Sorry for being offtopic, but I have a question to you, WT. I'm sure you remember my graphs regarding oil exporters and my modelling oil production posted last year, as we agreed on everything (basically). However, I'd like to know where to get new data from as far as export numbers are concerned. Is there an e-mail address I could possibly reach you at? Thx. (I'd be more than glad to see you in Denver this October. I'm travelling all the way from Hungary, Europe.)

I did not had my blood level checked for Vitamin D.
When I don't work,I spend a lot of time outside gardening.
My skin manufacture a few thousand additional units daily.
During the winter, I take 2000 units per day.
But I will have my Vitamin D checked before November.
I am exposed to infected patients almost every day and I never catch anything.
1000-2000 units is a safe but possibly too low recommendation.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=vit...

The diet pyramid pic is too small for me to see, so here's a better one.

Chronic vitamin D3 treatment protects against neurotoxicity by glutamate in association with upregulation of vitamin D receptor mRNA expression in cultured rat cortical neurons

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17797011

Glutamate disregulation is the key to these disorders. We are eating way too much of it.
http://www.physorg.com/news91028047.html

See my blog for more info:
http://dietaryglutamateandhealth.wordpress.com/

Great subject and very timely. Over at the Latoc swine flu discussion they are really pushing D3 among other things to fight the flu.

I am raising a grandson who is on the autism spectrum. I have been trying to raise his levels of D3, magnesium and Omega 3 among other things. It is very hard to get the right combination of supplements and diet. Many people swear that they have cured their child's autism with diet, supplements and other procedures such as chelation of toxic metals. Anyone interested should google Defeat Autism Now for the complete protocol.

For a contrarian view of proper blood vitamin D levels see anthropologist Peter Frost's posts on the subject here, here, here, and here. Make note of the levels of vitamin D found in some people who spend a lot of time outside. From the 4th post:

How can vitamin-D deficiency exist despite lengthy sun exposure? This apparent paradox was raised in my last post. The medical community now recommends bloodstream vitamin D levels of at least 75-150 nmol/L, yet these levels are not reached by many tanned, outdoorsy people.

In a study from Hawaii, vitamin D status was assessed in 93 healthy young adults who were visibly tanned and averaged 22.4 hours per week of unprotected sun exposure, with 40% reporting no use of sunscreen. Yet their mean vitamin D level was 79 nmol/L and 51% had levels below the recommended minimum of 75 nmol/L (Binkley et al., 2007).

These results are consistent with those of a study from Nebraska. The subjects were thirty healthy men who had just completed a summer of outdoor activity, e.g., landscaping, construction, farming, and recreation. One subject used sunscreen regularly and sixteen others sometimes or rarely. Their mean vitamin D level was initially 122 nmol/L. By late winter, it had fallen to 74 nmol/L (Barger-Lux & Heaney, 2002).

A study from south India found levels below 50 nmol/L in 44% of the men and 70% of the women. The subjects are described as “agricultural workers starting their day at 0800 and working outdoors until 1700 with their face, chest, back, legs, arms, and forearms exposed to sunlight.” (Harinarayan et al., 2007).

So what blood level of vitamin D to aim for?

Yes B808. Seems like we have reached 'Peak Nutrition' as well. I am planning to grow freshwater fish in a pond as naturally as possible.

Cod are doomed to disappear from the North Sea because of climate change and not just as a result of over-fishing, researchers have discovered.

In the past 40 years the average temperature of the North Sea has increased by 1C with catastrophic effects on its delicate eco-systems.

Species of plankton, on which cod larvae feed, have moved away in search of cooler waters. The decline in cod stocks has led to an explosion in the populations of crabs and jellyfish, on which the adult fish feed. The shortage of predators at the top of the food chain has had a knock-on effect on flat fish, such as plaice and sole, whose offspring are eaten by crabs.

The cumulative consequences of warming for the North Sea have been spelt out in detail in the study published yesterday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences journal.

