When you are an athlete you tend to get injured no matter what the sport you are playing. For endurance athletes it usually tends to be overuse. Prostaglandin function is when the body inflames and anti inflames in order to maintain homeostasis. Prostaglandins are hormone like substances the body cannot do without. They occur in nearly all body tissues and fluids and are made from elongated forms of essential fatty acids and are synthesized in cell membranes. To control the inflammatory function the body needs to inflame and anti-inflame; the body inflames to heal before it anti-inflames. This is occurring all of the time when you are training, especially high volume training. In order for normal prostaglandin function to occur the body needs omega 3-fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, and saturated fat. Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids help the body to anti-inflame and saturated fats help the body inflame. Both of these processes are crucial to the healing process. Most Americans are trying to avoid all fats in their diet all together and they are ending up injured all the time, have chronic headaches and migraines, or end up with an anti-inflammatory disease. It is crucial for endurance athletes especially to consume all three types of fats because when they are training they are using mostly fat as fuel. Here are examples of all three types of fats:
- Omega-3
- grass-fed beef
- anchovies
- salmon (WILD!)
- blue fish
- lake trout
- sardines
- mackerel
- herring
- flaxseed oil
- wheat germ
- walnut
- hemp
- Omega-6
- Organic avocados
- soaked and sprouted nuts
- Cold pressed olive oil
- black currant seed oil
- flax seed oil
- evening primrose oil
- Saturated fats
- grass-fed butter
- coconut oil
- grass-fed ghee
- grass-fed beef
- organ meat
- dairy
- shellfish
Some things to consider are:
- Most people tend to overeat omega-6 fatty acids. It is very important to consume equal amounts of all three in order for proper healing to occur.
- Industrialization is another contributing factor to fatty acid deficiency. Grain fed is completely void of omega-3's, whereas grass-fed beef is not.
- Adultered Fats: hydrogenated fats, highly processed vegetable oils (CANOLA OIL!), partially hydrogenated fats. Trans fats are the by-products of hydrogenation and are very toxic. They interfere with proper prostaglandin formation.
- Supermarket oils: Living fats and oil are very sensitive to light, heat, and oxygen and become rancid very easily. The more unsaturated it is, the more unstable it is. Unstable oils are the most important to our health in terms of essential fatty acids. They should not be heath or exposed to any light. Therefore supermarket oils that are in clear, plastic containers shelved under bright light and not refrigerated are not supporting life.
- Flax seed is cooked into everything now. You can find them in crackers, breads, used as oils for cooking, etc. This is an oil that is not stable under heat. Avoid all of these products and only consume flax that has not been heated.
- Cooking is a factor that contributes to essential fatty acid deficiency.
- For example, cooking fish destroys most of the omega-3 oils. It is important to incorporate some raw fish in your diet.
