On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 05:05:40 -0400, Adam Sroka <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>>Okay. So what you meant by "keep my omega-6's low" was that you keep the
>ratio of n-6 to n-3 low, not that you keep n-6 low in the absolute
>sense. In general, it's good to keep the total polyunsaturates in your
>diet low as well as keeping the n-6:n-3 low. PUFA are corrolated with
>immunosupression and higher incidence of certain cancers, and it is not
>clear that n-6:n-3 is the only factor (Though it is clearly very
>important.) Since we only require about 10 g of n-6 and 3 g of n-3 per
>day, it makes sense not to get too many times more than this. This is a
>murky topic and it will probably be a few years before we see the whole
>picture (More than that if the food industry can continue to supress the
>science.) Check these out:
>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Search&db=PubMed&term=polyunsaturated+fat+immunosuppression&tool=QueryS
uggestion

I do agree with what you say and I already keep my PUFAs low. Saturated
meat fats seem to agree with me and I eat more of these fats than of any
other kind.

However, the topic above is not the only murky one. I must be honest and
say that one of the reasons I gave up on an MSc. in Nutritional Medicine
was because there was so much in the way of conflicting evidence. I left
the academic life behind five years ago and decided to live as simply as I
could in all areas of my life. This has made me very content.

As far as nutrition goes, I now prefer to avoid too much speculation about
*why* foods cause certain effects. I like to gather anecdotal evidence
(which horrifies my more scientific friends) and observe how individuals
react to different foodstuffs.

In the end I take the simple wiew that if an item of food causes a bad
reaction in mind or body, stop eating it.

I spent half my life studying and discussing the most meaningless topics.
Now it means nothing to me. The natural world has filled the void and
never ceases to give me pleasure.

>Macadamia nuts are expensive here too. I love them though. I buy
>macadamia nut oil at a local health food store and cook with it
>occasionally. It costs me $20 US for 500 mL. But, the oil has a very
>nice flavor and the fat content is almost identical to olive oil (1 Tbsp
>== 14 g total, 2 g sat, 11 g mono, 1 g poly) but with n-6:n-3 close to
>walnuts.

Macademia nut oil sounds luscious, but I haven't seen it in our local
health food store. Mind you, I rarely step inside as I often approach
cerebral meltdown at some of the rubbish that's sold there ;-) I will keep
an eye out for it though, so thank you for that and for the reference
above.

I'll admit it. I went out this morning and treated myself to some
macademia nuts. You're some salesman ;-)

Cheers,

Persephone