EFA Question

[Treader]

Hi Shelley.

What is your opinion on EFA's? I have been reading different views lately on how much to take, and if we really do need to supplement them. On the one hand there is J Budwid that says we cannot get enough EFA"s and that cottage cheese mixed with Flax is a great way to take them.

Then there are guys like Bruce Fife and Ray Peat that don't think that EFA's should be supplemented at all; that they oxidize once inside the body causing harm. They say that saturated fats like coconut oil are what it needed. http://www.ndmnutrition.com/fact%20on%20flax

Then there is Mary Enig that says EFA's are indeed needed, but only in small amounts - 1/2 tsp a day. None of these people talk about using cottage cheese with EFA's.
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/essentialfattyaciddef.html

So what do you think? Does the cottage cheese change the properties of the EFA's? I'm a little concerned about using Flax oil because of it's susceptibility to go rancid so easily. What do you think about Gold of Pleasure (Wild Flax oil) instead of Flax?

[shelley]

As always, it depends on your body type, blood type, age, level of activity.

If coconut oil is in your genetic history, and appropriate for your blood type, great! If not, it can hardly be called essential. But it has some wonderful properties that other commonly used oils just don't and so is worth using occasionally.

Flax oil I take issue with because it's estrogenic and the plant is a weed, which makes it highly allergenic. That's why I recommend Udo's Choice blend rather than straight flax oil, or use whole flax seeds to get all the benefits and do the pulse test to see if you're allergic. Mixing with cottage cheese is very beneficial.

Most of the truly essential EFAs like linoleic acid you can get from lecithin and eggs, so my protein shake really does take care of the majority of your EFA needs. If you drink that occasionally you don't have to worry about supplementing anything but cod liver or wheat germ oils occasionally.

All oils are refined, intense super-foods because it's not at all natural for the body to get tons of oils all at once. We evolved on a diet of whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods. Good fats should make up about 30% of your total calories. A tablespoon is about 100 calories, so if your total caloric need is 2000 that means you can have about 6 servings of fats.

[Treader]

I don't know if coconut oil agrees with me or not. I always look at D. Adamo's site to check these things, but he apparently doesn't like coconut oil at all as he lists it as bad for every blood type. Most of the things on there do match up with what works best for me, but there are some mistakes, and I have noticed a few changes here and there. He says that olives are bad for me, but he lists olive oil as beneficial for everyone.

Have you ever tried the Gold of Pleasure (Wild Flax) Oil?

[shelley]

I may have, I tend to buy flax based on the bottle design and expiration date rather than the brand.