Then too, there are plant sources of Omega-3. Flax come to mind.

We might want to thinking about getting our omega3's from smaller fish, such as sardines and anchovies, or maybe mackerel.

Ecologically, it's insane to target top predators; it's like raising tigers for burger. And of course, the top predators have the highest level of bioaccumulating schmutz in them.

However, DHA is also a bioaccumulant, I don't think fish make any, they get get it through the food chain ultimately from algal sources.

While algal biodiesel seems like it won't make the cut, algal DHA oughta scale up fine if necessary. I'm intrigued about feeding flax to chickens, first I'd heard that. Of course, scaling down the human population to match a sustainable fish catch is probably optimal for the long term.

I find DHA helps arrhythmias, controls triglyceride levels, and a slew of other things. Makes me wonder about the old aquatic ape theory popularized by Elaine Morgan. The human body seems to really want DHA.

The aquaculture question is another subject, one that I have opinions on that many of you may not appreciate.

Curious what you think of this process? http://www.openblueseafarms.com/

By coincidence I met a marine biologist from the University Of Miami last weekend who is involved with research on raising these fish for this organization. I also sent them an email a while back asking if they were doing anything along the lines of farming insects as a protein supplement for the feed. I got a response that they were looking at raising worms but not insects at present.

Anyways I think that whether we like the idea or not somebody somewhere will be doing things like this.

For easons why this is so, one can take a look at the book The Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease published in 1972 written by biochemist, Irwin Stone and reproduced on-line with permission. The essential thrust of his argument can basically be summed up in the following quote:

Now back to ascorbic acid. In mammals, ascorbic acid is produced in the liver from blood glucose by the stepwise reactions shown in Figure 3. Each step, except the last, is controlled by a specific enzyme. In the last step, the 2-keto-L-gulonolactone, once formed, is automatically converted into ascorbic acid. No enzyme is required. On the right side of the diagram, the step of transforming L-gulonolactone into 2-keto-L-gulonolactone is catalyzed by the enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase. This is the critical enzyme for humans who, because they carry a defective gene, cannot produce an active enzyme. This is the gene that mutated in a primate ancestor of ours millions of years ago. It is this step that is blocked in man and prevents him from producing large amounts of ascorbic acid from glucose in the liver.

Here we have the classic conditions for a genetic, missing-enzyme disease, and yet for years these simple facts have been ignored and scurvy has continued to be regarded as avitaminosis. In 1966, this author published the paper "On the Genetic Etiology of Scurvy," in which the history and pertinent facts were reviewed and it was pointed out that in scurvy we were dealing with a genetic, liver-enzyme disease and not simply a dietary disturbance. Since it is the prerogative of the discoverer to name a new disease, the author called it "hypoascorbemia" because low levels of ascorbic acid in the blood are characteristic of this disease.

This genetic approach now provides a natural rationale for the use of large amounts of ascorbic acid which served so well in the survival of the mammals in the course of evolution. Its implications for health and well-being are vast because it furnishes the basis for the new unexplored fields of preventive medicine and therapeutics (megascorbic prophylaxis and megascorbic therapy). It is hoped that the publication of these new ways of using ascorbic acid will stimulate the flood of research similar to that which occurred when ascorbic acid was discovered in the early 1930s. Let us see how long it will take to break down the "vitamin-barriers" of current orthodox medical dogma.

It seems quite amazing that the medical industry has not followed up on this idea until one realizes that there are no huge profits to be made from vitamin C. However there is a small cadre of doctors that believe that good nutrition and strategic supplementation with key vitamins/nutrients is the best route to better health. I think Dr. Petit can be safely counted among that number.

Alan from the islands

In a similar vein, check out Linus Pauling, Vitamin C, heart disease and arterial plaques. As I understand it, cholesterol is not the problem it is made out to be. The cholesterol binds to fissures in the vascular system by design. If the veins/arteries are kept pliable (c.f. collagen) then the cholesterol remains in the bloodstream. Vitamin C is essential in maintenance of blood vessel pliability with age. I've probably simplified this but you get the idea. The pharma/medical industry push cholesterol lowering drugs and invasive cardiac procedures of course as there is big money in that.

