We all know that a ketogenic diet requires high amounts of dietary fats. However, the type and quality of these fats is extremely important to the welfare of our bodies.
Every day (practically) so far in this keto adventure, my husband and I have been eating pretty much the same breakfast every day - "Jimmy Moore's Keto Eggs". I remember the first time we sat down to this fat-fest and we were both joking we were going to die because of every cultural message about fat = bad. I've known for some time that certain fats can be very healthful, as I was paleocurious for years, combined with the knowledge I have gleaned from working at Whole Foods Market in the supplements department.
The key to making this breakfast as healthful as possible is to get pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed butter and grass-fed cheese from pastured cows, and bacon that is at least free of nitrates and nitrites and ideally pastured as well. Why is this important? Animals who are eating what they are
supposed to eat produce meat, eggs, and dairy in the form that is most beneficial for human consumption. Cows naturally graze, which involves eating mostly grasses and sprouted plants that are high in omega 3 fatty acids. Chickens are naturally insectivores (bugs are high in omega 3) and opportunistic leafy-green vegetarians, so pasture-raised chickens are eating far better than those "organic vegetarian-fed" hens. Pigs are opportunistic omnivores who forage for their food. What these animals have in common is that commercial farming methods typically involve no opportunity for the animals to seek out their ideal food sources and instead they must subsist on feed containing high amounts of grains and legumes, which is not supposed to be the lion's share of their diet. Grains and legumes contain high amounts of omega 6 fatty acids, and the fats these animals consume directly impacts the type of fats they store as "fat" in their bodies... literally "you are what you eat". That, coupled with the extreme stress suffered by the animals raised in this way, turns their meat/dairy/egg products into something with rather harmful long-term effects.
Humans should ideally have a 1:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats stored in their bodies. These fats are stored and used by the body in many places, including as part of cell membranes. When the human body sustains an injury, omega 6 fats are responsible for the initial responses of pain and inflammation, which is important so that one knows they are injured and to avoid use and weight-bearing on the affected area. Gradually, the omega 3 fats take over the site to promote the elimination of inflammation and the repair process. When a human has abnormally high omega 6 in their body, pain and inflammation linger far longer than they should, while the healing process lags slower than an mp3 download over a dial-up 64k modem. This, sadly, is the typical American, who enjoys cheap factory-farmed and thus grain-fed meats/dairy/eggs, nuts and legumes and their "butters", and grain (seed) products in everything from bread and pasta to cake and cookies. That whole "anti-inflammatory diet" thing? It's a result of people realizing the effects of the omega 6 onslaught and aiming to do something about it. Chronic inflammation causes many heath problems (including hypertension and arthritis) and has been definitively linked to the development of certain cancers.
So, are omega 6 fats the bad guys? No. They are necessary. Pain and inflammation have their place. Then, how do we get more omega 3s in our diet and balance our bodies? Omega 3 fats are found in green leafy plants and in the animals that eat those plants. A significant quantity of green leafy plants is one of the major things missing in the Standard American Diet (presumably because of the lack of cooking them in tasty "unhealthy" fat). Also, most Americans shy away from paying a "premium" for pastured animal products, whether for concrete financial reasons ("I honestly cannot afford it because I am scraping by") or because of competing financial preferences ("I honestly cannot afford it because I need my 200+ cable channels"). Embracing keto (or even paleo) in the face of tremendous adversity already requires a mental adjust, so for those already on these paths, the adjust to seek omega 3 fats should be minor. "But you haven't mentioned wild-caught fish or wild game!" I hear you exclaim. Indeed, I have not, but I assure you that those are the most fantastic sources of Omega 3 fats and should be a highly-sought source of protein and fat in any keto or paleo diet, as seen in the current diets of many tribal cultures as well as the historical diets of humans during the paleolithic period.
Lastly, I'd like to address "seed" omega 3s - such as those found in hemp, chia, and flax. These are still omega 3s, true, but all seeds include a lot of omega 6 as well - a concern if you are dangerously out of balance and need to make a dramatic adjust. Furthermore, plant-based omega 3s (yes, even those found in those ideal green leafy ones mentioned earlier) MUST be converted into a usable form by an animal body - whether it is yours or an animal product you are consuming. Those usable forms are DHA and EPA, commonly found in very high amounts in fish and fish oils. So, (to highly simplify) while flax oil may have 4500mg of omega 3, your body can only convert that to usability at about a 45:1 ratio, leaving you with a paltry 100mg of EPA, which then can be further converted to DHA as needed. Animal product omega 3s have already been converted into EPA and DHA, giving you the most anti-inflammatory bang for your buck.
PS - There is one omega 6 in particular that you should know about - GLA or gamma-linolenic acid. It is unusual in that it acts in function like an omega 3, making it anti-inflammatory. More importantly, it has been shown to aid in normalizing skin conditions (such as psoriasis) and hormone imbalances (hot flashes, etc.). Know I didn't just read this in a book - at my workplace, various people have reported these results back to me and thanked me profusely for recommending it. I know it is anecdotal, as is most of the evidence about the benefits of ketosis, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
