I often teach patients that each mouthful of food can inflame you or deflame you. The difference is in the proportion or profile of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids that are in your diet. Omega-6 fatty acids inflame. They contribute to the inflammatory process by aiding the formation of what are called inflammatory mediators: chemicals that the body makes to enhance inflammation. Examples are prostaglandins or leukotrienes. Some of these are more inflammatory than others, like the ones omega-6 fatty acids contribute to. The trick is to allow your body to produce the less inflammatory ones.
But where do we get omega-6 fatty acids in our diet? Unfortunately from the very things we love to eat because they look and taste so good: grains. All grains. Breads, pastas, cereals, corn, etc. Even whole, "healthy and natural" grains. Genetically we humans are not programmed to optimally process grains and we increase our body's inflammatory profile. That means stiffness, achiness, fatigue, swelling, and even pain. Did you ever load up on a nice pasta meal? How did you feel the next day or two?
The good news is that omega-3 fatty acids do the opposite: they deflame tissues by producing less inflammatory chemicals. You get omega-3 fatty acids from eating vegetables, fruits, cold-water fish. A prime supplemental source of omega-3's is krill oil. The goal is to keep you ratio of 6's:3's low. Ideally it should be 1:1 but I live in the real world. Try to keep it under 3:1 of 6's to 3's because many studies show that once you get above that ratio, the incidence of chronic inflammatory disease rises (arthritis, heart disease, cancer).
If you have to eat grains, I suggest that for every handful of grains you eat, eat two handfuls of a non-grain food. For instance, oatmeal is a grain loaded with omega-6's. But if you add a handful each of blueberries and walnuts, you offset the amount of 6's with 3's.
Control that ratio, and you can control your body's ability to get in trouble with inflammation.
But where do we get omega-6 fatty acids in our diet? Unfortunately from the very things we love to eat because they look and taste so good: grains. All grains. Breads, pastas, cereals, corn, etc. Even whole, "healthy and natural" grains. Genetically we humans are not programmed to optimally process grains and we increase our body's inflammatory profile. That means stiffness, achiness, fatigue, swelling, and even pain. Did you ever load up on a nice pasta meal? How did you feel the next day or two?
The good news is that omega-3 fatty acids do the opposite: they deflame tissues by producing less inflammatory chemicals. You get omega-3 fatty acids from eating vegetables, fruits, cold-water fish. A prime supplemental source of omega-3's is krill oil. The goal is to keep you ratio of 6's:3's low. Ideally it should be 1:1 but I live in the real world. Try to keep it under 3:1 of 6's to 3's because many studies show that once you get above that ratio, the incidence of chronic inflammatory disease rises (arthritis, heart disease, cancer).
If you have to eat grains, I suggest that for every handful of grains you eat, eat two handfuls of a non-grain food. For instance, oatmeal is a grain loaded with omega-6's. But if you add a handful each of blueberries and walnuts, you offset the amount of 6's with 3's.
Control that ratio, and you can control your body's ability to get in trouble with inflammation.
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