Is your mother always right?

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The Omega Balance

What exactly are the omegas? 

  • They are types of fat.

What’s the big deal with the omegas?

  • They affect levels of inflammation, and inflammation is at the root of most Western diseases (heart attacks, obesity, diabetes, breast cancer, dementia etc…).

When do the omega fats cause problems?

  • When we consume too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3.

What is the perfect omega balance?

  • Equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3

What is the current ratio of omega-6:omega-3 in the Western world?

  • Approximately 20:1

How can we correct this?

  • Eat fewer omega-6 containing foods and eat more omega-3 containing foods.

What’s the best way of doing this?

  • Cut out vegetable oils and grains, and eat more fish.

 And finally, don’t fall into the ‘supplement trap’.

  • Eat proper food instead.

Fructose: A Bittersweet Sugar

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The Bottom Line:

  • Don’t get deceived by the fact that just because fructose is natural it is ok to have as much as you want.
  • Most of us consume far too much fructose (in the form of refined sugar).
  • Fructose consumed as part of a whole fruit is not bad for you.

Key Points:

  • Fructose in excess is worse than excess glucose.
  • Eating fructose doesn’t make you feel full and might even make you feel hungrier.
  • Excessive consumption of fructose is associated with diabetes and obesity.
  • Eating fructose increases the triglycerides in your blood – (a type of fat which is more closely correlated with having a heart attack than cholesterol is).

Methionine, longevity and schizophrenia: Can methionine induce madness?

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The Bottom Line

  • A low-methionine diet delays ageing in animals.
  • If delaying ageing is your aim, methionine-restriction might be an easier option than calorie-restriction.
  • High levels of dietary methionine can exacerbate psychopathological symptoms in schizophrenic people.

Caveats

  • Severe methionine-restriction lowers fertility in animals.
  • Severe methionine-restriction stunts growth in young animals.
  • Cutting out methionine completely is incompatible with life.

My advice

  • Eat more vegetables and fruit, which are low methionine foods.