How Much Fat & Omega’s Should You Eat To Improve Performance
Want to learn how to use fats in your diet to improve performance?
Well, you’ve got people pushing “high fat diets”, other pushing “low fat diets”. Some people saying we convert omega-6 into omega-3 and others saying that you need to consume omega-3.
Recently I read a book where it talked about how many people are overdosing on omega-3’s and why that can be dangerous.
The point is, there is a ton of confusion.
How much fat should we eat to maximize human potential and improve performance to that next level?
How much fat will optimize brain, heart and liver function?
Is it the same for everyone?
In this article I want to uncover some of the common myths and bring clarity to what we actually need to improve performance!
How Much Fat Should We Actually Eat to Improve Performance?
If you want to get into “fat burning state” then what many say is that 60% of your dietry macronutrient consumption should be fat.
I recommend people get into fat burning state for optimal brain, body and athletic performance. Even if you want to be in fat burning state “part time”, there are still vast benefits.
Here are some of the main benefits of getting into fat burning state the right way:
- Natural hunger and appetite control.
- Fastest way to lose weight and maintain healthy physique.
- Improve performance of your brain and mental clarity.
- Balances hormones and endocrine function.
- Heals the body from insulin sensitivity.
- Promotes deeper more rejuvinating sleeps.
- Lowers, or eliminates small LDL cholestrol.
- Skyrockets energy levels.
- Slows the aging process and reduces wrinkles in the skin.
- Maximizes the health of your neurotransmitters which decreases mood swings.
So obviously the benefits of getting into fat burning state is vast, but how do you get into it?
The reality is, it’s different for everyone. One person’s “carb tolerance” is different from the person next to them. If you’re overweight, diabetic or prediabetic, than the amount of sugars you have to consume to get into ketosis are most likely below 30 grams per day.
My carb tolerance is closer to 50 grams per day. Which means, I can consume 45 grams of carbs in a day and still be in fat burning state. Even though this is the case for me, I enjoy the performance benefits of consuming less than this personally.
So Here’s How You Hack Your Own Biology
Goal #1: Get into “Fat Burning State”
The fastest way to get into fat burning state is to consume less than 20g’s of carbs per day. Also eat 0.5g’s of protein per pound of body weight (2-4 oz of protein per meal depending on your body weight) and lots of healthy fat. Try adding 6-8 additional tablespoons of healthy fats into your diet.
This can take roughly 2 weeks. You will need a ketonix monitor, or a precision extra meter with ketone strips to determine when you are in fat burning state or not. Fat burning state is when the meter reads 0.4 - 4 millimolar. These meters measure keto’s which is your body’s natural bi-products of fat production.
Once you’re there follow these steps:
Week #1: Keep your carbs under 20g’s per day.
Week #2: Keep your carbs under 30g’s per day.
Week #3: Keep your carbs under 40g’s per day.
Week #4: Keep your carbs under 50g’s per day.
When you pull out of fat burning state on the meters, given the amount of carbs you are consuming, you will then discover your carb tolerance.
Congratulations!
You will then discover exactly how much sugar takes you out of fat burning state and how much fat you need to stay in fat burning state.
On average, the amount of fat people should be consuming for optimal performance is 60-75% of their diet.
But what about Omega-3’s?
Understanding The Benefits & Dangers of Omega-3
Your body needs healthy fats to function at an optimal level. Without them, you compromise your health and it is more difficult to maintain weight loss for the long term. Additionally, healthy fats can reduce inflammation at the cellular level, repairing the damage done from eating processed foods and refined sugars over the years.
There are two types of fatty acids that are essential. Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6 fatty acids. These are called “polyunsaturated fats” and are essential for maximized brain and body function and for entrepreneurs to improve their performance.
There are several types of Omega 3 acids. The main 3 are:
- a-linolenic acid (ALA).
- eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
- docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Omega-6 acids are comprised of linoleic and arachidonic acid.
