Fat Facts from the Father of Flax
Very important. Zero of either will kill a person, because both are essential for every cell. Since they compete in the body, the ratio has to be right so that one does not crowd out the other, and vice versa.
Is it counterproductive to focus solely on the ratios of a particular food what other nutritional factors should be considered? Not sure that I understand this question. Regarding omega-3/omega-6 ratio, that takes care of a key issue, but the processing needs to be done with health in mind so that we don't end up with toxic molecules; good oils need to be pressed, filtered, filled, stored, shipped, stocked, and kept in the home with care, and used with care (never fried: if we fry oils, they fry our health); and oils need to contain all of the ingredients normally present in oils in seeds, with none of them removed; then there is the rest of the food—we cannot live on oil alone.
Life's standard for health is: fresh, whole, raw, and organic. That may not give us optimum amounts of all of the essential nutrients (optimum health is not Nature's mandate), but fresh, whole, raw, and organic results in the least loss of nutrients and the least intake of damaged and toxic molecules.
Do you advise balancing out a higher consumption of omega-6 by by taking more omega-3 rich or is it more important reduce our overall intake of omega-6?
I suggest that people switch out processing-damaged cooking oils for oils made with health in mind. The body needs an oil change, just like the car. Dump the dirty oils that wreck the engine; replace them with clean oils that make the motor hum. Same in the body. Dump the damaged oils that damage health; replace with oils made with health in mind that support body construction, maintenance, and repair.
Chia is similar in its fatty acid and nutrient profile to flax, but is quite a bit more expensive. Chia also does not contain the lignans that are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-lupus, anti-diabetic, anti-cholesterol, and anti-oxidant; lignans also lower estrogen before menopause, and increase estrogen after menopause—helpful in blocking the strong human and xeno-estrogens.
Satcha Inchi appears to have much less omega-3, although the reports on it have been contradictory. These days, everyone wants to have a unique source of omega-3, and Satcha contains some. Beware of creative marketing hype. To know for sure, get a sample tested in a lab. I haven't done it, so I have not yet figured out the contradiction in the reports. I believe that Satche is lower in omega-3 than omega-6, because it grows in climates that foster less omega-3 and more omega-6. Satcha is also more expensive than flax..

Whole food sources of EFAs are easily assimilated provided that we chew seeds and nuts thoroughly. Un-chewed flax will pass through the digestive tract whole.
We get the benefit of mucilage fiber, which is on the outside of the seed, but not of the nutrients, which remain enclosed in the hard casing of the seed. By the way, 'cold-pressed' is a meaningless marketing term, used to imply quality even when that quality has been processed out of the oil by trying temperatures.
. All seeds and nuts contain some omega-6. Omega-6 deficiency occurs only on low-fat and no-fat diets. The problem with our omega-6 sources—mostly oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in convenience and junk foods, margarines, and shortenings—is the damage done by processing.

Greens (for rabbits and horses; 0.1% oil; 60% of the oil is omega-3), flax (35% oil; 57% of the oil is omega-3), high fat, cold water fish (8-15% oil, 30% of the oil is omega-3 derivatives EPA plus DHA).
Red-brown algae make most of the fish oils (fish don't make fish oils!!!). Krill contains small amounts of oil (1% of body weight is oil; about 30% of the oil is omega-3 derivatives EPA plus DHA).
Undamaged omega-3 derivatives (EPA and DHA) come from CO2-extracted fish oils, krill oil, and unrefined algae oil.
These are the food foundation of good fats, rather than supplement (fish, krill, algae). Because getting the foundation right is more important for health than getting the supplement right, I decided to work with foundation. Ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 got my attention because I became omega-6 deficient on flax oil (dry eyes, skipped heartbeats, arthritis-like pain in finger joints, thin papery skin). 2:1 ratio consistently got us our best results. Lecithin improves oil digestion and absorption. Evening primrose contains omega-6 and GLA, but more important is unrefined and a great source of polyphenol antioxidants. Rice and oat germ are rich sources of phytosterols. Coconut is another rich source of antioxidant and its oil is very easy for the liver to handle. Sesame has wonderful antioxidants and, along with sunflower, is the main source of omega-6. Vitamin E is oil stabilizer. All ingredients (except Vitamin E) are now organic (we started with 3 organic ingredients; in 1994, the others were not available organic). The lecithin is GMO-free, and we have to bring it in from Europe, where they don't like GMO.
There is no fish oil, no borage oil, and no CLA in the blend. This is because of concerns of processing damage, industrial toxins, natural toxin in borage, and trans fats in CLA.

3,6,9 Oil Blend is the food foundation. DHA from algae is supplement.
3,6,9 Oil blend is foundation used at a tablespoon per 50 pounds of body weight per day (30 to 60 grams per day), mixed in food, spread out over the curse of the day. DHA 3,6,9 Oil Blend is foundation and supplement together.
Same dose per day. DHA 3,6,9 Oil Blend is more expensive, and great for pregnant women, breasfeeding mothers, and children from conception to 6 years old, and for anyone who wants a industrial toxin free, undamaged source of fish oil made by plants algae grown in a controlled environment.
In our two athlete studies, we used the same dose we recommend to everyone: 1 Tablespoon per 50 pounds of body weight per day. (some athletes use twice that, with great results). In both studies, endurance improved by 40-60%, which is about as much as with steroids, only legal. When the cell membranes are rich in omega-6 and especially omega-3, the natural testosterone made in the body acts most effectively at the cell receptor level. Min in with foods and spread out over the course of the day. Start with a teaspoon and work up to the recommended amount over the course of two weeks.
Benefits include: go longer before exhausted; recover more quickly from exhaustion; build muscle faster; more reps; shorter rests between sets; explosive power through the roof; joint mobility, flexibility better; less joint pain and tenderness; better running ability in strength athletes; better sleep; better concentration and sharper reflexes; nicer skin; improved short-term memory; less chronic illness and injury; better mood; easier slimming down and better fat burning; less cravings for carbs; stable energy; no 'hitting the wall' in endurance athletes who carb-deplete instead of carb-loading before long races (ie, they run the whole race on fats); similar benefits in both strength and endurance sports.
Effects are noticeable within a month; some athletes notice improvements within days; within half an hour to an hour after ingesting oil, some notice an increase in energy.
We have a cookbook called OMEGA 3 CUISINE: Recipes for Health and Pleasure. I taught celebrity chef Alan Roettinger how not to damage oil and health during food preparation. He came up with amazing, simple recipes. I have tried about a third of them, and have not found one yet that wasn't better than anything I would come up with. Hence, I refer people to that book. The oil is compatible with every kind of food. Even hot soup and steamed veggies or pasta sauce is okay. FRYING IS NOT OKAY.
Udo Erasmus, Ph.D:Father of "Organic, Unrefined Flax Oil" & Udo's Choice™ Oil Blend: Udo Erasmus, Ph.D., introduced the importance of essential fats (EFA's) derived from organic flax seeds to the world. He pioneered methods for producing unrefined oils made with health in mind which are still used today by manufacturers of flax and other oils. Starting in the mid-1980's, Udo popularized the use of flax oil through an exhaustive itinerary of public lectures, which eventually led to TV and radio interviews. His groundbreaking book, Fats that Heal Fats That Kill, became the industry's bible on fats. Later he developed an oil blend which is an improvement on flax oil, offering a better ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6
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