Olive oil is great for monosaturated fats, but has a 12:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio.
http://www.nutritiondata.com/

Canola oil = 2:1

Walnuts are about the only nuts that have a 4:1 ratio or better.
Filberts = 9:1
Pecans = 20:1
Peanuts = 500:1
Almonds = 2000:1

Avocado = 15:1

Grass fed is the way to go---
I have been eating cheese from grass fed cows, that is high in omega3's.
Of course, it is from New Zealand, which increases the carbon footprint.

Tentative dietary reference intake for EPA and DHA:

http://www.dhaomega3.org/index.php?category=health-conditions&title=Jun0...

It's even dicier than you suggest.

From this page on a website referenced in the post:

The omega-6:omega-3 concept originates primarily in the early rodent experiments where high levels of LA (omega-6) in the diet were found to partially suppress the conversion efficiency of dietary ALA to EPA plus DHA in the body.

OK, and in humans...

Subsequent human studies have indicated that lowering the LA(n-6):ALA(n-3) from higher levels (e.g., 27:1 down to 3:1) does allow for a somewhat moderately enhanced conversion of dietary ALA to EPA as revealed by moderately higher levels of EPA in blood samples taken from subjects given varying n-6:n-3 ratios and amounts of ALA. Thus, higher intakes of ALA and much lower ratios of LA: ALA is one strategy for moderately enhancing the conversion of ALA to EPA via the desaturation/elongation reactions

there is a moderate effect for EPA, but...

However, it is most interesting to note that numerous human studies which have lowered the n-6:n-3 ratio (as LA: ALA ) have not shown a significant rise in DHA with the lower ratios or even with higher intakes of ALA despite the moderate rise in EPA as mentioned previously.

not for DHA.

I'll concede your point on algae, but I'd rather eat salmon. My bad.

Well done on the diet, Roger.

As far as 'dealing with the sugar', it cannot be forgotten that since food moved from being a necessity to an 'industry', the rules of the market have insisted on creating foods that are addiction-forming. Modern business is based on this, not unlike healthcare. Even holistic doctors have to work into this mold, and create 'subscription clients' who remain on a regular Maintenance plan, instead of learning how to eat and care for their bodies in a way that preempts this automatic outlay.

In regards to Wheat products, you might look into the issues around Phytic Acid, which is present in I believe all whole grains, including rice, and which should be neutralized by soaking overnight in raw yoghurt or whey as it had been done in preindustrial cultures (remember soaking oats overnight before making oatmeal?). Untreated, even whole grains can cost your body a lot of calcium as it works to process this acid. Sprouted Grains and Sourdoughs also resolve this issue. (and Calcium deficiencies are bad for circulatory health as well as bone and tooth.. and probably overall cell health)

While a bit controversial, I have found the arguments of the Weston Price foundation compelling as a guidepost for diet guidelines which would tend to agree with the experience you've already outlined. Dentist Weston Price in the 30's sought out traditional non-industrial cultures around the world who seemed to be free of many of the bone and tooth developmental problems that have been endemic in the modern world, and examined their diets for common threads that might be clues to this success that we moderns seem to have lost.

http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/characteristics.html

Characteristics of Traditional Diets
1# The diets of healthy primitive and nonindustrialized peoples contain no refined or denatured foods such as refined sugar or corn syrup; white flour; canned foods; pasteurized, homogenized, skim or low-fat milk; refined or hydrogenated vegetable oils; protein powders; artificial vitamins or toxic additives and colorings.

2# All traditional cultures consume some sort of animal protein and fat from fish and other seafood; water and land fowl; land animals; eggs; milk and milk products; reptiles; and insects.

