This is a continuation to the #3 weight loss tip, and is again the most important of all, however, also the most technical. So, what’s driving this epidemic? The answer isn’t easy to explain, but it is important none the less. Our insulin resistance (pre-diabetes/type 2 diabetes) is multi-factorial. So much so, because we are such a diverse blend of humans with gene expression fueled by environmental influences (weather, sun, geography, etc). If your lineage came from Africa you would have been influenced by the geography being near the equator. Your skin pigmentation, nutritional options, and hunting/foraging styles would have been the inverse of someone from the arctic. Now, take an African and put him in the arctic and watch what happens. We are all now experiencing a bit of this locational flux, and some people happen to live in a place that benefits them, and others in an environment that works against them.
With all that being said, let’s speak to the commonality of our new environments…good or bad. The commonality is the American diet. A unique blend of multi-cultural influences, mixed in with scientific food experiments driven by our capitalist mindset. There are many toxic food additives in this science shit show, but I’d like to point out the two little ding bats that are doubling down on our poor health. High fructose corn syrup, and its little friend PUFA (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid, Omega 6). In my opinion these two single-handedly have weakened our food supply to nearly the point of no return.
But…But.. aren’t poly unsaturated fats like seeds and nuts good for you?! They certainly could have been….should have been, uhhh yeah-no. Let’s explain better, if you lived in an environment where seeds and nuts were only seasonal then yatzee, they’re good for you and your brain, and that’s because they’re in a proportion that will actually benefit you. Here’s the unfortunate truth, seed oils are used to cook nearly everything you come in contact with from a store or a restaurant. You’re eating seeds and nuts, and guess what so are the animals that you are likely eating. Us Americans gotta push the damn limits not matter the cost. I guess we shouldn’t blame ourselves because we’ve been fed this nonsense since birth. Marketing wins every time! We’re inundated by a once friend, who has now become foe. That’s ok because the pufa’s were really just that one shit friend who was secretly trying to steal your boyfriend/girlfriend away. Time to pick some new friends, but who?!
Here’s why pufa’s suck anyways and we don’t need em. Pufa’s (linoleic acid) are an Omega 6 fatty acid which is arguably causing inflammation or at minimum inhibiting the positive Omega 3 anti inflammatory response. The Omega 6 to Omega 3 ration used to be (pre-industrial revolution) anywhere form 4:1 to 1:4, but currently it’s on average of 16:1. This is absurd, and a huge part of why inflammation is without question helping to drive insulin resistance (which is really heart disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, and so much more).
We have to educate ourselves on what’s in the foods that we are consuming. Most certainly get rid of seed oils that you cook with. You can get high flash point oils (even seed oils) that are now being manufactured to have the nutritional standards of Olive oil (gold standard), look for oils with high oleic content rather than linoleic content. If you’re cooking your own food you can eliminate the crap oil you may have been consuming eating out. This will benefit your health in many different ways, and help to bring your Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio back to a healthy ratio.
Lastly, I’d like to share a bit of real-world context to previous assertions regarding the danger of excess oils. If you look at the Indian (from India) population which is commonly a vegetarian culture. All veggies! Well hot damn they must be ultra-healthy. Wrong! They have a higher incidence of diabetes that of Americans… whhaaaattt!. Vegetarians have diabetes…I know wtf. News Flash, they drown it in oil. This doesn’t exactly prove causation, however, the science seems pretty definitive on this one. Too much yall!
Stay tuned for the next part WEIGHT LOSS TIP #3.75, which will actually get into how this all relates to weight loss.
