Fish Oil

We know that drowning our veggies and lean meats in dressings and other condiments loaded with trans fats does not make for a healthy meal or for a healthy heart. However, drizzling a little extra virgin olive oil on your meat of choice or mixing it with some balsamic vinegar for your salad can work wonders for your taste buds and for your heart health.

Health Benefits of Olive Oil
Olive oil is known for its heart healthy effects. In fact, olive oil has the largest amount of monounsaturated fatty acids out of any other oil on earth.

While the oleates in the oil promote healthy bones, the vitamins E, K, squalene and polyphenols in the oil all work to promote healthy blood circulation and overall health. The pro-active antioxidants in the oil work all around the body to dismantle free radicals.

Finding the Right Oil

When you go to shop for olive oil, you’ll most likely be greeted with a hailstorm of seductive-sounding labels: “virgin,” “extra virgin,” “imported from Italy,” and “refined.” What’s the best oil for your buck?

Made by extracting and crushing olives, oil is classified by how it’s been produced, by its flavor and by its chemistry. The less the oil is handled and the closer it is to its natural state, the better the oil. For example, the highest quality oil is extra virgin, which has managed to maintain its high acidity and antioxidant level. The lowest quality of olive oil is refined, where the oil has been chemically treated from its virgin state to neutralize strong acidic tastes … destroying its nutritional beauty in the process. In fact, half of the oil from the Mediterranean is of such poor quality that it must be refined in order to be edible.

The Extra Virgin Hokum

Because extra virgin is the highest quality oil, many American manufacturers, unbridled by labeling laws, label their oil “extra virgin” regardless of quality. True Extra Virgin olive oil is difficult to make, requiring a very expensive process, so best believe the four dollar bottle of “extra virgin” oil is “baloney.” The sad reality is many manufacturers add a small percentage of extra virgin olive oil to enhance the flavor of a batch of canola oil, slap some olives on the label and call it “extra virgin.”

Internationally, however, standards are much stricter and require that all olive oils carrying the “Extra Virgin” label are subject to a chemical and sensory analysis. Much like wine tasters, there are olive oil connoisseurs with taste buds trained to spot defects in oil such as muddy, winey, musty or even rancid aftertastes. Positive tasting oils are described as tasting fruity, bitter or even pungent.

More information about Olive Oil as well as Fish Oil from Dr. Barry Sears can be found at:
http://www.ultrafishoil.com/oliveoil.html
Dr. Sears is the author of the book “The Omega Rx Zone: Miracle of the New High Dose Fish Oil“

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The Zone Diet has been around since around 1995, when fatty acids research scientist Dr. Barry Sears published the New York Times bestseller “The Zone”. This book was aimed at other doctors but it was found rather quickly by the general public. Since that time he has authored several other books on the subject. The Zone can be summed up as a state of hormonal balance in the body which can be achieved by your diet. It is especially about keeping key hormone’s in a balanced zone since the wrong amount in your body can trigger weight gain. This hormonal control is at the center of the Zone Diet. In fact, a craving for Carbohydrate’s is essentially a byproduct of making bad hormonal choices at meals. But when you make Zone Diet meals, the real cause of these cravings will be largely subdued.

Dr. Sears states that current health care for most people primarily focuses on treating symptoms, as opposed to the maintenance of wellness. Results from the Zone diet tend to occur right away because your blood sugar is automatically stabilized. Thus, you feel less hungry and more energized throughout the day.

There are several fundamental principles of the Zone Diet, according to Dr. Sears.

First, be certain that every meal leads you to the Zone by eating the correct combination of low-fat protein (such as lean chicken or pork), the right type of carbohydrate such as fruits and/or vegetables (starchy carbohydrates such as breads or potatoes are not as good), and a dash of “good” fat (such as olive oil). He says it is a good idea to eat a Zone meal within about an hour of waking up in the morning. It is also good to eat 5 times a day.

And you should not let more than 5 hours go by without a Zone meal, even if you are not hungry. This keeps your blood sugar levels stable. Another important principle is to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water every day (about a half gallon).

And finally, remember that if you get off of - remove track, do not worry because there is not guilt in the Zone. Just make sure that your next meal is a Zone meal to get you back where you belong.

In the Zone, no foods are completely off limits. “That means you can eat anything, as long as it has the right balance of protein, carbs, and fat”, says Dr. Sears. Wine is even allowable because of the substantial amount of antioxidants it contains.

You may reprint this article electronically and in print presuming the byline is included and the web address hyperlinked.

Edna Hemingway is a writer and researcher of Weight Loss Issues. For more info. go to http://www.nutritionzone.biz/

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According to renowned research scientist Dr. Barry Sears, Medical Research is focusing more and more on the health benefits of high dose fish oil, which has long been considered by doctors around the world to be one of the most effective remedies for improving physical performance, treating depression and arthritis, and improving concentration and memory. Fish oil is also widely considered to be effective in preventing heart disease because of it’s rich omega-3 component. In addition, new research suggests that high doses of fish oil may also be effective in combating Parkinson’s disease, Attention deficit disorder, and other Neurological problems.

Fish oil has been linked to disease prevention. The US National Institutes of Health has also Recognized the benefits of DHA and EPA and has published Recommended Daily Intakes of fatty acids. They recommend a daily intake of 650 mg of DHA and EPA, and 4.44 g/day of linoleic acid. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have used high doses of fish oil to treat bipolar disorder, with considerable success. In addition, researchers in the United Kingdom have reported positive results in treating schizophrenia with fish oil supplements. Current medical research is also focusing on the use of high doses of fish oil during radiation treatment and chemotherapy, as well as for treating Fibromyalgia.

On the whole, there appears to be consensus that Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil promotes a healthy vascular system. Fish oil contains EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), both of which are omega-3 fatty acids. These particular omega-3 fatty acids may inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis.

Essential fatty acids are grouped into two families, omega-6 EFAs and the omega-3 EFAs. Omega-6 acids promote inflammation, blood clotting, and tumor growth, while omega-3 acids, found in fish oil and very few other sources, act entirely opposite, according to researcher Hans R. Larsen, MSc ChE.

According to Larsen, Scientists were first alerted to the many benefits of EPA and DHA in the early 1970s when Danish physicians observed that Greenland Eskimos had an exceptionally low incidence of heart disease and arthritis despite the fact that they consumed a high-fat diet. Subsequent research later discovered that the two fats or oils that they consumed in considerable quantities, EPA and DHA, were indeed very beneficial.

Dr. Sears states that the purity of the fish oil is the single most important factor to consider when taking it as a supplement. To manufacture pharmaceutical-grade fish oil requires extensive purification. In fact, it takes 100 gallons of health-food grade fish oil to make one gallon pharmaceutical-grade fish oil. It should be known by anyone taking fish oil supplements, that there are several medications which may have beneficial or harmful interactions with them. They are Cyclosporine, Pravastatin and Simvastatin

A.M Wilmont is a writer and researcher. For more details go to http://www.omega3fishoil.org or http://www.fishoil-omega3.com/

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