The SAD or Standard American diet is unfortunately still the diet most people in this country eat. This is a diet of fast-food and processed from the box meals, full of sugars and unhealthy fats that are sorely lacking in nutrients your body and in particular, your brain need. What you do get from the Standard American diet is loads of omega-6 fatty acids. You do need omega-6 fatty acids in your diet for optimal health, but the key is to get the right ratio of omega-6 to omega-3.
Getting the Right Ratio
The optimal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is 3:1. The Standard American diet goes so far overboard with the omega-6’s that the ratio is more like 20:1. Even those of us that try to eat healthy and get omega-3 fatty acids in our diets don’t get off the hook. If you stock your diet with coldwater fish, chia seeds, dark-green leafy vegetables, various seeds, nuts, and flax and olive oil then you may be going overboard with your ratio in the favor of omega-3’s. Tipping the scales too far in the omega-3 direction can cause changes to body cells, allergies, a reduction in sexual drive or suppress the immune system.
Take a look at the types of food you eat. If you eat mostly from the Standard American diet then you are getting too many omega-6 fatty acids and not enough omega-3 fatty acids. The obvious solution is to cut down on the processed and fast foods and make sure you add some of the omega-3 foods into your diet each week. If you are getting too many omega-3’s in your diet, then we aren’t recommending you head for the nearest fast food restaurant, but instead add some hemp seed ,sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and raw nuts to your diet. Gamma-linolenic acid which is an active form of omega-6 is available in hemp seeds and linoleic acid which is the inactive form is available from the raw nuts, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds. When eating foods with linolenic acid, consuming foods with Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, zinc and magnesium will convert them to the active form. Another way to get the exact ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is taking this strain of AFA blue-green algae.
Undoing the Damage
If you have been a Standard American diet follower for any amount of time, it is probably time for you to start taking a serious look at your nutrition. In addition to getting the right ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, eating foods with antioxidants is important. Antioxidants move through the body protecting it from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are molecules in cells that are weakened to the point that they lose an electron. This weakness is caused by such things as toxins in the body, exposure to UV rays, chlorinated water, pollution, and overcooked, fried and processed foods. These free radicals then go around taking electrons from other molecules and creating more free radicals. Free radicals damage the body, including cells, enzymes, and DNA, causing negative effects such as pain, inflammation, and chronic diseases.
Since there is such a lack of nutrients in the Standard American diet, it is also important to add foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and trace elements to your diet for optimal health. The best way to start adding minerals into your diet is to eat vegetables. This will also give you fiber that your body needs for digestive and immune health and vegetables are rich in calcium, potassium, vitamin K, magnesium, vegetable protein, and the phytochemicals and micronutrients necessary for contributing to bone strength. Just adding fresh vegetables to a SAD diet can add a powerful punch to your nutrition.
Supplementing the SAD Diet
Ubiquinol is the active, most bioavailable form of Coenzyme Q10. It stimulates cellular energy to
support the body’s natural healing response and capacity for antioxidants. This supplement gives you lots of antioxidant power to repair cellular damage as well as a blend of organic mushrooms that have been shown effective for cardiovascular health, general overall health, and anti-aging and the superfood benefits of AFA bluegreen algae.
Another way to get superfood antioxidant benefits to undo damage from the Standard American diet is with this line of wild superfood supplements. This program gives you the wild elements of nature with a blend of nine different ocean and freshwater algae, a premium blend of organic mushrooms from the forest, and the enzyme and antioxidant-rich power of organic sprouted grasses from the Earth. Then there is this supplement based on powerful botanicals, mushrooms and algae to address the unique nutritional needs of different systems of the body.
According to what age you are now, you may or may not being seeing the detrimental results of being on the Standard American diet, but sooner or later it will catch up with you and the loser will be your health. Now is the time to start making some changes to your nutritional habits. Start by supplementing your diet with fresh, organic vegetables or one of the antioxidant superfood supplements we mentioned above and start weaning yourself off the fast food/processed food lifestyle. As you get older, your body and your health will be the winners.
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Image courtesy of Surachai / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Sources:
http://www.foodcoachnyc.com/blog/nutrition/is-your-uber-healthy-diet-making-you-omega-3-dominant/
https://office.newearth.com/Resources/Training/Energize.pdf
https://office.newearth.com/Resources/Training/Wild_Labels.pdf
https://office.newearth.com/Resources/Training/Thrive_Labels.pdf
https://www.drfuhrman.com/disease/Osteoporosis.aspx
http://www.gsmcweb.com/eat-your-organic-vegetables/
http://www.newearth.com/products/about-algae/
http://www.newearth.com/products/about-mushrooms/
