About Omega-3s and Omega-6s

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This week I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned about two particular polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. 

Let’s start with omega-3 fatty acids. These are compounds in the form of a long chain of carbon molecules with several double bonds, each of which acts as a pivot point. Flexible pivot points confer the ability to move in many directions, essential for movement and flexibility. Omega-3s owe their flexibility to all those double bonds, the last of which is located just three carbons from the tail, or omega, end of the molecule. That’s why it’s called an omega-3 fatty acid. Omega means end. In contrast, omega-6 fatty acids contain fewer double bonds, and the last one is located six carbons from the tail. Hence, omega-6. 

Among many other essential functions, omega-3’s play a vital role in photosynthesis, whereby green leaves convert sunlight to plant food. This is why green leaves are an important source of omega-3s.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in all green plants (another reason to eat your vegetables). The largest mass of greens on Earth is phytoplankton, tiny sea plants that are eaten by little fish, which are then eaten by bigger fish, and so on. Sea creatures eat literally tons of phytoplankton, in part because fish must take in at least one full percent of their calories as omega-3s in order to keep their blood liquid and survive in cold water environments. Warm-blooded animals, on the other hand, need only half that. This is why fish, fish oil, and algae are such good sources of omega-3s.

In biological systems, two significant omega-3 fatty acids are called DHA and EPA. EPA is a blood thinner with anti-inflammatory properties. DHA is incorporated into cell membranes to keep them flexible and functional. DHA is like a “quick-change artist” with hundreds of possible configurations. According to Susan Allport*, “DHA creates membranes with…behavior that is almost liquid-like.” Cell membranes aren’t inert like dry wall. They live and breathe, and they function to keep the cell’s internal environment completely separate from the outside environment.

DHA has other important functions. It makes up 25 percent of brain tissue. It reduces the likelihood of heart arrhythmias, or abnormal rhythms. It helps the eye to see better by increasing the amount of rhodopsin, a light-responsive protein in the retina’s rods. DHA also appears to improve insulin sensitivity, meaning that it lowers the risk of diabetes and obesity.

Omega-3s do, however, have one important limitation: All those double bonds react easily with oxygen, which makes them, chemically speaking, unstable. In fact, oxidation is the major cause of food rancidity. This reactivity makes omega-3s an unreliable way to store fat in nature.

And that is where omega-6s enter the picture.

Omega-6s, less reactive because they have fewer double bonds, are a much better choice for a different job — storage. This is why omega-6s are the main fat in grains and seeds. Where long-term storage is all-important, the stability of omega-6s makes them the preferred form in which to store fat. Plants store fat as omega-6s until seeds germinate and initiate photosynthesis. Then they release an enzyme that converts omega-6s to omega-3s. Plants are able to convert omega-6s into omega-3s whenever they need.

With the exception of lions, most animals and humans do not have this enzyme, so once an omega-6, always an omega-6. And if you eat a diet high in omega-6s, your cell membranes will not be as flexible as if you ate sufficient omega-3 fatty acids.

The stable chemical configuration of omega-6s increases shelf life considerably, which makes them the leading fatty acid of choice for ultraprocessed food products, including vegetable oils. It explains why it is not coincidental that the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s in our diet has climbed from approximately 1:1 throughout history to upwards of 50:1 or higher today. People living on fast food and doughnuts may be eating 50 times as much omega-6s as omega-3s. That’s a problem.

Don’t think of omega-3s as good for you and omega-6s as bad. It’s not about good and bad. It’s about being in a balanced ratio. Omega-6 fatty acids in plants serve as a stable, reliable system for storing fat until the plant needs omega-3s. Omega-3s are flexible, and omega-6s are stiff. Omega-3s are reactive, whereas omega-6s are stable. We need both to function optimally.

Omega-6s, with fewer double bonds, are more stable and, therefore, less prone to oxidation and breakdown, which is why omega-6s are found in highest concentration in grains and seeds. Dry beans may remain viable for centuries under certain circumstances. That is obviously not true of lettuce, under any circumstances.

Stiff membranes may be good for seeds and grains, but they are a tremendous liability for green leaves, not to mention brains, blood vessels, eyes, and joints. High blood pressure, inflammatory diseases, and insulin resistance are predictable consequences of stiff cell membranes.

*Author of The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them

Salmon Teriyaki by the Lake

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The first week of May, we spent a long luxurious weekend with old friends who live at the confluence of two quiet lakes north of Detroit. Twenty-four hours a day, we found ourselves looking out large windows at the mesmerizing ripples on the surface of the water, lakes filled with Mallard ducks, geese, swans, a pair of loons, and even the first egret of the season. We saw four waddling yellow puffballs following closely after their Mallard parents. No matter the time of day, no matter the weather, the view out those windows was stunning.

We hiked, sailed, cooked, gardened, sat back and watched a movie, played Rummy-Q, stared at the lakes, and ate the most delicious food. There was home-baked whole-grain bread, plus fresh-picked asparagus and short stalks of young, pink rhubarb from our hosts’ garden. I made my Grandma Rosie’s rhubarb recipe: Empty two cups of washed and trimmed strawberries, plus four cups of washed, sliced chunks of rhubarb, into a large bowl with 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2-3 tsp. of minced ginger, and a pinch of salt. Stir well and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Empty the contents into a large fry pan, and cook on medium for 15 minutes until the rhubarb begins to disintegrate and the mixture is beginning to thicken. Set aside and allow to cool. Serve as is, or drizzled over yogurt, meringue cookies, vanilla pudding, pound cake, or any other baked goods.

