The Right Way to Get Your Omega-3s and -6s

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Coconut oil is 92% saturated fat, dude, and any "healthy" rumours you've heard about coconut oil is based on the preconception that Polynesian folks have low heart problems, but experts say that's more because they're active and non-smokers, by and large.

But coconut milk has more saturated fat than BUTTER.

So, you know. Check your facts, man.

steff 2:56AM August 04, 2008

WHAT ABOUT THE GOOD OF COCONUT OIL WHY DO YOU NEVER MENTION IT

GARY MINER of TX 6:03PM August 02, 2008

It would be nice not be concerned or “bogged down” about omega-6 fats, but they inundate the food we eat, including the so-called “heart-healthy” foods. Most omega-6 fats come from vegetable oils: cottonseed oil, corn oil, and soybean oil. Check the ingredients in your margarine, mayonnaise and salad dressing---and you’ll likely find one of those oils (or “vegetable oil”, which is typically a soybean oil blend). Oils low in omega-6 fat are olive oil, flax oil and canola oil.

Recently, there has been a great deal of attention on the Japanese diet and the health benefits of their high omega-3 fat intake. But just as important, the Japanese diet is low in omega-6 fats, a significant point not usually mentioned. You need a balance of these two fats for optimal health.

The omega-6 fat issue is especially important in the USA, because the great majority of Americans do not eat enough of the right kinds of omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA, which are found in fish. American average an intake of 85 milligrams of these omegas, which meets only 13% of the international recommended intake of 650 milligrams per day. Notably, omega-6 fats compete with omega-3 fats, which have a negative impact on our health.

Yes, we need to be concerned about omega-6 fats.

Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD

Author, Ultimate Omega-3 Diet

Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD of CA 2:25PM August 02, 2008

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