The Omega Plan Diet
Omega-3 and nutrition - an interview with
Dr Artemis Simopolous
 Artemis
P. Simopoulos, M.D., is an international authority on essential fatty acids. She
is also creator of The Omega Plan diet, a breakthrough program that dramatically
reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, asthma
and many other so-called Western degenerative diseases. In her book The Omega
Plan (HarperCollins, 1998), Dr. Simopoulos offers delicious menu options, allowing
you to eat real salad dressings, mayonnaise, cheese, and even the occasional chocolate
dessert! The bottom line is that you will be healthier on this program than if
you were to eat nothing but steamed vegetables, rich, and tofu. You will happily
stay on this diet for life, and you won’t gain weight.
What is The
Omega Plan and why is it so important to our health? "The
Omega Plan is a diet that restores to the human body the proper balance of essential
fatty acids so lacking in today’s modern diet. Unwittingly, we’ve allowed
the food industry to make technological changes to our food supply without understanding
the biological consequences. The net result is that our diet is so different
from the natural diet on which our species evolved, that it is at odds with our
genetic makeup, increasing our risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity,
and immune disorders. The Omega Plan as detailed in my book helps to restore a
healthy balance of essential nutrients to the diet." What
led you to explore the link between diet and health—especially the rise of
heart disease and cancer and the modern American diet? "I
was fortunate in that I grew up eating a diet very similar to The Omega Plan.
I was born in Greece, and my mother made a great effort to give us fresh, wholesome
food, a task made easier by the fact that within our large estate were chickens,
goats, sheep, and hundreds of trees that gave us olives, pears, figs, plums and
pomegranates. The mild climate allowed fruits and vegetables to grow all
year round. I was in for a rude awakening when I arrived in the United States
in 1949 to study chemistry at Barnard College. The stark contrast between the
American diet of the 1950s and the traditional Greek diet made such an impression
on me that it helped shape my entire medical career. When I went to medical
school and specialized in pediatrics, I began to realize that many of the children
with serious diseases had been malnourished in the womb. The types of food eaten
in the home - refined foods, lots of saturated fat and sugar and very few fatty
acids made this unfortunate start worse. This observation made me interested
in the interplay between genetics and nutrition as well. Which types of foods
were ideally suited for a child’s genetic background? How could diet help
compensate for genetic defects? I wrote The Omega Plan with the hope that it would
empower people to make healthier food choices, greatly increasing their chances
of enjoying lifelong positive health." What is the biggest
food myth today? "Well, certainly one is that you have
to give up fat to lose weight and enjoy better health. Most weight-loss diets
and so-called healthy diets throw out the good fat with the bad fat, leaving people
with dry, lacklustre food. Very few people are able to stay on such diets, resulting
in a sense of frustration and failure. The Omega Plan teaches us that we can replace
harmful fats with beneficial fats, allowing people eat from 30 to 35 percent of
their calories as fat - and no, you won’t gain weight." What
do "bad" fats and "good" fats mean? "One
type of fat that predominates in the American diet - saturated fat - has lived
up to its reputation of being a "bad" fat. Found in factory-farmed meat
and dairy and some tropical oils, saturated fat increase one’s risk of coronary
artery disease, diabetes, and obesity. Recently, another culprit has been identified—"trans-fatty"
acids, human made molecules that are produced during the hydrogenation of vegetable
oils. Now studies show that trans-fatty acids can be even worse for your cardiovascular
system than saturated fat and may also increase the risk of breast cancer. Switching
from butter to margarine was not such a good idea after all. These are the bad
fats." What, then, are the "good" fats?
"For the American diet, perhaps the most important type of fat to increase
your intake of is omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in seafood, green leafy
vegetables, flax, and walnuts. When the proper amount of omega-3 fatty
acids are not consumed, people are at much greater risk for most of the major
killer diseases afflicting humankind today, including heart attack, stroke, cancer,
obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, lupus, and even depression.
Conversely, in epidemiological and clinical studies, people who consume
optimal amounts of omega-3 fatty acids tend have lower rates of cancer and heart
disease—even though their fat consumption is about the same as in America." Why
is it so difficult to consume adequate amounts of the omega-3 fatty acids?
"Let me give you an example. Our modern factory farming methods have changed
this composition of foods, markedly reducing their omega-3 fatty acid content.
For example, the flesh or eggs of free-range animals that consume a natural foraging
diet are far richer in omega-3 fatty acids than animals kept in confinement and
fed an artificial, grain-based diet. It has been estimated that we are
now eating one-tenth of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids required for normal
functioning. Alarmingly, 20 percent of the population has levels so low that
they defy detection. This is purely the result of poor diet choices and the
changing nature of our modern food supply." Is the Omega
Plan medically proven? "The Omega Plan has been tested
with markedly lower risk for heart disease in the Lyon
Diet Heart Study, which was both randomized and blinded. Many other epidemiological
and experimental studies confirm that The Omega Plan works to reduce disease and
maintain healthy weight." What are you dietary guidelines,
then, for restoring balance to the modern diet? "There
are seven guidelines. Firstly, enrich your diet with omega-3 fatty acids with
cold-water fish, flax, and walnut oil. Use canola, olive and flax oils as your
primarily oils. Eat seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Eat more peas, beans, and nuts. Eat less saturated fat and cholesterol.
Avoid oils high in omega-6 fatty acids, such as corn, safflower, peanut, soybean,
sunflower and cottonseed oils. Avoid products made from these oils. Avoid trans-fatty
acids." What would be a safe daily source for the omega-3?
"The two major sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fish oils and flax,
the most concentrated plant source. By eating flaxseed or taking flaxseed oil,
you can easily consume adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids." Would
you agree that Barlean’s Lignan-rich Oil is one of the best sources today
for flax oil? "Yes. I’ve used Barlean’s and
I think it is very good. It is recommended by name in the book (The Omega Plan
is one of many publications written by Dr Simopolous and is available from Amazon,
see banner on the right hand side of this page)."
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