Both Omega 3 and Omega 6 acids are very important because the body cannot produce them on its own. However Omega 3 is especially important because most people are deficient in this important fat. There is controversy regarding the proper ratio of Omega 6 to 3 fats. Our references state that a 4:1 is an appropriate ratio however most agree that unfortunately, the typical diet is severely skewed toward higher Omega 6 ratios.
It is estimated that Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratios are closer to 16:1 in most individuals.
Unfortunately Omega 6 ratios that are too high can increase prostaglandin E2, which promotes inflammation. Omega 3 ratios, on the other hand, reduce inflammation.
Therefore, most people will need to reduce Omega-6 consumption, while increasing Omega-3 consumption to help balance fatty acids.
Omega 3 acids can be found in fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna & halibut as well as in algae and krill, some plants and some nuts.
In today’s day and age, some people are actually overdosing on omega-3! I’ll get into when and why this happens shortly.
Why Are They So Important?
EPA, DHA & ALA form part of the membrane around every cell in your body. The membrane of your cells helps to control cell communication and work to regulate what goes in and out of your cells. These acids are essential for healthy cells throughout your body however omega 3 concentrations are highest in the brain and nervous system.
Therefore they are so important if you want to maximize brain function and improve performance!
There are more studies being conducted each day on the benefits of Omega 3 acids and the list of ways it improves your health seems to just be getting longer and longer. These fatty acids reduce inflammation in your body, which helps to prevent inflammatory diseases, and can impact your behavior, mood and cognitive function.
Here are some of the other benefits to your body that research is suggesting:
- Omega 3 supplements are being used by athletes to enhance performance as they are finding it helps increase muscle growth, improve strength, reduce exercise induced muscle damage and helps to boost athletes immune system.
- Omega 3s may boost levels of dopamine & serotonin which are chemicals released by the brain which make you feel happier and more relaxed. This has lead to trials for use in the treatment of depression where participants have seen an improvement of symptoms with Omega 3 supplementation.
- A number of studies looking at the effect of Omega 3 on macular degeneration found that people who ate more fish were less likely to have macular degeneration.
- Omega 3s have been found to potentially help reduce blood pressure and help to prevent heart disease. It may also help reduce your risk of having a stroke.
- Omega 3s may help reduce symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis due to its anti inflammatory properties. It may also help improve bone strength and may be beneficial for those suffering with osteoporosis.
Ok so we know now that Omega 3 fatty acids are super important! So how do we get more into our diet? And when are we getting too much Omega-3?
The Best Sources of Omega 3
Different foods are better sources of ALA, DHA & EPA and although your body can convert ALA into DHA & EPA it does not do it as efficiently as if you supplemented with DHA & EPA with your diet. Foods with DHA & EPA include general fish and marine sources as well as dairy, eggs and meat from pasture fed animals. ALA can be found however in many plants.
The best food sources of Omega 3 include:
- Fish – halibut, herring, mackerel, oysters, salmon, sardines, trout & tuna.
- Eggs, pastured meat & dairy especially is fortified with Omega 3.
- Flaxseeds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Flaxseed and flaxseed oils should be kept refrigerated and use ground flaxseeds within 24 hours of grinding.
- Leafy green vegetables such as brussel sprouts, kale, spinach & watercress (only ALA);
- Cod liver oil.
You can also supplement with fish oil or krill oil to bump up your Omega 3 consumption and ensure you are getting an adequate daily amount. However ensure you are using a high quality supplement, as not all fish oil is created equal!
If you are taking a fish oil supplement that contains contaminated, oxidised or low potency fish oil then you are much better off just avoiding the supplement all together.
We ensure that all the supplements we sell in our Designer Health Centers store are of the highest quality as they are the exact supplement that my family, my clients and I use to supplement our diets as required.
My fish oil recommendation is our OmegAvail Liquid, which is a high potency omega 3 oil that you can use to increase the Omega 3 levels in your diet and watch you performance skyrocket as your cognitive function and brain power improves. Check out more about the OmegAvail Liquid HERE or the OmegaAvail Softgel Capsules if you prefer the capsules over a liquid supplement.
