Column #304      July 2, 2021Solar System in Balance

There are natural balances in the solar system, the atmosphere, the ocean, the land, between animal and plant kingdoms, between nation states, world trade, finances at all levels, human relationships, personal health, and more. When natural balances are conflicted, chaos reigns. This also applies to diet.

Humans require a very finite balance of nutrients. In many instances their bodies can regulate certain nutrients such as salt, saturated fats, acidity, and more. But in certain cases bodies can’t synthesize essential requirements and they must eat them to have them. Without a proper balance of nutrients human bodies fail over time and those failures are called chronic diseases.

Knowing that, I was appalled when I read the popular MSM column, “To Your Health,” written by Dr. Keith Roach. It was titled “Grass-Fed Beef Not Best Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acid.” Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised because his views on food are the same as those of most medical professionals. In treating chronic diseases, his industry (and the pharmaceutical industry) relies on government-promoted myths that ignore scientific fact. Therefore, even though most medical doctors, pharmacists, and bureaucrats pretend to be nutritional experts, they just don’t know nutrition the same way biologists, nutritionists, and anthropologists know bodily functions, nutrition, and evolution.

Here are several statements Dr. Roach made that earned him an “F.”
●    “. . . recommended intake level for omega-3 fatty acids . . . (in mg is) 1,100 (women) and 1,600 (men) per day.”
●    “. . . most studies show changing a diet from red-meat-based to plant- and fish-based leads to decreased risk of heart disease and stroke.”
●    “. . . clinical studies using omega-3 supplements to treat or prevent dementia such as Alzheimer's have shown no benefit or at most a small benefit.”
●    “. . . a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and fatty fish, . . . has many health benefits . . .”
●    “If you do like to eat beef, I recommend doing so only occasionally.”
●    “Until there are clear benefits showing grass-fed beef has health benefits compared with grain-fed, I think it's far more important to eat beef sparingly than to change to grass-fed.”1 2

The Omega-3 essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency is defined by a ratio. Generally speaking, when the weight of Omega-6 EFAs exceeds the weight of Omega-3 EFAs in the membranes of cells by more than 4:1, there is an Omega-3 deficiency. The deficiency is linked to many chronic diseases. The optimal ratio is believed to be about 1:1. Since these two families of fatty acids are essential, the EFA ratio of a human body will match the ratio of its diet.3

To see how diet can impact the ratio let’s analyze one meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). A 4.0 oz serving of KFC chicken has 6,752 mg of Omega-6 and 331 mg of Omega 3 for a 20.4:1 ratio. A 4.0 oz package of KFC coleslaw has 4,842 mg of Omega-6 and 634 mg of Omega 3 for a 7.6:1 ratio. One KFC biscuit has 605 mg of Omega-6 and 58 mg of Omega 3 for a 10.4:1 ratio. Combined in one meal these three selections provide 12,199 mg of Omega-6 and 1,023 mg of Omega 3 for a ratio of 11.6:1.4

This one meal satisfies Dr. Roach’s recommended daily allowance of Omega-3 for a woman. Unfortunately, with its 11,176 mg Omega-3 deficit to Omega-6, this meal creates an Omega-3 deficiency with a dangerously high EFA ratio. High EFA ratios, such as 12:1, are tied directly to heart disease and stroke plus many other chronic diseases. Additionally, Dr. Roach has no clue about James J. DiNicolantonio’s paper which points out that modern research shows there are no associations between dietary fat and mortality from all causes of death. So we don’t fear saturated fats from animals which Dr. Roach indicates is a reason for heart disease and stroke.5

I’ve written extensively about Dr. Dale Bredesen who is routinely curing Alzheimer's victims with supplements and diet. One of his supplements is fish oil. Fruits, legumes, and nuts are not on Dr. Bredesen’s list of preferred foods because he wants low glycemic, nutrient dense and diverse foods that have low EFA ratios.6 7

The idea of eating red meats “sparingly” is totally nutty. For 2.5 million years humans were apex predators who lived almost exclusively on an all-meat diet. Consequently, humans evolved on a diet of meat and animal fats like other apex predators. That’s why eating animals from a natural environment provides the best balanced package of nutrients for servicing human requirements. This is why I say grass-fed meats are the most perfect food for man. They are zero glycemic with 1:1 EFA ratios. They also provide a dense nutrient package that provides every nutrient humans require for optimal body function. There are few food choices that offer such perfection and grain-fed meats can’t compare because they are nutrient lite with EFA ratios of 15:1. Grass-Fed meats provide “clear benefits.”8 9

Many people get excited about certain so-called “healthy” foods because they are good sources of potassium or iron or antioxidants or Omega-3 or some other nutrient. But when a food is an exceptional source of one nutrient, it usually provides too much of that nutrient and not enough of other vital nutrients. (Wild-caught seafood with its high Omega-3 load is an exception.) Once again—balance is the key. Deficiencies and excesses will surely develop when one seeks extremes.

