She explains how she came, in a roundabout way, to learn about range-fed chickens when she was younger. Then later in her life when she was working at the National Institutes of Health, she took a range fed chicken egg in to one of her colleagues to have him analyze the Omega-6 and Omega-3 content only to find that it was loaded with Omega-3 fat.
IS THIS DIET HEALTHY OR NOT?
Everything about this diet is absolutely exceptional! I feel that it is a very sensible diet. If followed for life, a person could have longevity and good health without the fear of having a stroke or heart attack later in life. Many of the guidelines for the diet line up with the current Food Guide Pyramid we have today. The fact that the author establishes the fact, early in the book, that high bulk diets that take away taste by eliminating fat and/or carbohydrates and are very strict cannot be followed. Our bodies will tell us when we don't get enough of the essential elements in our diets - particularly fat! I could not begin to enumerate all of the studies that the author cited in her book, AND they were not little-known institutions. She cited studies found in the New England Journal of Medicine2 (See “The Long-Term Outcome of Patients with Iga Nephropathy Treated with Fish Oil in a Controlled Trial,”), The Mayo Clinic and other highly reputable institutions.
She delineated the oils that have Omega-3 and Omega-6 in Tables, as well as the chemical properties of the oils (whether saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated). She also charted the changes that Omega-3 and Omega-6 go through, how one turns to Gamma-linolenic Acid (Omega-6), which is not a good acid to have. And the other, Omega-3, changes into Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA), then Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), then into Eicosonoids.
A COMPARISON
GOOD POINTS
She recommends similar amounts of fat (35%) that are established as healthy amounts. She listed the many foods that have the EFAs. As a reader, you don't have to go to indexes or tables in the back of the book (she charted everything as she went). In her Food Guide Column (See Table 2) she goes a step further and charts out a weekly menu that has leeway built into it. It makes more sense than the portions set forth in the FDAs Food Guide Pyramid (Nix, 10).
FLAWS
The only flaw that I was able to find with the book/diet was that the author was a bit vague with regards to carbohydrates. She obviously doesn't agree with the FDA's Food Guide Pyramid. She didn't go, except vaguely, into the required amounts of carbohydrates and protein. But, she did give an example of her own Food Guide Column (See Table 2).
SUMMARY
It is extremely important to stay away from the Omega-6 fatty acids and increase our portions of Omega-3 fatty acids. Increase our intake of Olive oil and canola oil. Increase our intake of green leafy vegetables, especially Purslane (considered a weed by most farmers). Begin the use of eggs that are from range fed chickens and meat from range fed cattle (They have highly increased amounts of Omega-3 in them due to the animals' ingestion of green leafy plants on the range). Stay away from trans-fatty foods. She also recommends very little sugar in one's diet.
CONCLUSION
This diet is a very good diet! I would recommend it to anybody. I feel that it has great potential, especially where EFAs are concerned. It was very informative and reassuring with all of the studies and experiments cited. Those gave me a sense of confidence in what she was postulating and put me at ease, especially with the credible nature of the institutions that did the studies and experiments. I'm sold on everything about this diet! I have learned a few things that will help me in my efforts to live a healthy lifestyle.
