Sources of Omega-3

Omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids…called essential as they are critical to the normal functioning of all tissues, but cannot be synthesized within the body. Therefore, they must be supplied through the diet. In truth, we tend to think we need to increase our consumption of omega-3′s and 6′s. In fact, most of us get more than adequate, even excessive amounts of omega-6′s in our diets. These are found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils (corn, safflower,soybean,cottonseed,sesame,sunflower) and are used in nearly all saute’d foods, restaurant foods,dressings, condiments and flavored foods and are therefore quite abundant in our diets.

Omega-3 fatty acids on the other hand, are found in far less foods, and most people (especially as Americans) have a very low, even deficient intake of omega-3′s. Good sources of omega-3′s include ground flaxseeds, walnuts, fish, cherries, pumpkin seeds and berries. Flaxseeds must be ground or mealed in order for the body to absorb the omega-3′s from them, and this, along with fish oil, is the best source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Golden Flax Seeds

The ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in our diets, and therefore within the body, should be 1 : 1 to 1 : 4. However, as Americans our diets are typically 1 to 10 or 1 to 20, omega-3 to 6. This disproportion promotes inflammation, autoimmune disorders (allergies, rhematoid disorders, asthma, etc),decreased response to insulin (pre-diabetes), elevated LDL’s and cholesterol, and increased susceptibility to brain changes such as cognitive dysfunctions, depression, poor memory and early onset of dimentia. In other words, so many of the health conditions and disease states within our population at large, are to a great extent caused by, or at the least greatly contributed to, by a disproportion of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids,i.e. a dietary lack of omega-3 fatty acids.

The original intent of the Dr Will Bar formulation was to pack it with omega-3 fatty acids…so we started with ground flaxseed, the highest volume ingredient, each bar containing nearly a tablespoon. The pumpkin seeds and cherries contribute additional omega-3′s, along with other beneficial nutritional properties.

Start of the Famous Kemmel Bergweg climb in Belgium

By Jim Anderson, Team Oregon

Dr. Will Bars were one thing that reminded me of home on my last trip to Europe. I stuffed my carry on bag with a handful and had extras in checked baggage. They were fantastic between long airport travels and sketchy food! This trip was starting out great! I was asked to help with USA Cycling Junior National Team program as manager of the riders at Course de la Paix in the Czech Republic. We had 6 riders doing this 6 stage, 5 day race. I didn’t get much time to eat during the day as we were running around managing logistics, riders and driving in the caravan. Unfortanetly I wasn’t able to convince them to use Dr. Will Bars. This was because I didn’t want them to eat all my extras I brought over and they were happy with their tried and true method of pre-cooked waffles with brown sugar and “smashed” apples (AKA Applesauce) rolled up into small bite sized pieces.

Small, delicious, and packed with energy!

I was very happy one day to find a Dr. Will Bar while driving in the caravan. It was easy to eat as I juggled the horn, steering wheel and stick shift. The race was toughest junior stage race in the world, so I thought I better be properly fueled as manager. I saved 2 bars for my day off on Monday after the race as we were in Belgium at the USA Cycling house in Izegem. I was determined to RIDE, instead of WATCHING riders race/ride! So I headed out…thankfully I borrowed  a Garmin GPS that “pointed” me in the right direction toward the Kemmelberg (a famous short, steep, cobbled climb). I found it! Rode up it both sides, then enjoyed the view while eating my first bar of the ride. The second was eaten shortly after as I under estimated my ride for the day. I probably could of eaten 4 Dr. Will Bars on that 120KM ride. Thanks for reading.

Editor: Jim Anderson has been traveling to Europe to support USA Cycling’s Junior Development program. He will be returning to Europe frequently as well as running the North West Regional Junior camp.  We’ve compiled a small amount of photos of U18 life in Belgium. Please enjoy!

Corn Sweeteners Vary in Health Effects

There is a large and very important debate right now about the adverse effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on our health and the quantity of it in western-style diets.  High Fructose Corn Syrup is a manufactured product of Corn Syrup and therefore the two share portions of their names.  Corn Syrup however is very different in its effects on the body and its chemical composition than its much more well known and debated namesake High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).  There is an obvious and ongoing debate about the role of various sugars in our diets in relation to health.  Dr. Will Bar chose Corn Syrup as a sweetener for several reasons, and we’d like to take the time to highlight the differences between HFCS and Corn Syrup with regards to your health and energy stabilization.

Corn Syrup, also known as Glucose Syrup, has been used as a food sweetener since the late 19th century whereas High Fructose Corn Syrup was introduced into food and drink products in the 1970′s and ’80′s.  Although HFCS, an enzymatic alteration of Corn Syrup, has been in food sources for several decades now, the debate about the adverse effects of HFCS is growing as quickly as waist lines.  It is important to note and to understand the differences between HFCS and Corn Syrup.  Corn Syrup is simply made by milling corn into cornstarch, then treating the cornstarch powder with alpha-amylase a naturally occurring enzyme which our bodies can secrete by our pancreas. This produces shorter, simpler chains of sugar, which are easily recognizable by our bodies and easy to digest.  Due to its chemical and viscous (thickness) properties, Corn Syrup is not only used as a sweetener, it is also used as a texture softener, to add volume and to prevent the crystallization of sugar.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is a further processed product which continues the Corn Syrup process with several other steps.  These  processes further break the sugars down into simpler and simpler sugars, finally resulting in a combination of fructose (the sugar found in fruits) and glucose.  Once the starch is made into Corn Syrup it is put into vats with the fungus Aspergillus to ferment.  The fermentation process breaks the sugars down into the simpler sugar glucose (which is the sugar that our bodies turn all food into).  The slurry is then exposed to another enzyme which breaks a percentage of fructose off from the glucose.  Different percentages of the fructose/glucose mixture are used in foods and beverages, typically a 55% fructose ratio is used.

The more important differences between High Fructose Corn Syrup and Corn Syrup is the metabolic effects on the body.  In its short history HFCS has been the subject of several studies that point to the bodies inability to regulate insulin levels and uptake. “In conclusion, high-fructose diet induced dyslipidemia and hepatic and adipose tissue insulin resistance.” (American Diabetes Association). While this is problematic for companies choosing to use HFCS as a sugar additive we chose Corn Syrup for it’s role as a health risk free sweetener.  This is mainly attributed to it’s lack of fructose.  Although fructose is a naturally occurring sugar when it is split off from the glucose and the two have no bonded connection (as is the case in HFCS); the fructose is said to cause the links to obesity that is the center of the HFCS debate.  An example of one such study suggests that the consumption of fructose increases obesity when compared to a sucrose solution in mice.

We have chosen Corn Syrup as a sweetener because it is a simple, tried and true, natural sweetener that has been proven for over 100 years, as well as for its physical properties that help our product’s texture.  There have never been any controversies about Corn Syrup as a sweetener, aside from the role of any sweeteners in our diets.  Corn Syrup is just as easy to digest and as nutritious a part of the Dr. Will Bar as any other part of it.

Editor: We’ve reached out far and wide in our research on this subject.  Due to the confines of the internet we’ve linked to the most relevant resources possible for your continued reading.  Links to specific institutions, such as the American Diabetes Association, are used when possible. When not, or when linking for broader subjects we linked to Wikipedia.  We understand the pros and cons of the Wiki format.  We simply use it as a reference for you to start your own line of research if desired.