It takes time and reading and keeping an eye on what you eat right down to the supplements you take (which are often in oil).
The Ben Best link in the "The Importance of Omega Three and Six to breast cancer" in the articles of interest section has a chart with fats for some foods.
1. You have to read all labels on food looking for vegetable fats and avoid them, particualry if they give no indication as to quantity or type (including margerine etc).
2. You have to look at the content of the fats you take and the quantity. This site will help give you an idea as to how the fats breakdown by type.
http://www.nutritiondata.com/fatty-acids.html
UDOs is exellent but you may find you are getting enough six without the extra in UDO's and similar proprietary three six oils.
Personally I have gone over to fish oil instead as it is higher in DHA and EPA.
There are high DHA EPA oils from algae, but they are harder to find and from what I have seen regretably more expensive at the moment.
3. Be aware that nuts are high in fats and many in omega six so pigging out on nuts could alter the balance of intake. Nuts in moderation enough to cover the palm of your hand maybe are good in general terms.
4. Olive oil virgin contains about 10% omega six, and refined olive oils up to about 50%.
5. Fish oils contain a range of fats but in particular contain the long chain omega threes DHA and EPA. Trials suggest a fall off in take up by the body at about 2 grams a day 5 tps of a quality fish oil about - check the label.
6. Watch for food in oil even if labelled as with olive oil - they are often mainly vegetable oil including olives in oil.
7. There is much debate about percentage of fat in diet. Many reports suggest within sensible limits less is more.
8. Grain fed animals, and farmed fish, eggs etc will have higher omega six that their grass fed will relatives.
9. Greens and pulses from what I have seen are overall about balanced.
10. DHA EPA in fish varies and is highest in oily fish - sardines mackerel etc.
The key is to balance.
I personally take the point of aiming for more three than one and hope I end up at about a balance.
Absolute quantities of omega threes to take are difficult to suggest beyond the above, as individual metabolism, existing fat stores, general health, ability to convert shorter chanin fats to longer chain fats, medication anti inflamatories, fat blockers etc will change for each indvidual.
In general terms side effects of omega threes are limited until quite high dosages - see Linnus Pauling site or WEB, and some may chose to look to 2 omega three to one six or higher.
There are companies that can test you three six fats balance. They are listed in a book called Smart Fats by M Scmidt. Obviously for those that can afford it testing would be a good option with regular monitoring of markers etc, and adjustment according to outcome etc.
Different books have different slants on diet, but many share greens, pulses, fish, low glycemic foods etc.
A common element is the importance of good digestion absortion etc.
There are lots of posts you may like to read with some suggested reading etc see "search" above on the purple bar.
Whilst many trials suggest synergistic effects with medication of various sorts fats are powerful agents and it is best to make significant dietary changes in consultation with your advisor. You can always print things out some of the scientific articles and take them along with you.
The best thing is to do some reading round the subject to get your own understanding, as regretably the necessary trials simply have not been done to give definative advice - I can only flag up trials and reviews and pose questions.
RB
Hybrid Mode