If a person eats nothing but bonafide grass-fed meats, he won’t have to supplement with Omega-3. Even though the Omega-3 quantity in meats is low, the quantity of Omega-6 is less. The result is the EFA ratio is properly balanced so there cannot be an Omega-3 deficiency.

Today, just like with our standard American diet (SAD), we are witnessing imbalances in our nation’s finances. The Federal Reserve Bank is violating many of the sound money principles it stood for 60 years ago. My old book from college, “Federal Reserve System Purposes & Functions Fifth Edition” by the Board of Governors of The Federal Reserve System, is dated January 1, 1963. It very adamantly explains why the Fed should not be doing what it’s doing today because it will have disastrous consequences. It says the Fed is charged with keeping a strong dollar, full employment, and stable prices. Obviously, our government and its central bank are not following proper practices.10

Today, the Fed is printing money like never before. It has ignited buying frenzies in housing, stocks, commodities, collectibles, cryptocurrencies, art, recreational vehicles, and many other goods. Speculation is running wild. The economy is overheated with shortages in many sectors driving prices up. History is full of examples where easy money causes people to lose all sense of reason. Yet our government and the Fed are not pulling the punch bowl to simmer down the party. Instead, with trillions of newly printed dollars and exponentially growing debt they are working in concert to increase spending, borrowing, speculation, division, and the complete loss of moral values. Yes, moral values decline during boom times.11

Economic imbalances like what’s been happening in the past year and a half always end badly.  Many people believe that government interference in the marketplace is a good thing, but natural balances are conflicted when it does and that causes chaos. Current monetary policy is like a child stacking toy blocks, one on top of the other, to see how high they can stack. No matter how careful, a moment always arrives when the stack is no longer stable and it comes tumbling down.

Stacking debt is the same as stacking toy blocks. Debts always come home to roost, and when they do, the bursting bubbles devastate every sector of the economy. As always, the owners of smaller businesses and the employees of big and small businesses alike will be hurt the most. We heard it all before during the pandemic. The bureaucrats called many workers and small businesses nonessential and shut them down without looking back. On the other hand, they did all they could to help the huge international businesses through the hard times. This is why it has become quite clear to small businesses and the working poor that quantitative easing and all the easy money policies of the Federal Reserve have created some of the worst wealth inequality this nation has ever witnessed.

So, just like easy money and debt excesses set the stage for depressions, improper balances of nutrients for humans cause chronic diseases. What’s needed for maintaining natural balances is discipline, a sound moral foundation, knowledge, more smaller businesses, no monopolies, less government, strategically structured tariff walls, less sugar, fewer carbohydrates, less Omega-6, and more grass-fed and Omega-3 meats.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don't miss these links for additional reading:

1. Grass-Fed Beef Not Best Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acid by Keith Roach, M.D.

2. Promoting Omega-3, but Not the Ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 by Ted Slanker

3. The Importance of the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio in Cardiovascular Disease and Other Chronic Diseases by Artemis P. Simopoulos M.D.

4. Food Analysis: EFA, Protein to Fat, Net Carbs, Sugar, and Nutrient Load by Ted Slanker

5. The Cardiometabolic Consequences of Replacing Saturated Fats with Carbohydrates or n-6 Polyunsaturated Fats: Do the dietary guidelines have it wrong? by James J DiNicolantonio

6. FDA Approves Alzheimer's Drug by Ted Slanker

7. Four Reasons Why Fruit Alone Causes Malnutrition by Ted Slanker

8. Were Humans Ever Apex Predators? by Ted Slanker

9. Grass-Fed vs Grain-Fed by Ted Slanker

10. Federal Reserve System Purposes & Functions Fifth Edition Jan 1, 1963 by the Board Of Governors Of The Federal Reserve System

11. M2 Money Stock Chart from FRED