Omega-6 fats are essential in the diet.

But, they are also dangerous. When they are consumed in too high amounts, especially in relation to omega-3s, they increase inflammation and chronic disease in our bodies.

And, here’s the thing: You can easily get all the omega-6s you need by eating one-ingredient natural Keto Zone foods. Omega-6s are in naturally found in almost all foods including:

• Meats
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Vegetables
• Dairy
• More

However, modern diets and foods now include extremely dangerous concentrated omega-6s. They are literally found in almost every processed food in your grocery store, and in very high amounts.

Yes, even in the so-called “health foods.”

Here’s Why and How to Avoid These Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone diet.

Why Avoid Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone Diet?

Experts believe that a diet with a ratio of 2:1 omega-6s fat to omega-3s fat is healthiest. That is, for every 2 grams of omega-6 consumed, 1 gram of omega-3 is consumed.

In a modern diet, this means a lot of omega-3s eaten, and a restricted amount of omega-6s. Unfortunately, 2:1 is almost impossible in modern times, and a ratio of 4:1 is a good goal (1).

Believe it or not, most Americans ratio is between 12:1 to 25:1. This is extremely dangerous.

High levels of omega-6s promote chronic inflammation in the body, which negatively affects your heart, brain, hormone balance, and entire body.

It’s imperative to cut down your intake. Here’s how.

Avoid These Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone Diet

As you’ll read, omega-6s are abundant in the modern diet, mostly due to the use of cheap oils and ingredients in processed foods.

In fact, processed foods generally contain the cheapest ingredients possible in order to keep profit margins as high as possible. Cheap soybean oil the main culprit and is associated with declines in:

• Metabolic Health. Lab studies show that soybean oil is one of the most detrimental foods to metabolic health (2).
• Cardiovascular Health: Soybean oil has been shown to cause harmful abnormalities to cholesterol and triglycerides (3).
• Overall health and inflammation: Many studies have concluded that concentrated sources of omega-6 fats increase inflammation in the body (4).

Here’s what to avoid:

High Omega-6 Oils in Home Cooking:

When cooking at home, make sure to use oils that are not high Omega-6s. Here’s a quick list of what to use and avoid, with grams of omega-6s listed per 1 Tablespoon oil (5):

Use:

• Organic coconut oil (0.4 gm Omega-6)
• Olive Oil (1.3)
• Avocado oil (1.8)
• Occasional Use: high-oleic sunflower (0.5), high-oleic safflower oils (2.0)

Avoid:

• Safflower oil (10.1 gm Omega-6)
• Grapeseed oil (9.5)
• Vegetable Oil (7.9)
• Wheat Germ Oil (7.5)
• Corn Oil (7.3)
• Walnut Oil (7.3)
• Cottonseed Oil (7.0)
• Soybean (7.0)
• Sunflower Oil (5.4)
• Canola Oil (3.0)

Commercial Condiments and Dressings made with Omega-6 Oils:

Most all commercial condiments and dressings are made with soybean oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, or canola oil. These cheap fats are loaded with omega-6s, which cause more pro-inflammatory hormones to be produced in our bodies. Instead, look for olive oil dressings or make your own at home.

Unhealthy TV Dinners:

Like dressings, most TV dinners contain both cheap oils (like soybean) and very high amounts of sodium. On top of the inflammation from unhealthy fats, the sodium can cause a puffy appearance.

Carefully look at your ingredients lists to avoid foods with soybean oils.

Deep-Fried Foods, Especially from Fast Food Restaurants:

When oils are heated to very high heats, they can actually produce free radicals that are harmful when eaten. Just like the free radicals that enter the body from the environment, these free radicals in food take aim at the body’s cells and do damage.  Free radicals and their accumulative oxidative stress are the main culprits in aging tissues.

The most common food used in restaurants is corn oil. It is high omega-6 to start with, and worse when used at very high deep-frying heats.

In fact, consumption of corn and vegetable oils may impair cell respiration and reduce immune functions within the body.

Margarine and Processed Foods with Hydrogenated Oils:

Hydrogenated oils are created when liquid oil is chemically altered to become solid. This is termed “transfat” due to the new chemical structure. Transfats are highly inflammatory and thereby do damage to your heart, skin, and all systems.

Most times, the oils that are hydrogenated are high Omega-6 oils such as soybean, vegetable, and canola oils.

Chips and Snacks with Hydrogenated Oils: 

Just like margarine, any processed snack food can contain trans-fatty acids made from omega-6 oils.

The problem?

Snacks with these synthetic increase interleukin-6 in the body and this is a sign of overall inflammation. In fact, liver cells show increased cellular stress with hydrogenated oil consumption (6).

Watch out for “hydrogenated oils” in ingredients lists EVEN IF the label states zero grams of trans fats. Look for better options or make your own Keto Zone chips!

Omega 9-6-3 Complex Supplements:

When taking omega supplements, use supplements that contain only omega-3s, NOT omega-3 and omega-6 complexes. These complexes were first designed to deliver a healthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, but did not consider that most all modern diets are already overloaded with omega-6 fat! There’s no need to add more via supplement.

Bottom Line

Omega-6 foods are lurking around every corner, in your grocery store, pantry, refrigerator, and favorite restaurant. But as a smart consumer, you can Avoid These Omega-6 Foods on the Keto Zone Diet and reduce inflammation in your body.