Yes , Rebel Mom , but please don't think I know all the answers. My research has lead me to think that we are eating too much Omega 6, which is mostly in vegetable oils. For example even a dollop of mayo is pretty much a high blast of inflammatory oil, unless you make it yourself with olive oil and free range eggs and then still not too good !. The problem isn't with the individual foods exactly but in the overall balance of fats we are eating. this latest book, which I have been reading today, makes the case that even if we are supplementing with Omega three that it is for nothing unless we have a good ratio. The argument is that most of us, including me until I started this seriously, are not aware of how much Omega 6 is in our diet .The ideal ratio is 1:1 of omega 3: to Omega 6 , at least that is stated by many of the 'anti inflammatory' researchers I read. People eating a standard diet could easily have a ratio much closer to 1:20.
of course diet is about balance, and seasonality and quality sources, so I am not advocating we load ourselves up with tons of supplements of Omega 3, although some seems to be useful and the reseachers I read say more is useful when you are trying to lower existing inflammation in the body. however, it seems likely that it is useful to eat foods with plenty of natural Omega 3 - seafood, fish etc as well as the leafy green veg which contain mother fats of both 3 and 6, in a roughly equal ratio .
The most important thing it seems , in improving this ratio, is to recognise where your fats are coming from and their likely components. Its not that simple, as most foods, like meat, butter, olive oil, coconut oil are a mixture of different types of fat molecules, but there is enough info on the net to start picking out the parts which are most inflammatory.
as I said, Omega 6 is in lots of healthy foods, its just that with overconsumption that ratio gets way out of kilter- then the anti inflammatory benefits of Omega 3 get overpowered.
According to the majority of writers and researchers I have read , notably Mary Enig -'Know your Fats' vegetable oils are the main culprit. The writer I read today , Robert Brown, is not a scientist , rather a surveyor of the research He cites a huge number of studies to support his claim, which in itself proves nothing, but illustrates that is a field which is generating a lot of interest. He claims-
'Danger Vegetable Oils'- And that we should treat them with extreme respect and care, like a very powerful medicine. Omega 6 is essential - an essential fatty acid - but most of us are eating far too much without realising..
he argues we should double check the fat content of everything we eat - and always look at it in terms of the 3:6 balance. Even olive oil should be used moderately, as it might block the body's ability to make the fat chains it should be making from Omega3.
its a huge subject - but very very important -critical to life - and the availability of these in our diet , things which are universal to the body's processes like immune regulation , hormones, metabolic rates , the inflammatory response of the immune system is , I think one which we hasn't quite hit home yet.
to quote
' Omega 3 and 6 are separate families. they are not interchangeable. they cannot be made from each other , in animals or in man. Plants can make the mother Omega 6, into the mother Omega 3. Plants cannot naturally make the long chain fats. We get mother essential fatty acids directly or indirectly from plants( by eating animals that ate them).
as a last resort, if there is insufficient Omega 3 in the diet, the body uses the nearest equivalent Omega 6 or 9 Omega 6s and 9s have different shapes and structures, and do not function in the body in the same way. they are very much second rate emergency substitutes'
I think that illustrates the point - as does this -
'Omega 6 modifies behaviour through mechanisms including, the hormone and steroid pathways, brain chemical levels, brain cell membrane structure, mitochondrial function, sleep disturbance and increased inflammatory and immune function.
There is also an argument that current mainstream livestock production, ( beef, chicken , pork) mostly is higher in Omega 6 fats than it would have been for previous generations as it likely to be grain fed- thus the oft quoted ideal of sourcing meat which is mostly produced on grass and chicken which has an outdoor lifestyle, eating its natural diet of grass and insects rather than just soya and corn.
So my approach has been to get to know more about fats, to avoid all processed food containing any oil at all, to eat less olive oil, and use more butter ,lard and coconut oil as they have better ratios.
Ive been looking at fish , meat and eggs with this in mind and tryin to eat as much as possible which is wild, grass fed and as little as poss which is corn or soya fed. Ive started eating mussels, clams , venison, pheasant , liver and different fish to try and get as much variety in my protein sources as well as beef and lamb- which I eat a lot as I grow my own.
I have also looked at vegetables with this in mind and try to eat as many greens as possible - so instead of potatoes, which I eat occasionally in small portions, Ive eaten lts more kale, watercress, spinach, rocket, chicory, fennel ,asparagus etc- but going for seasonality and variety. I even eat greens at breakfast in omlettes sometimes. I try to eat one salad a day, with some tuna , or salmon or mackerel, or mussels or prawns - and think a dressing of olive oil and vinegar good.
One useful writer - the real food campaigner Sally Fallon - who wrote an informative cookbook called Nourishing Traditions with some good ideas - based on how many traditional cultures prepared food and some good arguments for using butter etc I use her recipes, as well as the low carb Gourmet .
Basically, my evening meals are light, as I find this leads to less inflammation - although atm i can honestly say I feel amazing. Im sure its because I have gradually got this ratio of fats right, and with a much lower carbohydrate level - and moderate protein. There are some figures somewhere - but my goal is one gram of protein per body weight so say 60g, 0.8g per kg body weight of carb, so say for me 50g and between 1.5 to 3.5 g per kg of body weight of fat. Of course alot of the omega 3 to 6 is guess work, but based on avoiding all vegetable oils - in everything from coleslaw, ketchup , chips etc i think it seems to be working.
I am doing this low carb for the moment as it is working - that means no grain products at all for me , and a very careful choice of fruit- not very much - as too much fructose is very inflammatory. Brown rice is a good choice of grain though if you are not gluten intolerant and Im sure in moderation is fine. Im not too sure about the wisdom of putting your son on such a carb restriction - as I am doing- although it has got to be wise to encourage him to eat lots of healthy real foods rather than processed ones, and i would keep him off the wheat and pastuerised cow's milk for the excema. My best friend's son is now 24, and he had terrible excema - but is now on a paleo ( as in no grain, no legumes) diet and feels great and no excema x
some of the books and web sites Im looking at are listed in the blog post about the runner Tim Noakes, where I have cut and pasted a long interview with him- like
the Primal Blueprint book by Mark Sissons which is a good place to start with the paleo , and some good explanantions of why too much carbohydrate is pro inflammatory. His website, marksdailyapple has good links to others with good recipes and ideas
Dr Jack Kruse has an interesting blog which has some good anti inflammatory diet stuff,
low carb pediatrician is useful thinking about some of the issues relating to children
you tube has lots of informative talks on high fat low carb diets which explain why it is not unhealthy and stuff on wheat and gluten - I recommend Dr Peter Osborne
Sally Fallon - her 'Nourishing Traditions' is a wonderful book with lots about fats
archevore blog
Mary Enig 'Know your Fats'
Lierre Keith 'The Vegetarian Myth' - good on why animal fats are important for good Omega 3:6 ratios as well as a lot of the politics of why have been taught fat is bad and grain is good
Hope this helps , good luck and I will post more ideas and links too