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| Author | Topic: Linolenic acid in this diet? |
| Jean 10-10-2002 09:46 AM | Hi Wai, Where does the linolenic acid come from in your diet? |
| Wai 10-10-2002 02:04 PM | Hi Jean, Here are the linolenic acid contents of some 'sample diet' foods, in mg per 100 gram: 855... olive oil 551... salmon 275... tuna 220... egg yolk 112... strawberries ..67... mango ..40... watermelon ..36... grapes ..28... orange ..25... banana Linolenic acid is one of the essential omega 3 fatty acids; check out this thread about omega 3 fats. |
| Jean 10-10-2002 03:05 PM | Hi Wai, Since the food you mentioned is not very rich in linolenic acid and if the ideal ratio omega 3 / omega 6 claimed by scientists is true, wouldn't it be advisable to consume a little canola oil every day? |
| Wai 10-11-2002 04:47 AM | quote:You need only very small amounts of linolenic acid as a constructive component. Consuming kilos of fruits, on this diet, you always ingest way more than 1,000 mg of linolenic acid. quote:Think about this: If consuming natural foods only cannot supply you with 'the required amount of a essential nutrient', and only supplementation can, what does this mean? It means that it cannot be true, and is a truth created by those who want to make money from it. ALL essential nutrients are sufficiently present in our natural foods, why would this be different for linolenic acid? There is a long list of nutrients that have been claimed to be lacking in our natural diet, in the past, and all these claims appeared to be false; they all were made up to be able to make money. What is an effective way to make money? To make people believe they lack something essential, and then offering them this in a certain product. This method goes back centuries. Talking about balance... How much do we need of every essential fatty acid? Don't you think that the different omega 3 fats need to be in balance with each other? (scientific research shows that they need to be) What do you think that the consequences are, regarding the metabolism of the other omega 3 fats, of taking larger amounts of linolenic acid? quote:What is the ideal ratio exactly? Based on what? What natural diet would comply to this ideal ratio? |
| Jean 10-11-2002 09:34 AM | I understand your point Wai, and it's very logical. My approach of nutrition is less phylosophical and I was simply asking if taking a little bit of really unexpensive canola oil could benefit the body. Actually, we are all consuming products (like salmon, oranges, bananas, most nuts...) that wouldn't have been available to most of us in the old times. It means that we are taking what seems healthy here and there. Listen, what would happen with all the fruits we are eating if we weren't brushing our teeth? We would probably loose most of them within a few years. (Wai: the teeth issue has been moved to a new thread) It seems that it's possible sometimes to do better than nature at a very small cost. |
| Wai 10-12-2002 01:13 PM | quote:maybe, maybe not. It might have adverse effects, for impairing the omega 3 balance. Canola oil is made from a special kind of rapeseed, which is an unnatural food for humans, so we naturally are definitely not adapted to its fatty acid balance. Why take the risk? On this diet, you are absorbing all the essential fatty acids that you need. More is certainly not always better; as a matter of fact, too much of about any essential nutrient is harmful. quote:WHAT old times? If you go back far enough, there were only humans living in areas where you could find nuts and fruits all year around, and fish... The homo erectus that lived in Kenia 1.6 million years ago, was already over 6 feet tall, and lived on fruits, nuts and fish. quote:So, who determines that rapeseeds are healthy for us? Nature did not. quote:Sure, that is possible. But what makes you think that canola oil makes you healthier? |
| Dawn 10-17-2002 08:09 PM | Here is some interesting information about canola oil. web page |
| Jean 10-18-2002 08:34 AM | Sorry, this is no science! The problem with canola was erucic acid. Varieties contianing very low amount of this acid have been nauturally selected. Genetically modified canola plants are forbiden in Europe. Now, is canaola a healthy oil is another question! Some scientific studies though have demonstrated that canola oil could prevent some disease. The effect was probably due to the high percentage of linolenic acid (8%). Wallnuts are also rich is that omega-3 fatty acid for those who are suspicious about canola. |
| Wai 10-19-2002 03:20 PM | quote:Linolenic acid could prevent disease? So can all other nutrients. Added nutrients can prevent disease in comparison to animals lacking that nutrient, but it is very unscientific to conclude that taking in high levels of that nutrient therefore is beneficial! The questions one needs to answer first: - How much linolenic acid do we need exactly? (minimally required) - At what (high) level can linolenic acid have adverse effects? (impairing the omega-3 fats balance) Nutrients are essential, but they also have adverse effects when ingested in too large quantities. |
| RRM 11-14-2002 07:59 AM | We do know that people need to take in at least 1 to 1.5% of their fat as omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fats are: linolenic acid (18:3 n-3 = LNA) eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 n-3 = EPA) docosapentaenoic acid (22:5 n-3 = DPA) docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3 = DHA) Fruits and nuts only contain LNA, while fresh raw animal foods contain the other omega 3 fats too. The omega 3 fats combined need to comprise at least 1 to 1.5% of our daily fat intake. So, what are the omega 3 contents of Wai's diet? Wai posted a list here. The omega 3 fat contents (relative to total fat) of some foods that are included in this diet: 28% salmon 28% strawberries 25% tuna 23% muskmelon 21% cucumber 18% mackerel 14% banana 14% orange 14% mango 13% grapes 12% pear 5% apple 4% tomatoes 3% mandarins 2% egg yolks 1% olive oil 1% avocado 1% peach 0% figs 0% dates 0% Brazil nuts 0% Macadamia nuts So, there is NO way that you can absorb too little omega 3 fats while on this diet. quote:You certainly don't need canola oil, any other unnatural oil for humans, or supplement; see below. quote:With this diet, the average omega 6 content is 18%, while the average omega 3 content is 10% (ratio is almost 2:1) The major omega 6 fatty acids are linoleic acid and 20:2 n-6. In comparison to the omega 3 contents (listed above), here are the omega 6 contents of some foods included in this diet: 49% peach 48% figs 39% tomatoes 37% pear 36% Brazil nuts 29% strawberries 24% apple 22% pear 17% cucumber 17% muskmelon 14% orange 12% banana 11% egg yolk 9% mandarins 8% avocado 8% olive oil 6% dates 5% mango 3% salmon 2% Macadamia nuts 2% tuna 2% mackerel |
| Jean 11-14-2002 11:20 AM | Hi, I've checked the content of omega-3 in strawberries and bananas: 0.000. I wonder where you've found these figures? |
| RRM 11-14-2002 02:12 PM | quote:Another name for linolenic acid is: 18:3 n-3 After you surfed to the USDA Nutrient Database, you can type in: "raw strawberries", then click on "report", and the nutrient contents will be listed per 100 gram raw strawberries. In the section "Lipids", the contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids are listed, including 18:3 n-3. The amount of linolenic acid in raw straberries is 78 milligram (0.078 gram). The total amount of fat in raw strawberries is 370 milligram, and thus according to the USDA Nutrient Database, the percentage of omega 3 fats relative to total fat is: 21% In Souci, S.W. et al, Food Composition and Nutrition Tabels, Medpharm Scientific Publishers Stuttgart, page 836, the average linolenic acid contents in strawberries are 112 milligram, and the total amount of fat is 400 milligram, and thus, according to Souci et al, the percentage of omega 3 fats relative to total fat is: 28%. According to the USDA, the amount of linolenic acid in bananas is 33 milligram, and the total amount of fat is 480 milligram, and thus the percentage of omega 3 fats is 7%. According to Souci et al, the amount of linolenic acid in bananas is 24.5 milligram, and the total amount of fat is 180 milligram, and thus the percentage of omega 3 fats is 14%. |