Busy day yesterday with shopping, errands and spending some silly time with the family. However, I did squeeze out a few minutes to do some research for my own curiosity. Question at hand was can nuts, even it eaten in small portions and within the boundaries of a daily caloric intake make you gain weight ? The answer is yes, but not for the reasons you may think. The reason is due to a ratio of fatty acids in the intake. While nuts and seeds and healthy oils are all critical for health , they like anything else need to be eaten in a proper balance. Not all healthy fats are exactly the same. They fall into classifications called Omega 3, 6 and 9. The numbers have to do with the molecular structure of the fat itself. Two of the most important of these to overall health are the 3's and 6's. The 3's are found in flax seed, flax oil, olive oil, fish oil, dark leafy greens and more. The 6's found in abundance in most nuts, evening primrose oil, and grapeseed oil. While all contain essential fatty acids, each works in the body in slightly different ways, and if kept in proper ration will do much to improve your health- and even aid in weight loss. That ratio is 3 to 1- 3 of the omega 3's and 1 of the omega 6's. If you eat a lot of nuts and seeds, the ratio is sent off balance, and people with a defrficiancy in essential fatty acids can gain. Conditions that indicate a defficiancy include autoimmune disorders such as arthritis, diabetis , metabolic syndrome , PCOS and more. For almost the last year I have been taking daily supplements of flax oil, evening primrose oil and eating either olive oil or grapeseed oil in cooking. Daily I have been eating flaxseed meal , a seed /nut mix and almonds, all with in the range of points I am allowed, all within my caloric needs, exercising 5-6 days a week, getting in the health goals, gettimng in more than enough water and still either maintaining or gaining weight. I have tried changing the type of exercise as well as the amount, cutting out caffine, severely limiting grains and carbs, and nothing works. Could this balance of the essential fatty acid ratio be the thing that is making me stall and gain ? Perhaps. I am going to try to fo a whole week without nuts , without evening primrose and increasing my flax oil tablet dose to see if it gets things moving. All I can do is try and I will report on the progress.
Today's breakfast- the new mix
Crockpot Pumpkin grains- barley, steel cut oats and wheat berries with pumpkin, molasses and cinnamon
topped with 2 Tground flaxseed, 1 T crasins and 1 T wheat bran
1 t olive oil
yo plus yogert, water and coffee on the side
I am really hoping this change in the EFA balance does the trick ! I am feeling not only fat and bloated of late but just plain not right. My arthritis has been flaired up and it makes any and all forms of exercise painful to start out with. When you keep putting in serious efforts with no results for so long, ,it gets very discouraging and really hard to stay motivated. However, I know that if I do not try, ,nothing will ever change, and things will only get worse.
So here is to a great week, everyone !!!
2 comments:
WOW, great post and thanks for the comment. I know little to nothing about Omega-3,6 or 9 until now. Now I understand why the doctor only wants me to take the pure Omega-3 because she also wants me to eat one oz of nuts for a snack during the day. She was specific about how many nuts to eat. I had stopped eating nuts because I did not control the amount I ate. I would open a can; it would be gone in two or three days.
I hope the change works for you.
I'm catching up on blog reading today. Cute easter eggs & I love peeps.
Going a full week without nuts isn't a problem here! They tend to make me break out in hives. Not quite an allergy according to my doctor ... just an "intolerance." I AM, however, allergic to the idea of itching for hours on end so I steer clear. Good luck!
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