Foundation Fats
Supplements without foundation makes no sense!
By Dr Udo Erasmus
In recent years there has been much written about the need to supplement our diets with fish oils. We have been swept along on wave after wave of articles on the benefits of fish oil. Oil is part of our normal daily diet, however, whilst we have focussed on oil supplements we have lost sight of the importance of getting our 'foundation' oil intake right.
A typical fish oil supplement at recommended doses makes up only 1 to 5 grams of oil daily.
Our total daily intake of oil, on the other hand, is between 75 and 125 grams. If we use 100 grams as our total oil intake per day as an example:
- A maximum of 5 gms of oil per day will come from fish/algae oil - Supplement
- The other 95 grams of oil comes from our foods and cooking oils - Foundation
ALL of us need to get our foundation right
SOME of us will do better by adding supplements to foundation
NONE of us can do it on supplements alone
Not all 'foundation' oils (or fats as we can call them) from foods and cooking oils are healthy, and as these form a larger proportion of oils in our daily diet than supplement oils, we need to pay more attention to these as a subject for optimum health.
'Foundation' oils can be made up of one or a combination of the following fats:
Damaged Fats - some margarines, some cooking oils and some ready meals
Non essential saturated fat - butter, lard, pork, coconut
Non essential monounsaturated fat - olive, canola, macadamia, avocado, beans
Essential Omega 6 polyunsaturated fat - corn, safflower, grape seed, sunflower, sesame
Essential Omega 3 polyunsaturated fat - flax and chia, and small amounts in hemp, walnuts, canola and soybeans
Why do we need certain foundation oils/fats
The fats that form the 'foundation' part of our total oil intake affect the way our body operates at the cellular level. For optimum cellular performance it is important to obtain the right amount of healthy fats and in the right proportion. The key healthy fats are the Omega 3 Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA) and Omega 6 Linoleic acid (LA).
Omega 3 ALA and Omega 6 LA are called Essential Fatty Acids as, unlike the other fats, the body cannot produce them itself and yet they are essential to the proper working of the cells that make up our body. (The DHA and EPA Fatty Acids in Fish Oils, although called 'Omega 3' are not Essential, though may be beneficial as a supplement).
That is why when people have the right amount of Omega 3 ALA and Omega 6 LA and in the right proportion they identify changes in their body such as:
- improved skin, hair and nails
- more energy, stamina and recovery
- better weight management
- improved heart health
- boosted immune system and
- sharper focus and concentration
Damaged Fats
Many of our 'foundation' oils are found in products that have been damaged by processing and contain unnatural and damaged molecules (eg Margarines and partially hydrogenated oils, fried oils and cooking oils). Cooking oils for instance can be damaged by a variety of processing techniques including heating at temperatures high enough to damage the beneficial molecules that would have otherwise been of use to our bodies. Even fish oil supplements can be damaged during similar processing especially as they are about 25 times more sensitive to damage by these processes than are cooking oils.
It is important to keep the amount of damaged fats in our diet to a minimum as they show a strong correlation with compromised immune functions and inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, Alzheimerís, diabetes, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, auto-immune conditions, allergic conditions and inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.
Having these oils as part of our 'foundation' oils should be avoided if health is our goal.
Taking an oil supplement without first paying attention to getting our 'foundation' is like eating no food and then swallowing a few vitamins, minerals and amino acid pills. It doesn't make sense, is really expensive and does not work for health.
Taking a fish/algae oil supplement may be appropriate but not as an alternative to ensuring that our diet is providing us with the healthy, undamaged 'foundation' oils that our body needs to function at its best, and particularly the Essential Fatty Acids Omega 3 ALA and Omega 6 LA.
What should we look for in our diet to ensure a healthy oil foundation?
1. About 30 to 60 grams should come from oils removed from seeds, nuts and beans. (A good Omega 3 and 6 blend of cold pressed organic seed oils like Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend can provide this)
2. Most of the rest of our foundation oils/fats should come from seeds, nuts, beans themselves plus meat, eggs, dairy products and fish.
3. You can also get small amounts of foundation oils from whole grains (but not in white flour and white rice) and tiny amounts are also found in vegetables and fruit.
Summary
In summary, supplements should be in addition to, not instead of a good 'foundation'. There have been numerous arguments for fish ('supplement') and against flax ('foundation') oils in recent years but these misrepresent what we need to get clear: The vital difference between Foundation and Supplement and the right use of both for health.
Supplement alone is not enough fat in the diet. If 5 grams per day of supplement were all the oil in our diet it would kill us!!
ALL
of us need to get a clean, undamaged foundation
SOME
of us can benefit from adding clean, undamaged supplements to this foundation
NONE
of us can be healthy on even the cleanest supplements alone