3# Primitive diets contain at least four times the calcium and other minerals and TEN times the fat soluble vitamins from animal fats (vitamin A, vitamin D and the Price Factor--now believed to be vitamin K2) as the average American diet.

4# In all traditional cultures, some animal products are eaten raw...

...etc, etc

.. and despite recurring misrepresentations, the Weston Price community is not an 'All meat, all the time' philosophy, which they probably get tarred with since they do defend the healthiness and often the necessity of INCLUDING animal foods and fats in a good diet.

Bob

I too have been trying to reduce my sugar intake but, it's all over the place. Modern processed drinks and baked products tend to be laced with the stuff! I'm hoping that the world market price of sugar continues to rise so as to encourage lower consumption. Hopefully more sugar can be channeled into ethanol production as well.

Interestingly, on a recent trip to France, I found the pastries from the small bakeries in the town I stayed in, a lot less sweet than similar products in the UK, the US or my island home. I would be happy to have a lot less sugar in the products that I buy but, there is a huge industry focused on getting us to consume more and more. Big sugar?

Alan from the islands

The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid shows refined sugar on top of the pyramid.
In other words,once in a while.
Take your sugar from fruits if possible.
The sugar in fruits comes with its natural slow release mechanism:fibers.

When I get time, I'm going to finish a post on the links between sugar and behavior - in particular the fact that sugar consumption increases our discount rates, which is exactly what we don't need when trying to think about long term problems.

That big slice on the bottom of the pyramid is still the propaganda of big ag, and is suicidal for humans.
Quite embarrassing--

An excellent point !

I wonder how much high fat junk food does the same thing ?

Alan

PS: My own downfall is volume. My mother had a dietitian review my father's diet (often 8 or 9 different fruits & veggies/day, skim milk, some vegetable fats, 1 to 3 ounces of meat, say one sausage patty) and said that he was the only person she had seen that got fat off home grown tomatoes.

I am a milder case of same, although I lose weight when eating at home and gain eating out.

Recently I heard about a simple fish farming system anyone can set up in a garage. It is the model developed for Heifer International, I think, and involves 4 connected 55-gallons drums. One of them has fish, the others can be put to other uses (such as fertilizer for vegies).

I see that as the only way to get enough fish omega-3. Another thought is to feed vegies rich in omega-3 to hens for example, which makes the eggs high omega-3. It turns out you need to eat 40 cups of kale or purslane each day to get your omega-3. Maybe a chicken could get this done.

Grass-fed meat is another option, but I believe we would need 6 times the land area to raise the beef we presently eat on pasture. Here in Colorado, milk production at one pasture-only farm fell 3 or 5 fold after they went to all grass. The milk is now higher in omega-3 than it used to be, and that's what I am serving my kids.

Not long ago, all fat was evil; now we are learning about subsets and getting a new understanding. I'm sure we will find out more about fatty acid subsets, and it will turn out, I imagine, that the more "natural" we can make our food, the better. Mutant corn-fed salmon, or cereal fortified with omega-3 will never be the way to go. Even fish oil, I worry about. Somehow the tide seems to be turning against supplements, with some of them being associated with more disease, not less.

See, that's exactly what I mean. The story is hopelessly complicated for reductionist analysis.

Let's eat something sustainable, how about that? It may turn out it's not the absolute best for health and longevity, but maybe we will have saved the planet in the meantime...

I'm reading No Impact Man and thinking about turning us into Really Low Impact Family.

'This is contrary to the professional ethos of the author.'

I don't know how you meant this, Alan, but it sounds extremely crass. To suggest that Doctors WANT an unhealthy population.. it's an unhelpful and untrue thing to say. I'm the first to say we have an entrenched system that has left us with an intrinsically Unhealthy Healthcare Setup, but the above went too far, I think.

Bob

Feed too much refined sugar to my young children and they become hyperactive in about ten minutes. Feed them sweets with certain artificial colourings and they start bouncing off the walls.

This experiment is easily repeatable and shows consistent results, although I have not performed it double-blind. For safety reasons (and the cost of repairing the walls) I try to avoid sweets with artificial colours.

