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Are you getting enough?

Did you know you may not be getting enough essential fatty acids – even if you are taking fish or krill oil supplements!

Most people today are aware that we need a healthy, balanced diet to achieve optimal good health. But some still struggle to understand that not all fat is bad – indeed, some types of “healthy” fats are essential for human life. Overall, there are about 44 nutrients we MUST have to fuel our bodies to live, including minerals, vitamins, amino acids, AND Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs).

An enormous number of scientific studies have confirmed that health issues may arise from insufficient healthy fats – and that many chronic conditions can be helped when there enough essential fatty acids in the body for proper functioning.

So vitally important are these essential fatty acids that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends they should provide 20% – 35% of our daily intake of calories. Accordingly, an average diet should include between 40 to 70 grams of healthy fats! The rest should be primarily composed of the other two macronutrients, proteins and carbohydrates, eaten as fresh, whole and unprocessed as possible.

Which fats are truly “Essential”?

The absolute importance to our general health and well-being of Essential Fatty Acids is indisputable, and is the reason many consumers today supplement their diet with products such as fish and krill oil. Unfortunately, not all Essential Fatty Acids are in these types of products, which can leave us vulnerable to deficiencies, and the health problems that may follow.

Essential Fatty Acids are comprised of a group of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, including:

  • DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid)
  • EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)
  • ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid)
  • LA (Linoleic Acid)

In most cases, if you don’t actually consume the fats you need, your body can create them from other fats, cleverly converting one type of fatty acid into another type. However, there are two types of EFA’s that CANNOT be converted, they MUST be consumed: ALA and LA.

Whilst fish and krill oils are excellent sources of the Omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, they are not a good source for Omega 6 EFAs.

Importantly, ALA and LA are not found in fish oils! They are, however, abundant in Udo’s Oil.

Fortunately, both EPA and DHA can be made in the body, as required, from the ALA provided in Udo’s Oil. The human body converts plant-sourced omega-3 to the same EPA and DHA that are found in fish oils. If you have enough ALA, your body will automatically convert it to what your requires at the time.

This is why Udo Erasmus describes ALA and LA as “Foundational Fats” – because they form the foundation of what is truly essential for the human body.

How much is enough?

The key to gaining good health from Foundational Fats lies in ingesting the essential ones in the proper ratio. This isn’t usually achieved from the average diet which is very high in omega 6 but low in omega 3. There’s no shortage of “omega” oil blends to choose from these days (and most of them rely on the groundwork research that Udo Erasmus, Ph.D., did in the field of fats).

Udo’s 3•6•9 Oil Blend® is based on the EFA ratio that was found to be ideal for humans. Udo’s Oil delivers a balanced 2:1:1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 and omega-9 Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s). Seed and nut oils are foundational (or food) oils. Along with proteins and carbohydrates, these oils are major nutrients. These oils are foundational because we need them in relatively large quantities.

Optimum intake of foundational oils, which should contain the right ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 (2:1), is about 15ml/25kg/day. They should be mixed in food and spread out over the course of the day.

Udo’s 3•6•9 Oil Blend® is one of the most important staples in your fridge – far more foundational than milk or bread. Omega-3 and -6, being essential, must be part of the background of a balanced diet. With these fats, the body can make all the other fats it needs, in the quantities and proportions that the body deems necessary.

For more information please read our article “Fish Oil versus Udo’s Oil“.