Last week’s Definitive Guide to Fats gave us a chance to unpack
the essential fatty acids. But we thought they deserved a closer
look still. Just to review, omega-3 and omega-6 are known as
“essential” fatty acids because the body can’t produce them
itself. So, it’s up to us to incorporate them into our diet. The
typical Western diet is rich in omega-6. (Think corn, soy,
peanut, safflower, and other oils.) As for the prevalence of
omega-3? Not so much. (Think fish, flax, algae, walnuts, and
animal products from grass fed livestock.) We talked about the
importance of ratio last time. Experts estimate that the typical
American diet has as much as 30 parts omega-6 to 1 part omega-3
(30:1). Uff da. As we said last time, there’s some squabbling to
be certain about the proper ratio. Some nutritionists go as high
as 4:1. Others suggest 2:1. But since we’re all about the primal
here, we’re taken in by the ratio most experts agree
characterized hunter gatherer diets. And that would be an
elegant 1:1 ratio. You gotta l