Balance Your Fats - The Benefits of Omega 3 6 and 9

If our decisions about fat are made based on fear and guilt, how do we eat well? Where's the pleasure, if it is soon wiped away by negative thoughts? What do we really know about fats?
Thinking positive about fats means we need to get to know them. Let's start with the polyunsaturates. We often hear that we should reduce the saturated fat, cut out trans fats, and eat more polyunsaturates. As the title suggests, we are looking here at the balance of these polyunsaturated fatty acids in our diet.
The main issue here is that we have evolved in an environment where we got the main two polyunsaturates, omega-6 and omega-3, in a certain ratio. Our bodies process both of them using the same enzyme. This worked fine for thousands and thousands of years. Then we started getting more of one in our diets. The ratio changed. Things were no longer in balance. Does this make a difference? There are plenty of scientists around who think it does. Why is that?

Firstly, when omega-3 and omega-6 are waiting to be metabolized by the enzymes, omega-6 gets to the head of the queue. If the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is high, the omega-3 doesn't get taken up by the body properly. We can lose the benefit of what we are getting in our diet.
Secondly, this very new change in our diet appears to have some problems. We need some omega-6 in our diet. It is an essential fatty acid; our body needs it but cannot make it. What seems to be happening is that a diet high in omega-6 can give rise to low-level inflammation. There are lots of chronic diseases where inflammation is a feature, often an uncomfortable one, such as in some forms of arthritis.
Third on the list of issues is metabolism. There is some evidence that omega-6 fatty acids encourage the body to store fat. Over thousands of years, when people didn't get so much omega-6 in their diet, those who lived outside the tropics got a glut in autumn. Fattening up before a chilly winter is a sensible thing for a mammal to do, because you can live off your reserves of fat when food is scarce. Our bodies are programmed to store energy in this way, and nature provides the right food at the right time, in autumn, when seeds (nuts, grains and pulses) are abundant. Eating more omega-6 the whole year round may not be a good idea.

The main two polyunsaturates we meet in foods are omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. Our best omega-3s come from fish, but are also found in egg yolks and meats. Strict vegetarians may get them from algae products. Omega-6 polyunsaturates are found in many oils from grains, seeds and nuts. The amount of omega-6 varies, with more than 50% in sunflower, safflower, corn oil and soybean oil. Rapeseed oil has a more favorable ratio.
There are varieties of safflower that have been bred to produce oil with a lower omega-6 content than the regular safflower, and it is also known that grain-fed animals produce meat with more omega-6 than those that graze on green stuff. So you have to be a little bit careful if you want to reduce your omega-6 ratio.

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Health Benefits of Astaxanthin, The Super Antioxidant

I began taking astaxanthin over 10 years ago. I played a lot of tennis and I had developed a case of tennis elbow. I started taking the astaxanthin and the symptoms disappeared within about a week.

I continued to use astaxanthin because I also like to spend time in the sun and astaxanthin helps to protect your skin from UV damage and photo aging and you can stay in the sun longer with a reduced risk of sun burn - even fair skinned people can stay in the sun longer with less risk of getting a sun burn.

Anti Aging - Skin Health:

Astaxanthin helps to reduce fine wrinkles and improves the elasticity of your skin and helps to increase the moisture in your skin. Astaxanthin also helps to reduce age spots. So you can see that astaxanthin is a super supplement for its anti aging health benefits.

What is Astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin is a marine algae. It is what salmon and pink flamingos feed on that gives them their color. It is in the carotenoid family. It is a very powerful antioxidant that helps to destroy free radicals.

In fact, it is several times more powerful than vitamin c, vitamin e and CoQ10. It is also about 500 times more powerful than the catechins in green tea.

Astaxanthin is absorbed into your cells and tissue throughout your entire body, unlike most other antioxidants that only benefit certain bodily functions or organs.

Brain Health:

Astaxanthin can cross the blood brain barrier, so it helps to protect your brain neurons and reduces the risk of brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's.

Eye Health:

Astaxanthin can cross the blood retinal barrier, so it helps to:

reduce UV damage to the eyes,

eye fatigue,

age related macular degeneration,

cataracts,

high eye pressure that can lead to glaucoma or eventual blindness.

