In a message dated 7/15/01 1:00:25 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

<< In addition these ground nuts have a very good EFA part
 and some very interesting other befenicial substances. >>

Amadeus:
So what about EFAs (essential fatty acids) in general? I've been reading
Barry Sears' Age Free Zone book, and Beyond Prozac, by Michael Norden.  They
both talk about the role of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and GLA (gamma
linoleic acid) in the formation of prostaglandins (hormones, or more properly
eicosanoids), which apparently control serotonin production.  Weston Price
noted that the happiest and healthiest people of all that he found were
esquimos living in the Canadian Arctic, which I find highly interesting,
particularly because of the prolonged darkness, since this is supposed to be
a mental depressant.  We've also heard recently about the Okinawans, who are
reputed to be very long lived. Obviously what they have in common is a very
high proportion of seafood in their diets, eleven percent by weight for the
Okinawans. The esquimos particularly relished salmon eggs, which they gave to
their children, and they also ate the organ meats, particularly the liver, of
sea mammals. They used a lot of seal oil, which WAP found to be extremely
high in vitamin A.
    What I'm interested in is the idea that mental state can be influenced by
EPA and GLA. Most westerners are not "happy," in the way native peoples are
(they suffer from a "Prozac deficiency", according to Norden). I am trying to
make myself "happier" by consuming more sea foods. I am buying fish eggs
(capelin from Iceland), swallowing fish oil capsules (containing EPA and
DHA), eating cerviche, which is seafood marinated in lime juice, eating liver
pate, and trying to find more organ meats. Also, because of WAP's findings
about the benefits of raw milk (and the detrimental effects of pasteurized
milk, from the Pottenger cat study), I am looking for sources of this in So.
Cal (it can be found). Also nuts, as you mention. The Esquimos also had
sources of nuts and seeds.
    Have you any comments on this? Do you think it is possible to raise one's
"happiness" level to approach that of native peoples? I've noticed some
effect, in that my moods seem more stable, and I feel somewhat more
"buoyant", but I am nowhere near the state of "happiness" I experienced on
Paxil.

Charles
San Diego, CA