Gerry (quotes MacDougall)


>>Through the intake of large amounts of animal products, hydrogenation of
>>vegetable oils, milling, and selection of w-3 poor foods, we have been
>>systematically depleting our intake of EFA.

A fellow on the paleo list made an interesting list of foods with a good
w-3/w-6 ratio and has made it available at

http://www.interdomain.net.au/~rha/food/omega3ratio.html

You will find that animal foods are well represented as good w-3 sources.
MacDougall seems to be false to facts on this statement.


>>Since plants synthesize these fats they are the original and obvious
>>source of all EFA. If animals, say fish, have significant amounts of EFA in
>>their tissues it is because they ate plants, like algae, which originally
>>made the EFA.


Besides being of dubious legitimacy (since animals have different EFA's
and many are omnivorous), the above is somewhat silly as an argument.
Taken to its extreme we might say we can all be sun-arians since all the
energy we consume is stored sunlight, so why bother with plants or
animals as food? ;)

>>Natural oils contain combinations of varying amounts of both w-6 and
>>w-3 fats, as well as several saturated and monounsaturated fats.
>>Essential fatty acids are found in significant amounts in various plants:


And found much easier in a wide variety of animal foods, esp fatty
seafoods for EPA and DHA in their most assimable form.

Gerry, your quote is merely an example of vegetarian rhetoric which
glosses over the important information about EFA's on a vegan diet and
baffles most with a bunch of terms so they feel vindicated. But saying
animal foods are the cause of EFA troubles is too much. There are issues
about grain-fed vs naturally fed ruminants, poultry, and seafood, but
lumping all animal foods into the same category as hydrogenated oils
shows extreme ignorance on the good doctor's part.

Cheers,
Kirt

Secola /\ Nieft
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