EFA

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

Check the box for each symptom that applies to you. The more symptoms on the list that a person has – or the more intensely they are experienced – the more likely it is that these symptoms are caused by a deficiency/imbalance of protein.

	Rough, dry, flaky or scaly skin.
	Eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis.
	Dry or gritty feeling in eyes, dry tear ducts.
	Dry, lifeless, or brittle hair, split ends.
	Brittle or cracked nails.
	Dry mouth, throat, mucous membranes.
	Wounds or injuries heal slowly, poorly.
	Bleeding gums, easy bruising.
	Frequent colds, infections, sickness.
	Depression, lack of motivation.
	Forgetfulness, short attention span.
	FEMALE: Premenstrual syndrome.
	FEMALE: Difficulty getting pregnant or carrying to term.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) have important functions in brain cells, nerve endings, and sensory organs. They are also required to make adrenal hormones, sex hormones, prostaglandins, and the protective membranes that surround every cell in the body. EFAs are incredibly important to immune processes. They have no substitute. If the diet does not provide enough, the body cannot make do with anything else.

Most modern diets provide too much of the potentially harmful fats and not enough of the healthy kind. Margarine, shortening, hydrogenated oils, the fats used in deep frying, and all rancid fats are sources of destructive, renegade molecules known as "free radicals" that damage human tissue and have been implicated as causative factors in heart disease, cancer and other degenerative conditions.

Polyunsaturated oils (e.g., safflower, sunflower, corn, soy) are a mixed blessing. They do provide EFAs, but in an unstable form. When exposed to heat, light or air, polyunsaturates spontaneously decompose to form free radicals. The more unsaturated an oil is, the more destructive it can be. Many people consume polyunsaturates far in excess of their needs. The safest dietary sources of EFAs are olive oil, butter, avocado oil, and peanut oil – plus the naturally occurring fats in fish, eggs and poultry – plus the naturally occurring oils in fresh, raw almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pecans. Olive oil is a dietary blessing because – in addition to a small but significant content of EFAs, -- it consists of 70 to 80 per cent oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. Oleic acid is the predominant fat in mother’s milk. It is also the predominant fat in sebum, the protective substance secreted by the sweat glands. Oleic acid contributes to the stability of every cellular membrane in the body, thus protecting cells from invasion by bacteria, viruses and free radicals.

Organic flaxseed oil makes an excellent EFA supplement – but its safety from deterioration can only be assured if it is processed without heat in an atmosphere of nitrogen and sealed in opaque gelatin capsules.