I learned a new technique for boiling asparagus. Start by dividing your haul into four sizes: First set aside the thickest stalks, followed by the thinnest, and then separate the remaining stalks into larger and smaller. Boil the water. Start by adding the thickest spears. In one minute, add the next thickest. One minute later, add the third group, and a minute after that, add the thinnest spears. After the final minute of cooking, drain and serve immediately on a long platter. Magnificent bright green spears, all done to perfection. This technique came from our host’s English father, a member of the clergy who, with his wife, had maintained a spectacular garden at their home in Shropshire, in the northwest of England, for many years.

The first night of our visit, our hosts served teriyaki salmon tortillas for dinner. The salmon had been cubed (approx 1 inch), and then refrigerated while marinating in teriyaki sauce (see recipe below) for a full 24 hours. The fish was then transferred to a baking sheet and roasted at extremely high heat (500F) for 15 minutes. It was served with a pile of soft, warm tortillas, and bowls filled with chopped lettuce; chopped tomatoes dressed with salt and oregano; and ripe, cubed avocado. It was really, really good, as good as you could imagine. And the salmon leftovers were fantastic, too. 

What a great weekend it was. I came home with a little chicks-and-hens to plant in my own garden. 

Homemade teriyaki sauce:

1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup tamari
3 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Whisk together the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir well, making sure honey dissolves completely. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and coats the spoon. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

The Skinny on Fat

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With all the talk about saturated fat and monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and trans fat, it’s easy to get confused about how they fit into the big picture, and to understand what it means for the food choices you make. I’d like to give you another strategy for figuring out what to eat. Instead of FAT, I am going to talk about FATTY ACIDS. First, some definitions.

If fat is a sentence, then fatty acids are words. If fat is a word, then fatty acids are letters. If fat is the universe, then fatty acids are galaxies. If fat is a solar system, fatty acids are planets and moons. If fat is a pyramid, fatty acids are bricks. 

If foods are words, then I want to focus on the letters. Today, I want to talk not about olives and avocados, not olive oil and avocado oil, but rather about the o’s and the e’s with which they are spelled. This conversation is not about lard or chicken fat. It’s about the fatty acids of which they are composed. Continue reading →

P is for Phytonutrients

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I’m writing today about something I’ve been thinking about for a while but have not known how to put to words. A few weeks ago, I attended a wedding. After dinner, the woman seated beside me at the table remarked that now that she had eaten her “protein and vegetables,” it was time to go join the dancing. I hear friends describe how they ate their “protein,”or how they make sure to get the little ones at their tables to eat their protein. It’s like saying you ate your “produce” instead of your tangerine. Or your “fat” instead of your peanuts. People don’t say that. But I hear people say that they ate their protein all the time. Continue reading →

The Importance of Avocados, Olive Oil, and Peanut Butter

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Today I’m talking about fats, one of the macronutrients. Protein, fat, and carbohydrate are the three major macronutrients in the diet. Water is sometimes included as a fourth macronutrient.

But first, I’d like to begin with a few words on carbs: The term carbohydrates refers to carbohydrate that comes from a plant that grows in the soil. Whether leaf or fruit or root or stem, this kind of carbohydrate is always, always rich in fiber and phytonutrients. Except for milk and honey, carbohydrate doesn’t really exist in nature without the fiber. This means that whenever you come across carbohydrate without fiber attached, humans probably made it that way. But we don’t call whole, or fiber-rich, carbohydrates “healthy carbohydrates.” In a blog about good health and nutrition, you can assume that I’m always talking about the healthy kind. And while it is true that we, as a society, are drowning in stripped, “unhealthy,” carbs, people do not feel the need to keep reminding themselves.  Continue reading →

A Primer on Dietary Fat

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A great many parts of our bodies rely on fat to perform their essential functions, and I’d like to review some of them here. The better you understand fats, their functions, and their structures, the less susceptible you will be to the advertising that influences consumers to purchase products made with industrially-modified fats. Today we’re talking about fat. For purposes of this essay, consider the terms “fat” and “oil” to be interchangeable.  Continue reading →

Just Pure Tahini

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This past February I attended a presentation about tahini by Dana Harary, a founder of SoCo Artisanal Tahini, and Doug Katz, a local celebrity chef. We learned about Dana’s longstanding search for the most flavorful tahini on the planet, about the nutritional profile of tahini, and about SoCo’s commitment to positive change and collaboration. SoCo, short for Seeds of Collaboration, is a supporter of Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (MEET), a nonprofit that connects young Israeli and Palestinian students.  Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Strawberry-Pecan Spring Salad

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A quintessential springtime salad. Tiny sweet strawberries bursting in your mouth? Soft, gently flavorful leaves of spinach, fresh from the ground. A bit of bite from the onion and satisfying give from the pecans. And, finally, an inspired sweet and sour dressing filled with fresh fruit flavors. Continue reading →

Mind and Body Connections Help You Grow

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Western culture has long considered the mind and body as separate entities, one from the other. In medicine, for example, mental illness has long been considered separate and different from physical illness; many aspects of care, insurance coverage, and chronicity reflect this. In one of the most widely watched TED talks of all time, Sir Ken Robinson, a highly respected educator, described an academic as an individual who employs the body to move their head from one meeting to another.

On the one hand, we are contemplative, cognitive, spiritual, moral selves; on the other we are our oriented, balancing, turning, stretching, physical selves. Two sides of the same coin, we are each and we are both. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Roasted Tomato Soup

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Do you know that feeling when you have a dozen gorgeous tomatoes on the counter and you go grocery shopping, and you forget, and you come home with another eight gorgeous tomatoes? Yes, of course you do. 

This week, I decided to make fresh tomato soup, which I had never made before. I have loved tomato soup since I was a kid. I especially loved my friend Mendy’s tomato soup when we were in graduate school, which was half a lifetime ago. I added white beans to this recipe, but no one will know unless you tell them. Continue reading →