I could write another piece about this.
It is impossible to explain in one paragraph.

dietary deficiencies combined with a mass of alien dietary additives has very poor outcome on the behavior of children

ASCII and ye shall receive this old news in a new package.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090921/waters

Contrast this with the Central Alternative High School in Appleton, Wisconsin. The school serves troubled youth, but teachers, parents and administrators found a way to turn things around; and when they did, discipline problems dropped sharply. Their secret? Instead of the usual processed meals, the school cafeteria offers fresh, locally grown, low-fat, low-sugar alternatives. The healthier meals are delicious. The students love them. They perform better in class and don't get sick as often.

Guess I have to answer my own question again. From the Wikipedia (italics mine):

n−x (n minus x; also ω−x or omega-x) nomenclature...is a shorthand way to categorize fatty acids by their physiological properties. A double bond is located on the xth carbon–carbon bond, counting from the terminal methyl carbon (designated as n or ω) toward the carbonyl carbon. For example, α-Linolenic acid is classified as a n−3 or omega-3 fatty acid, and so it shares properties with other compounds of this type. The ω−x or omega-x notation is common in popular literature, but IUPAC has deprecated it in favor of n−x notation in technical documents. The most commonly researched fatty acid types are n−3 and n−6, which have unique biological properties.

There are some land plants that are sources of omega-3 fats. For some people, these may be just as good, but some people lack the genes needed to convert them to other (more useful) omega-3s. Flax, purslane and some nuts all contain a decent amount of ALA, or alpha-linoleic acid, an omega-3.

Dr Weil has a good food pyramid:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/pyramid/press-foodpyramid.html
I have some reserves concerning vitamin supplementation for people with existing medical conditions.
Always ask your physician for possible interactions with medications.

A chart showing global human and global fish population for the last 100 years would be interesting to see.

"It's hard and expensive to do good research, and spending money on a vitamin, which you won't be able to get a patent for, is not usually cost-effective."

Very true. This is a major problem, as it tends to be a self-fulfilling prophesy. Patentable drugs are where the profits are, so that's where the research money goes, so no good research is available on natural substances, which means that drugs are the only option, so they get more research funding...

The whole issue of nutrition is a nightmare to try and work out and zeroing in on one aspect such as a single vitamin or such is a waste of time. In my case I just went back to a basic assumption that what we ate for most of our evolution is what is best for us. It is impossible to micromanage nutrition.

Research along those lines made me realise that we're still evolving as far as food is concerned and quite rapidly. Over the last few thousand years as we've added new foods to our diet those that were genetically predispose to problems are removed from the gene pool. This is still happening with hospitals full of people with degenerative illnesses due to the food they eat (usually lumped under genetic disorders or some such). In the Middle Ages the situation was so bad that they put the deaths down to being victims of poising our witchcraft, with many of the elite having food tasters, etc.

Many of our modern foods (ie. adopted in the last few thousand years) are still problematic for many including wheat and cows milk (two of the worst). Foods developed in the last century are probably bad for our health in the main (including vegetable oils) and the change in farming methods deleterious to both us nutritionally and our environment.

In the end the only way I could see of having a healthy diet was to produce my own food organically, minimise processing, minimise shop bought goods to basic ingredients, drop anything introduced in the last 50 years and minimise problem foods such as wheat, cows milk, etc. Luckily this also dovetailed with my plans to mitigate financial, energy and climate crises. Conclusion, if you depend on the economy and society to feed you, you're screwed and will probably fall victim to nutrition unknowingly (the hidden killer).

Why are fish so much superior to other sources?

Fish that live in cold water need a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipids that comprise their cell membranes, in order to keep the membranes fluid. This is what it primarily boils down to.

Eat Well, Lose Weight, and Love Your Food Again

I have two of the three :-)

http://www.nomenu.com/bestdishes/index.html

67 down, 33 to go :-)

Alan