Omega 6:Omega 3 Ratio
losingforgood120
Posts: 94
This seems to be the easiest first step for me. Easier than eating less high glycemic foods, and dairy. Yikes.
Here's why it's a thing:
"Since acne is marked by inflammation, another aspect of the Western diet that could contribute is the high prevalence of inflammatory PUFAs, and the imbalance between O6 and O3 PUFAs. In a traditional diet, the ratio of O6:O3 is between 4:1 and 1:1, while in the modern Western diet, thanks to the high consumption of seed oils and industrial fats, the ratio hovers closer to10:1.
It makes sense that more balanced levels of O6 and O3 would tend to reduce acne-related inflammation as part of a decrease in the overall inflammatory burden in the body. Although the evidence for this is nowhere near conclusive, several studies have demonstrated that people who eat more fish (the main dietary source of O3 fats) are less likely to develop acne, and fish oil supplements show some promise for treating acne patients."
(From http://paleoleap.com/paleo-and-acne/).
I've read there's other benefits to increasing omega 3's and decreasing omega 6's as well. (Recently read about it New Rules of Lifting for Women... interesting read).
I'm coming from a iifym background but now I'd like to try the "if it fits my macros AND O6:O3 ratio."
One source of Omega 3 is fish- however I have concerns about mercury and overfishing. So tonight I made a list of fish with the highest levels of omega 3 (some don't - like tilapia which I eat all the time...) and lowest levels of mercury (yikes, no more orange roughy for me.)
HIGH LEVELS OF OMEGA 3/ LOW LEVELS OF MERCURY
Whitefish
Sardine
Wild Salmon (overfished)
Atlantic Mackerel
Anchoives
Alaskan King crab (domestic crab)
Shrimp
Arctic Char
Sablefish/ Black Cod
Oysters
Rainbow Trout (wild overfished, farmed may have dangerous chemicals... lose-lose)
OTHER OMEGA 3 SOURCES NOT IN FISH
Flax seed
Walnuts (try organic)
pastured eggs or omega 3 enriched eggs
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Winter Squash
Black beans
Kidney beans
I'm planning on incorporating these in to my diet!! I wonder if there's a way to keep track of grams of fat from Omega 6/ Omega 3 so I could see how close to 1:1 ratio I'm getting...
Here's why it's a thing:
"Since acne is marked by inflammation, another aspect of the Western diet that could contribute is the high prevalence of inflammatory PUFAs, and the imbalance between O6 and O3 PUFAs. In a traditional diet, the ratio of O6:O3 is between 4:1 and 1:1, while in the modern Western diet, thanks to the high consumption of seed oils and industrial fats, the ratio hovers closer to10:1.
It makes sense that more balanced levels of O6 and O3 would tend to reduce acne-related inflammation as part of a decrease in the overall inflammatory burden in the body. Although the evidence for this is nowhere near conclusive, several studies have demonstrated that people who eat more fish (the main dietary source of O3 fats) are less likely to develop acne, and fish oil supplements show some promise for treating acne patients."
(From http://paleoleap.com/paleo-and-acne/).
I've read there's other benefits to increasing omega 3's and decreasing omega 6's as well. (Recently read about it New Rules of Lifting for Women... interesting read).
I'm coming from a iifym background but now I'd like to try the "if it fits my macros AND O6:O3 ratio."
One source of Omega 3 is fish- however I have concerns about mercury and overfishing. So tonight I made a list of fish with the highest levels of omega 3 (some don't - like tilapia which I eat all the time...) and lowest levels of mercury (yikes, no more orange roughy for me.)
HIGH LEVELS OF OMEGA 3/ LOW LEVELS OF MERCURY
Whitefish
Sardine
Wild Salmon (overfished)
Atlantic Mackerel
Anchoives
Alaskan King crab (domestic crab)
Shrimp
Arctic Char
Sablefish/ Black Cod
Oysters
Rainbow Trout (wild overfished, farmed may have dangerous chemicals... lose-lose)
OTHER OMEGA 3 SOURCES NOT IN FISH
Flax seed
Walnuts (try organic)
pastured eggs or omega 3 enriched eggs
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Winter Squash
Black beans
Kidney beans
I'm planning on incorporating these in to my diet!! I wonder if there's a way to keep track of grams of fat from Omega 6/ Omega 3 so I could see how close to 1:1 ratio I'm getting...
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Replies
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I got some whitefish and trout at the store today. I'm nervous to try it! Whole foods sells it already cooked... so that's nice. They said it'll last in the fridge for 5 days. I'm planning on eating it today and tomorrow for dinner. Not sure what to do for seasoning... I have some Tony's so I guess I'll try that first.
So... as long as I can eat it, I'll get 12 oz of fish this week. (6 today, 6 tomorrow) which is my goal. 0 -
Whitefish was amazing! Whole foods smoked it so it had a really nice flavor, plus I added some Tony's. My husband and even my 2 yr old liked it too. It was an omega 3 packed meal since I also had a smoothie with 1/4 cup flax seed and 1 oz of walnuts. We'll see if my acne is cured in the morning.
I also bought brussel sprouts at the store... which I don't think I have ever purchased as an adult. Funny story- it was mislabeled as $5 EACH. I thought- if that's accurate, there's no way I'm going to be able to afford to eat these. Fortunately it was just $3/LB. So, another eating adventure planned for tomorrow! Whitefish WAS pretty expensive- $15/LB. (Compared to farmed salmon can be $6/lb).0 -
Brussel sprouts were not bad! I will definitely incorporate them into our diet weekly. That is doable. Crab cake was also quite good (but very expensive).
Update on my skin: it's not looking too bad yet. Since I've gone off the pill I've only seen 2 zits.... but I assume the huge cysts will eventually return. Every time I go off the pill they do. When/if they do I will certainly have motivation to really try this full-blown acne diet. (Low glycemic food, no/low dairy, higher omega 3: omega 6 ratio) I don't really know if I can follow a highly-restrictive diet or if it will be good for me (the "whole me"- not just my skin.) But at least increasing omega 3 food hasn't been too bad so far!0