265: Optimize your ratio of essential fatty acids

Omega-3 or fish oil supplements are popular right now. Folks take these in an effort to achieve the right balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. It's true that for optimal health, we really need to optimize the ratio of these essential fatty acids. The right balance can protect our heart health, reduce inflammation in the body and improve neurological function. But how do we get there? Are supplements the best way to get these essential fatty acids? How can we get more omega-3 fatty acids in our diet? Is it possible to get too much omega-3? Is omega-6 all bad? Sally Fallon Morell, the head of the Weston A. Price Foundation, dispels myths and misconceptions about essential fatty acids in this episode, as she explains principle 8 of the Wise Traditions diet: how traditional peoples ate just the right balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. (These fatty acids are called essential, by the way, because we must get them from our diet. Our bodies can’t make these on their own.) She covers the importance of arachidonic acid, the role of DHA and EPA, and the ideal ratios of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Most importantly, she discusses which foods to include in the diet to strike the delicate balance that is critical for improved health and wellbeing. See Sally's blog at nourishingtraditions.com Check out our sponsors: Ancestral Supplements and North Star Bison Find more resources on our website: westonaprice.org Register for our conference at wisetraditions.org