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Perhaps you saw the news report on television, in print, or on the Internet.
On Monday, in yet another obscene act by America's fast-food industry,
the Hardee's food chain unveiled its new "Monster Thickburger." With enough
calories (1,420) and fat grams (107) to feed a family of three in many
countries, and at a time when most Americans are either overweight or obese,
many are calling Hardee's both immoral and irresponsible.
"Probably no nutritionist ever imagined that a product like this would be
marketed," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science
in the Public Interest. "This is beyond the pale." It is also beyond the new
U.S. government diet and fitness recommendations which came out two days later, emphasizing physical activity and calorie control more than ever before.
Long-time readers of our Wellness Pathways will recognize many of the new
recommendations, such as the recommendation to exercise 60-90 minutes a day or
to eat fiber-rich whole foods and lean meat with little or no added salt or
sugar. It's great to know that these guidelines will guide school lunches and
other federally supported programs over the next five years. They are a step in
the right direction.
Even though the full text of the guidelines is 84 pages long,
Click to
View, it hardly spells out all there is to know about health and wellness.
Take the section on fat. The new guidelines recommend that less than 10% of our daily calories should come
from saturated fat (the kind in meat, dairy, and Hardee's Monster Thickburger)
and that trans-fats (the kind in margarine, shortening, deep-fried foods, and
foods made with hydrogenated vegetable oil) should be kept "as low as possible."
That's excellent advice.
They do not, however, explain the importance of watching the fatty-acid balance in
our daily intake of calories. What's the fatty-acid balance? It's the proper
ratio of essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. A bad ratio is worse than too much fat,
since a bad ratio makes it hard for our bodies to process the fat properly. The
ideal scenario is not a low-fat diet but a healthy-fat diet, with a 1 to 3 or
lower ratio
of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.
Unfortunately, the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in most Western diets is more like 1 to 20, which
aggravates the risk of many diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer,
and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. To change that, we have to increase
our consumption of foods containing omega-3 fatty acids while we decrease our
consumption of foods containing omega-6.
Here are some of the foods that will assist you to get your essential fatty
acids into balance. Increase your consumption of fatty fish (e.g., salmon, black
cod, trout, mackerel, herring, and sardines), wild game, seeds (especially flax,
chia, psyllium, and hemp), walnuts, soybeans, whole grains, omega-3 eggs,
dark-green leafy vegetables, and, if you cook with oil, cold-pressed canola or
olive oil. Decrease your consumption of conventional meats and eggs, dairy fat,
peanuts, processed grains, fried foods, and all other conventional oils.
Coaching Inquiries: How does your diet measure up in terms of the fatty-acid
balance? How could you start paying attention not only to the quantity but also
to the quality of the fat you eat? What changes would you have to make to get
into balance?
 To reply to this Pathway, use our
Feedback Form. To learn more about our
Wellness Coaching programs and to arrange for a complimentary wellness coaching
session, use our Contact Form or
Email Bob.
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Bob Tschannen-Moran
LifeTrek Coaching International
121 Will Scarlet Lane
Williamsburg, VA 23185-5043
U.S.A.
Telephone: 757-345-3452
Fax: 772-382-3258
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