Hello Mr. Rawles;
It was about a year ago I stated reading SurvivalBlog. Over the course of the year, I have noticed in your advice for preparation not to forget oils. This caused me to remember a Biochemistry Class that brought up the subject of essential dietary oils. These Three oils are required in the diet. Like the essential amino acids they are not manufactured by the body and are need in the diet. These oils are Alpha-Linoleic acid (ALA), Linoleic (LA) and Oleic acids.
This writing is meant to be more for introductory information not as a detailed paper. Most of the information came from Wikipedia, a Seed Oils page, and the Good Fats page.
These Three oils are used in two manners. One as fuel for the metabolism, the other is as a precursor for other biological agents(prostaglandins, chemical messengers, hormonal regulation).
Both ALA and LA bind the same rectors sites on the cells. This sets up what is called competitive inhibition. An excess of one will inhibit the absorption of the other. A healthy Ratio of ALA to LA is about 1 to 4. In the diet of American which eat a lot of processed foods the ratio is 1 to 10 to 20.
ALA is also a Omega 3 fatty acid. There are many fatty acids that are Omega 3s. It can be found in Flax, Rapeseed oil, Walnuts, Pumpkin seed, soybeans, and chia sage. It can also be found in animal sources like tuna and grass feed animals.
LA is a Omega 6 fatty acid. There are may fatty acids that are Omega 6s. It can be found in Safflower seed, Corn oil, Avocados, Sunflowers, Pumpkin seeds and Sesame seeds. It is also found in animal sources like chicken fat, egg yokes and lard.
Oleic acid is a Omega 9 fatty acid. There are many fatty acids that are Omega 9s. When ALA and LA are in the proper balance the body can produce Oleic acid. It is primary found in Olive oil.
I have given a lot of information and a person might ask what this has to do with preparedness. These fatty acids sources will not store long and are prone to oxidation (going rancid). So a person will need fresh sources of these fatty acids. Preppers might consider planting of Seed Trees (Walnut), Flax, soy, corn or some of the other source at your retreat. Get things established before the Schumer hits.
There is a lot of information out on the web about the Omega 3,6,9 (ALA, LA and Oleic acids). I did not even touch the information about health effects of each these fatty acids. – T.A.C. in Illinois
JWR Replies: Here at our ranch, we have stocked up heavily on olive oil. We have found that the clear plastic bottles of olive oil can be frozen and re-thawed, with great success. The normal shelf life of olive oil is two years or less (depending on temperature). But if it is frozen, it can be stored for at least five years. We have also started stocking up on canned butter, imported from New Zealand. (The “Red Feather” brand is sold by several SurvivalBlog advertisers.) And thankfully, we live in bear country, so we have a great source for rendered fat. But if we didn’t, we would probably raise a few pigs.