Letter for You                   Printable Version

Dear Students, Parents, and Staff,

Here's an easy, cheap, proven way to achieve:

• Clear complexion
• Better memory
• Resistance to colds and flu
• Reduction of asthma, allergies
• Increased stamina

How? Add sardines to your diet. Sardines contain omega-3s and vitamin D, which recent research shows (1) Americans are severely deficient in and (2) which are crucial for all aspects of health.

Forty years ago, most Americans had never heard of yogurt and sprouts but now they are everywhere. In a few years, omega-3s will be a common ingredient in foods and everyone will know their vitamin D "score." You can be ahead of the curve.

Q: Why are sardines so nutritious?
A: Sardines contain DHA and EPA, the omega-3s, which are vital for the development and ongoing health of the brain and eye, as well as strong membranes for every cell in the body. Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, who neaded the National Institute of Health Nutrition Committee for nine years, says that 90% of Americans are deficient in omega-3s. Some people think that the FDA has delayed setting a Minimum Daily Requirement for omega-3s due to pressure from large food corporations who want to keep the one- to two-year shelf life for snack foods; omega-3s are very volatile and go rancid quickly. While the body can convert the vegetable-source omega-3, ALA, to DHA and EPA, the rate of conversion is very low, about 5%. Vegans can find DHS and EPA made from algae.

Furthermore, sardines also contain vitamin D. NIH says 8 out of 10 Americans are D deficient, yet every cell has receptors for it and recent research shows it is crucial for preventing and alleviating heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and mental disorders like ADD, autism, and depression.

Q: Why are so many Americans deficient?
A: We no longer eat the foods that provide omega-3s and D, and the trans fats found in hydrogenated foods cancel whatever omega-3s we somehow manage to ingest. As for D, we use sunscreen more and spend less time outdoors (plus the UVB rays don't even reach us in winter).

Omega-3s and vitamin D also alleviate and protect against diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and depression. Browse our website to find out more!

The nutritional approach to mental and emotional well-being has been transforming lives at Central High School in Appleton, Wisconsin, where for the last five years they have had:

• No guns
• No drugs
• No drop outs
• No expulsions

Likewise, the Health Recovery Center in Minneapolis has an impressive 75% long term sobriety. Begun by Joan Mathews Larson, who wrote Seven Weeks to Sobriety and Depression-Free, Naturally, HRC treats alcoholism and addiction nutritionally. Reviewing the literature, Dr. Alexander Schauss found that whenever prisons or juvenile halls improved nutrition, there was up to 75% decrease in violence, theft, and other misbehaviors.

In a double blind study, Dr. Andrew Stoll of Harvard reports that omega-3-rich fish oil capsules, at a dose equivalent to 15 cans of tuna a day, relieved manic depression (Archives of General Psychiatry, May '99). Blood tests of a group of violent criminals found lower levels of the omega-3 lipid DHA than people without a history of violence. Low blood levels of omega-3 lipids were significantly associated with hyperactivity, impulsiveness, rebellious and destructive behavior, temper tantrums, sleep disorders, and anxiety.

To add to the complexity, the ratio between omega-3 oils and omega-6 oils is also very important. We evolved on a ratio of 1:4 but now, with corn oil and other omega-6 grain sources so prevalent, the ratio is more like 1:20. When our body must substitute omega-6s for omega-3s in cell membranes and in the myelin sheaths of nerve cells, cell function is compromised.

Also, remember those bad trans fats that cancel omega-3s? You know, the hydrogenated fats in our favorite treats: fries, chips, crackers, candy, cake, pies, muffins, popcorn, most peanut butter, not to mention margarine. The National Academies of Science's Institute of Health says there is no safe level of trans fats.

It's nearly forgotten now, but pellagra ravaged our nation for four decades with the "Four Ds" -- dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death. Desperate scientists sought the bacteria that caused pellagra, only to finally discover that it was a deficiency disease resulting from new technology in milling grain into flour that cut out more of the germ and hull, which contain the B-vitamins.

Once flour was "fortified" with B-vitamins, pellagra fell off the epidemic map. Little known then, there are three "legs" to the mental health "tripod";

• B-vitamins
• Omega-3 lipids
• Trace minerals

If any of these is lacking, the tripod falls over. Our modern version of pellagra is more of a deficiency of omega-3s and trace minerals than a B-vitamin deficiency. When you add in the 80% rate of vitamin D deficiency, it's clear we actually have a national Sardine Deficiency! If 90% of Americans had kwashiorkor or scurvy, we'd do something about it. But just as it took MADD to save lives from drunk driving, it will take grass roots efforts to improve our school meals. Call or email us if you want more information or can help spread the word!