Yesterday, I wrote about a study done with some very fertile Bolivian women.
As expected, I received several e-mails asking exactly what these women were eating. If you did any of the following, you completely missed the point of the study, and of my blog post.
1. Checked out airfares to Bolivia.
2. Started surfing the Internet looking at what people in Bolivia eat.
3. Researched what kind of Bolivian-based supplements you can buy in your local health food store.
4. Considered starting a Bolivian superfood company.
5. Bought a boatload of bananas from a guy in a wooden canoe…or the grocery store.
Let's try again. Women in Cincinnati, and the rest of the world, for that matter…listen up! Here is a top ten list detailing exactly what the Bolivian women DON'T do.
1. They don't eat special diets.
2. They don't take supplements.
3. They don't shop at Whole Foods…have never even heard of it.
4. They don't count calories.
5. They don't count grams of carbohydrate.
6. They don't avoid gluten.
7. They don't eat from a list of top ten foods.
8. They don't read food labels. The food they eat isn't even in packages with labels.
9. They don't eat food that is shipped in from other places.
10.They don't eat food that has been raised with hormones.
If you are caught up in the specifics of the Tsimane diet, you are overthinking the information and therein lies your problem. We were healthier when we had less nutrition information to guide us.
If this study caught your attention, I DO strongly encourage you to consider testing your own blood omega-3 levels. Seriously, readers, as obsessed as you are about your blood tests and your grams of carb, and everything else, taking a few fish oil pills once in awhile, or even taking the wrong dose on a daily basis is about as helpful to your situation as putting on a blindfold and throwing a dart at a target a half mile off in the distance! You have the ability to do it with science, not blindfolded darts. Use it.
As much as I know about this chemistry, even MY DHA levels were low when I had them tested. I did not have to move to Bolivia or study an Indian language to correct them. It takes a whole lot more than exotic foods and supplements or eating fish a couple of times a week to raise them. We work with one of the premier labs in the country and can get you this home-administered fingerprick test at a discount. Assuming you're getting enough omega-3 in your diet may be one of the most counterproductive assumptions you ever make. Contact me at marika@google.com for details.