On society and Omega 3's.

Well, I took a little hiatus due to a vacation, a busy stint at work and a need to really get my house clean (all writers know that cleaning is one of the most acceptable forms of procrastination).

I'm not going to lie. It was also a little bit about the negative comment left by "Anonymous" several entries ago. Here I am, after all, trying to get to the bottom of a problem with which I have struggled for years. The not-so-kind commentor's suggestion that I get therapy bothered me. Am I whining? Should I just get down to business? Am I just a fat loser?  Thankfully, after a bit of contemplation, the answer has to be "Not more than anyone else."

I think there's a real tendency in America's society to look down on people with weight issues, whether they have to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds. I've noticed that even in myself. I can't stand to see anyone who is fat chew gum with their mouth open (not that I love it when thin people do it). I think of them as "slobs" and I might even say it in my head, before scolding myself. ("Idiot" is what I say when I see a thin person chomping away.) I've often seen stupid thin women get more credit in society than a heavy fat woman. Not to beat this example to death, but Oprah is a woman who has really a terrific business mind, but I read more about her weight than I do her business philosophy. Why? Who cares? But even I find myself prejudging people before I know them based on weight, until I remind myself not to do it.

Then I look at some of the thin people I know. Every stinkin' one of them has a problem with which they struggle. One is trying to have a baby and she can't, another is trying to break away from her parents and have a life and she can't. One thin friend struggles to be "Ok" in the eyes of her parents while another skinny friend sticks with a husband who hasn't been faithful since they met almost. Some of their problems are small: one thin friend of mine is trying to lose the same 10 pounds she's lost and gain 60 times and all she eats is salads. Every day, salads. That makes no sense. Salads aren't working! Another thin friend can't find a guy she likes, and she's tried a few. Another has few friends because she's very self absorbed, while another constantly finds herself over-committed and letting people down. Some of these problems are worse than needing to lose weight and others seem easier. But the bottom line is that many of us struggle with feeling good about ourselves when we have to lose weight -- and it's harder to hide because there's a fine line between feeling good about yourself and being conceited, which some people think looks bad on a chubby person (although I think it's a neat trick I'd love to learn). 

Bottom line. I'm going to worry about myself because I can't fix others unless they happen to relate to my issue or the way I solve it. Hopefully, I'll bring a few of my readers along with me as I work to solve this problem. And when I'm skinny, I just might blog about my new problems!

To my next subject, I read a terrific article in May/June 2010 Eating Well magazine about Omega 3's. Joe Hibbeln, M.D., believes that our diets which are too heavy in Omega 6 oils often in safflower, cannola, etc. oils, and too light in Omega 3's found in tuna, sardines, herring, salmon and other cold water (the colder the better) fish are creating an imbalance that is throwing off our mood. It's making us depressed, addicted and violent. Hippeln, a Commander in the United States Public Health Service, has been running clinical studies and has said he's found that people just feel a lot better when they eat these Omega-3 fats, which are what make up a big part of the brain.  Click here for a related list of his studies.

I often feel blue in spring and this year has been no different. I have no idea why this is, but I haven't had fish in ages, and I haven't had salmon, herring, tuna or sardines in a coon's age. I have had mussels, but probably only once a month. The article, which isn't available online so you'll have to buy it (or read it at the doctor's office or library), suggests eating these type of foods up to 3 times a week. I know my ancestors likely did, since I'm Norwegian. I'm hitting the fish starting today and I'll let you know if I see a good result.

I also hope to have more Skinny Chick additions soon.