Joint Health:

And as I already touched on, astaxanthin really helps to improve joint health, by reducing inflammation and pain caused by free radicals and protecting your joints.

Astaxanthin strengthens your over all immunity so you are better able to resist disease and illness.

Astaxanthin is fat soluble and best absorbed with healthy fats.

Dosage: Take 4 mgs daily for skin health and up to 12 mgs daily for joint health.

How long before you see results?

It can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks to see results depending on the person. There are some people who have trouble absorbing carotenoids, and so for those people, astaxanthin will be less effective.

With good supplementation like astaxanthin, along with eliminating sugar and processed foods and eating a healthy diet, you can live a healthier, more active lifestyle.

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Antioxidant Vitamins - Foods That Fight Wrinkles?

A simple diet adjustment of whole foods that are rich in antioxidant vitamins can make an enormous difference in the skin's outward reflection. Realizing which stressor(s) are negatively impacting your skin and taking action against them will help you defy the odds of premature aging of the skin and wrinkles. Several factors play a role in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles:
Sun damaged skin

Free Radicals
Genetics
Hormones
Dehydration
Cigarette smoke
Chemical exposure
Environmental toxins
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant known to support collagen production. Sun exposure dehydrates, dries your skin causing free radicals, and depletes collagen; leaving it loose, weak and wrinkled. Collagen is a protein, which provides the primary part of the infrastructure and makes up approximately 75% of the skin. Healthy levels of collagen give the appearance of a smooth, plump appearance. Ultraviolet radiation, or excessive sun exposure is the primary cause of skin damage and can lead to skin cancer.

Wrinkles result from free radical damage and antioxidant vitamins neutralize free radicals. A free radical is an unstable oxygen molecule that is missing an electron. It scavenges and robs from others in an effort to become stable. In turn, after successfully "robbing", the free radicals cause other molecules to become unstable and the new free radicals begin the search for electrons and stability. This vicious cycle can alter genetic material and damage cell function. A free radicals worst enemy is an antioxidant.
Based on my research on the topic of genetics and foods rich in antioxidant vitamins, the following is what I have learned. Research proves that some individuals lack DNA repair enzymes that are responsible for protecting the skin from free radicals (such as those produced by overexposure to the sun). People who lack the genes for these repair enzymes run a higher risk of developing skin cancer. You cannot change your DNA, but you protect your entire body and can stop additional free radical damage by consuming antioxidant and vitamin rich foods. Provide your skin with the best self-defense it needs to fight aging, wrinkles, and potentially skin cancer.
Other aging culprits at work on our skin in need of antioxidant protection include those from toxic sources. Cigarette smoke and exposure to chemicals either indoors or environmentally are among the highest on the list. Toxic chemicals can damage skin cells reducing their ability to function properly. The result of poorly functioning skin cells is increased inflammation, infection, and a loss in structure. Visually, your face will look puffy or display increased blemishes and/or wrinkles.
As we age, the need for powerful antioxidants and vitamins increases due to fluctuations in hormone levels, which can alter skin metabolism of collagen and elastin. Elastin is what gives your skin its ability to stretch and then return to its natural state. Changes in collagen and elastin formation leads to fine lines and wrinkles. Menopause is of particular concern due to the hormone changes in estrogen production.

Foods that are vitamin-rich with a high antioxidant value are extremely beneficial and can come from a variety of different sources. To name a few, the following are among the top antioxidant wrinkle fighting fruits: acai, acerola, apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, wolfberries (goji berries), kiwi, and tomatoes.
The best vegetables with vitamins and antioxidants for you skin are: bell peppers, brussels sprouts, carrots, garlic, kale, onions, and spinach.
Lastly, the top antioxidants to prevent aging and wrinkles in terms of nuts, seeds, and beverages are: almonds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, chocolate (dark) green tea, oats, and tuna.

If you cannot or do not wish to alter your diet, but want to supercharge your immune system, prevent premature aging of the skin, and/or free radical damage; choose antioxidant vitamins or supplements that are whole food based packed with plenty of fruits and vegetables for maximum protection.

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by Holly Kostoss