The Overdosing of Omega-3
So when should we be using Omega-3 and when is “enough, enough”?
In America, because of this omega-3 craze, people have started to overdose with omega-3’s. Norman Hord, associate professor at Oregon State University’s Collage of Public Health said, “What we thought was a slam dunk a few years ago, may not be as clear cut as we thought”. Here some some of the side effects of overdosing:
- Gas and bloating
- Dysfunction of the immune system
- Dampened immune response against viral and bacterial infections
- Increased risk of cancer and heart disease
This can happen in people that are hyper-supplemented with omega-3’s.
All of the entrepreneurs I work with one-on-one get a customized approach to fatty acid supplementation based off of their case history and lab result findings. But if you don’t qualify to work with me, what do you do?
I would ask yourself if you’ve been eating a conventional diet that includes grains over the last several months to years.
If you have, then you’re most likely in the 16:1 omega 6 to omega 3 ratio, and even higher if you’ve been eating out at restaurants (both fast food and chain).
What I would do in that case is take OmegAvail Liquid (2 tsp per day), or the OmegAvail Capsules (4 caps per day) for 3 months, and then take VISTA, as a maintenance supplement after that.
If you have the money, than do both at the same time, and then stay on VISTA 1 and 2 after that as maintenance.
VISTA already has the perfect 4:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio, plus it contains several other essential fatty acids that we aren’t getting in our diets anymore (hence why I said to take it with the OmegAvail for the first 3 months if you can). This article would be too long if I were to write about the benefits of the unique fats found in VISTA, but for the people that have already been taking omega-3 supplements for a while, making the transition to VISTA to improve performance and maximise your health is essential.
Summary: Fats To Optimize Human Performance
So now you know that everyone gets into a fat burning state differently.
The general guideline is that healthy fat is good for you.
You learned specifically and scientifically how much carbs you can have before it takes you out of fat burning state. The fastest way to get into fat burning state is to consume a low carb, 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, and 60-75% fat diet where you’re consuming 6-8 table spoons of additional fats each day (much easier than it sounds).
It can take 2-6 weeks to get into “fat burning state” but the amount of fat to consume per person varies from person to person.
Furthermore, Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid, which means your body can’t make it like it can saturated and mono-unsaturated fats. Most people in America need to take omega-3, but you have to be careful not to overdose. Hyper-supplemented individuals can create disease in their bodies amongst other abnormal physiological issues. If you’re not getting a customized plan by working with me one-on-one, then you should follow some general guidelines. If you’ve been consuming a conventional diet for a while, then getting your body’s ratios back into check by taking OmegAvail Liquid (2 tsp per day), or the OmegAvail Capsules (4 caps per day) would be ideal to do for 3 months. It’s recommended that you take VISTA, while you’re taking the omegas, but definitely after the phase of taking the omega 3’s for three months.
Most Omega-6 fatty acids are quite easy to come by, accept for a few. One thing I should have added above is the consumption of grass fed butter, ghee, cheese or kefir will hook your body up with a very healthy form of omega-6 fats called Conjugated linoleic acid or CLA.
So look to consume some healthy animal fat. If you’re lactose intolerant, then try Ghee as all the lactose has been taken out of it.
This is one of the many fats that are void in our diets that VISTA contains. So to play it safe, as a maintenance fatty acid supplement, take VISTA like I do and all the high performers that I work with do as well.
I hope this information helps to maximize your potential, improve performance, and helps you activate higher levels of entrepreneurial creativity and confidence than you could have ever imagined possible!
Want to learn more body hacks for busy people that can help you burn fat, increase energy & skyrocket your productivity? We have put together a super easy resource for you to get all our best strategies so you can maximise your health and performance!
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References:
http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2013/oct/excess-omega-3-fatty-acids-could-lead-negative-health-effects
