ARE YOU NEEDING AN OIL CHANGE?

Many people have come to think of fat as a dirty word and that if we eat the products labeled "fat free" we can stay healthy, right? Wrong. The truth is that 20 to 30 percent of our calories need to come from fat. Every cell in our body has a lipid (fat) cell membrane. The brain, which is the most vital organ of our body, is composed of 60 percent fatty material.

The main problem in not the amount of fat or oil we put into our cellular engines, but the type of oil we use. That brings us to the essential fatty acids. They are called essential fatty acids because the are vital to our health and we have to obtain them from our diet. There are three main groups of essential fatty acids according to the length of the fatty acid chains, omega 3, omega 6, and omega 9. Our diets use to contain a ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 of 1 to 1, which scientists believe to be the ideal ratio for human brain function. Today, with all the processed food, over consumption of sugar, etc, the ratio is estimated to be from 20 or 30 to 1 resulting in chronic inflammation and a multitude of other health issues including ADD/ADHD, coronary artery disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, allergic eczema, autoimmune disorders, etc, etc.

We can all benefit from an "oil change". We need to eliminate from our diets, as much as possible, sources of trans fatty acids (such as margarine and partially hydrogenated .......), and consume more sources of omega 3 fats such as cold water fish, utilize healthier oils such as coconut, extra virgin olive oil, or avocado oil, and supplement with fish oil, flax seed oil, or krill to increase our omega 3 ratio.

Try an oil change and see if your engine doesn't run more efficiently.