The traditional diet of Greece and cancer.

[marymary]

This is all Greek to me! What would be most helpful to me is recipies, and foods that are especially beneficial and should be emphasized in my diet.

Currently I go to Farmer's Market as often as possible, at least once and sometimes twice a week. The only problem is that foods there are entirely seasonal. By January it's onions and chard.

Right now I am consuming blueberries like a bear. I ate big bowls of broccoli all winter. Right now it's salad with the following olive oil dressing:

Minced garlic
Salt
Pepper
Curry Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of ground Cloves
Dash of tabasco
Extra virgin locally grown olive oil
Lemon juice (from the tree in my backyard)
Balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard as an emulsifier

I read on Web MD that olive oil fights HER 2 and also it just tastes so good, although I know it does pack some calories. I try and eat half an avocado daily, fattening, yes, but also a good cancer fighter.

Right now it's salad, salad, salad and my husband eats lunch out daily, yesterday it was a BLT for him!

I am trying to lose a few pounds, stay off the sugar, etc. and I do believe eating fruits & veggies has helped me live as long as I have. That & Herceptin/Arimidex!

Thanks.

Mary

[mamacze]

Dear RB,

I think you are a genius in your own right and I am grateful for your laser focus on omega 3's and 6's. Clearly, the ratio of 3's to 6's is significant. For those of us who are intellectually challenged in this area; would you consider giving us a plain English summary of what you are gleaning from these studies;and also it would help me to know what some good food sources of 3's and 6's are. Finally, do you know of any food source where the 3's and 6's are found together and optimally balanced for people with auto immune problems and cancer?
Love Kim from CT

[RhondaH]

here's a list of omega 3

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...trient&dbid=84

AND a list of omega 6

http://www.annecollins.com/dietary-fat/omega-6-fats.htm

AND an article on green tea and autoimmune disorders

http://www.nutraingredients.com/news...reen-tea-could

Rhonda

[al from Canada]

RB,

For those of us on a non-junk food diet, cook only with olive oil, do you think that it is still neccessary to suppliment O-3? If so, how much?
Also, we all really appreciate the work you are doing to benefit all of us in this area, as I personally feel that diet is a hugh part of the problem!.
Al

[R.B.]

Thank you for your kind comments and interest.

Thanks Rhonda for the links. The Mateljan site was particularly well laid out, and from a quick skim is informative.

Re the questions as to how much - as usual no easy answer but in essence from what I have read so far

1...**** BALANCE the Omega 3 and 6 plant based fats with a ratio between 1:1 and 1:2. We only need between 1/2 - 2% of calories (Issfal suggests 2-3%). There is not a simple way to do that except look up the fat content of the foods you eat and try and estimate your intake. The vast majority of processed food will contain vegetable fat even some processed dried fruit! - So check lablels.

2. Get at least a gram and up to 3 grams combined total of the long chain Omega 3s DHA and EPA from oily fish or fish oil. Women and men have different needs it appears. Women make DHA better than men and need more of it. (Our shore dwelling ancestors would have eaten more Omega 3 than 6 as fish and shell fish are much higher in Omega 3 than 6.)

Fish and shell fish are a good source of minerals and iodine.

Minerals in food have dropped by between 20 and 70% due to soil depletion in the last 50 years.

Do remember to have a look at the content of fish oil as it contains a whole range of fats which may help inform you other intake. Check the A and D content of fish oil and make sure you are neither overloading or getting too little. Some manufacturers remove D or A or both.

If you feel it appropriate to take GLA remember it usually comes with omega six and work that into the balancing act. As usual looking for a food source might be a better option. I am less certain as to where GLA sits in the pecking order, and less is written on the series one products and the extent to which the body will produce GLA.

http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/ihn...lides_2005.pdf

This link provides some graphs which seem to suggest 2 grams of DHA a day is the level at which take off drops off, BUT I would guess it would depend on what the omega six intake was, the composition of stored fats, individual metabolism etc. ( about 4 to 5 tps of a reasonable quality fish oil or equivalent in algae source). I am taking 2grams as a minimum some times more and just trying to assess how I feel changes in body function, fitness, weight, liver function etc.

I am afraid that there are simply no absolute answers and the research has not been done.

Side effects are limited but do exist at higher doses so check with your advisor particularly if on medication. Blood thinning is the most common issue.

Other than the fish oil, use maybe a little olive oil or other low Omega 6 oil maybe 1 tablespoon a day. Moderate use of grass fed butter is fine (vit A D K etc). I do not use any oils margarines etc, but it is very much a personal choice. In hunter gatherer terms our access to omega six was limited so my guess is less is better eg give up margarine etc. There are no easy answers and until they trial outcomes v changes in adipose fat content in a sufficient number of people we simply will not know.

I hope that helps I am sorry I cannot be more specific at this time.

I will post separately on sources of omega three and six in so far as I can.

RB

[chrisy]

I just wanted to say I read your posts with interest - I really appreciate your efforts to convey this complex information in ways we can easily "digest" (pun intended). For those of us who have neither the time nor intellectual focus to dive into this pool, it's great to have such an awesome researcher on the team!
Thanks!

[karenann]

R.B. and Rhonda,

Thanks a million for all of the information. I think I am finally, "getting it" when it comes to food and supplements.

Karen