For those of you with nagging pain in your elbows, knees, or other joints or just an overall feeling of achiness, read on!
What is one of the major causes of inflammation in the body? Many of us are learning that too much Omega 6 fatty acid and not enough Omega 3 fatty acid helps promote inflammation. Foods with a ratio of 4:1 (omega 6 : omega 3) are shown to cause more inflammation. I'm not just talking about inflammation in your tendons but more importantly in your heart, stomach, intestines and really throughout the body.
Why as bodybuilders should we care? I know some of you don't care about your health and you just want to look great. For those of you who feel that way, remember this, when your body is functioning on all cylinders you will grow faster! That means reducing inflammation so things can function as they were intended to. For those of you who do care about your health, reducing inflammation can lead to less heart disease and other problems later in life.
Here are two food tips to help you reduce the Omega 6's you take in while increasing the Omega 3's:
1. Grass Fed Beef vs. Grain Fed Beef – very simple, the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 in grain fed beef is over 20:1. The ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 in grass fed beef is 3:1.
2. Range Free Eggs vs. Processed Egg – the ratio in processed eggs is 20:1, ratio in range free eggs is 1.5:1.
My personal belief is this could be the main culprit in a lot of the nagging injuries we all have. Obviously lifting heavy no matter what is going to produce "wear-n-tear" but we can slow it down by eating the right things. I'm known for having bad elbows and inflamed tendons. Since making these small switches in my diet and increasing my fish oils, I've noticed a marked improvement in my tendonitis and lifting feels much better.
My bro science for the day!
Sacrifice Without Regret, Fouad ‘Hoss’ Abiad www.fouadabiad.com
