty fish. For a manufacturer of anything at all to stay in business, those costs must be part of the purchase price. And in fish oil supplements, it speaks to the quality you’ll receive. Let common sense guide you in your purchase of fish oil and let the results in your health be the only indicator that matters.

Did your blood pressure come down, cholesterol numbers change, feel the difference in pain? Do you feel mentally brighter and clear headed? All these things and much more will come from pure EPA and DHA. Once you balance the fatty acids of fish oils to plant oils to a 1:1 ratio, your body will respond in ways that will amaze and delight you and your physician. Of all the discoveries in modern science and medicine of the last 50 years, this one holds universal true for all of mankind, from children to aging seniors.