Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Have we sabotaged ourselves?

If you haven't been getting enough Omega-3s in your diet, this article may convince you to change your diet. It's kind of long, but stick with it.

Here's what I gained from the findings in this article:

- The reason we've been seeing an increase in heart disease is, in part, due to the kinds of fats we're getting from our diets.

- The Omega-3 deficiency we're experiencing can be blamed on so-called heart-healthy oils like sunflower oil.

- Eating more fish can't fix this problem because 1. there isn't enough fish for everyone and 2. most farmed fish is fed corn and soy, increasing the Omega-6 levels

- Eat more leafy greens!

What I find most groundbreaking for me personally is that adding more leafy greens and buying more organic meat is relatively easy for me. Organic meat is expensive, but by cutting my intake of conventionally raised meat even a little and increasing my intake of leafy greens significantly can help me (and Rex by default since I make his meals) be healthier. I've been more and more concerned about my heart health because heart disease runs rampant on my father's side of the family. Type 2 diabetes also takes a heavy toll, which doesn't help the heart either.

The best part of making these changes in my diet? I am only changing the way my meat is raised and adding more greens. I still get to enjoy bread (sans trans-fats), butter, and pasta. Nom!

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