Primo Health Blog

A portal for functional health topics and news.

Posts about macronutrients:

Health Benefits of Fatty Acids

Health Benefits of Fatty Acids

Essential & Non-Essential Fatty Acids

By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS – Dean of Academics, Huntington College of Health Sciences

Chemically, a fatty acid is an organic acid that has an acid group at one end of its molecule, and a methyl group at the other end.1 Fatty acids are typically categorized in the omega groups 3, 6 and 9 according to the location of their first double bond (there’s also an omega 7 group, but these are less important to human health).2 Now don’t panic if you’re not up on your chemistry; this isn’t going to be a chemistry lesson. I just wanted you to understand why a fatty acid might be called an omega 3 or omega 6 fatty acid.

Mussels in White Wine Broth

Mussels in White Wine Broth

Mussels are a low-fat source of protein and provide selenium, a mineral necessary for the detoxification of heavy metals, and vitamin A, which is essential for immune function. In addition, mussels supply your body with vitamins B and C, iron, phosphorus, manganese, and zinc. Mussels are also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Stick with commercial sources as mussels may collect poisonous algae that can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning. Commercial sources are well-monitored to avoid this danger.

Health Benefits of Fish

Health Benefits of Fish

Fish for Your Health

Fish and shellfish are low in fat, high in protein, and good sources of iodine, vitamin D, and selenium—nutrients often deficient in the American diet. Many fish are rich in “good fats,” particularly polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. The two most beneficial types of fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), have been shown to reduce inflammation and severity of heart and retinal diseases. Research shows that children born to mothers who ate low-mercury seafood during pregnancy experienced better functioning brain and nervous systems. Additionally, a diet rich in omega-3s has been shown to lower blood triglycerides and decrease the risk of sudden death from heart disease.

Supplement of the Week: Designs for Health CLA Softgels

Supplement of the Week: Designs for Health CLA Softgels

Quick Overview

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring fatty acid that has been shown to be useful to support proper fat burning, healthy blood sugar levels, and to modulate inflammation. CLA also has strong antioxidant properties.*

This product is a rich source of CLA, standardized to contain a minimum 78% conjugated linoleic acid as cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 isomers in a 50:50 ratio.

Health Benefits of Conjugated Linolenic Acid

Health Benefits of Conjugated Linolenic Acid

Conjugated Linolenic Acid The Anti-Fat Fatty Acid

By Gene Bruno, MS, MHS – Dean of Academics, Huntington College of Health Sciences

Fat is evil. Fat is bad. Fat makes you fat. People follow low-fat diets to avoid excessive fat intake. People take supplements to help them reduce fat absorption as well as body fat. About the last thing you’d choose to do is voluntarily consume excess fat in supplement form right? Not if that fat is CLA.

What is CLA?

CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a free fatty acid that may prove to be essential to our diet. Studies show that CLA can play a vital role in reducing body fat and improving muscle tone. In the past, it was readily available in beef and dairy products, but today, it is no longer present in great quantities. To obtain about 1000 mg of CLA in food you would have to consume three pounds of hamburger, twenty-five slices of American cheese or half a gallon of ice cream. Of course the adverse effects of eating these high saturated fat foods might eclipse the benefits obtained from the CLA. Consequently, the use of a CLA supplement is a sensible alternative and may even help you reduce body fat. Researchers think that CLA helps reduce body fat deposits by promoting apoptosis (programmed cell death) in fat cells.1

Krill Oil versus Fish Oil Infographic

Krill Oil versus Fish Oil Infographic

Supplement of the week: Designs for Health XanthOmega Krill Oil

Quick Overview

XanthOmega™ Krill Oil provides a generous 12 mg per serving of the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin to help achieve optimum benefits from this potent carotenoid. It would take eight conventional krill softgels to equal the astaxanthin levels in just one XanthOmega™ softgel! 

XanthOmega™ Krill Oil has a high phospholipid content, standardized to a minimum of 40% phospholipids, mostly as phosphatidylcholine. This updated version is considered to be a virgin krill oil -the purest form available. It contains higher phospholipid bioavailability, which enhances the absorption of the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin. Many studies suggest that this exceptionally high level of astaxanthin offers an array of benefits, which may include powerful antioxidant properties, cardiovascular health, sports performance, eye support, skin health, anti-inflammatory and gastric health support.

Supplement of the Week: Designs for Health OmegAvail Synergy

Supplement of the Week: Designs for Health OmegAvail Synergy

Quick Overview

This unique omega 3-6-7-9 formula contains a blend of wild deep-sea sourced fish oils containing the omega-3 fats (EPA/DHA) in the TruTG™ form, the most important omega-6 fat (GLA from borage oil), the omega-7 fat palmitoleic acid and omega-9 fat oleic acid from certified virgin organic macadamia nut oil. EPA helps keep GLA metabolism in an anti-inflammatory mode. In addition, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) plays as many important roles in human health as EPA, along with promoting brain wellness.

6 Foods For Healthy Brain

6 Foods For Healthy Brain

On a previous post Health Brain Healthy Body I shared 7 tips for maintaining a healthy brain. Having a healthy brain is essential to having a healthy body. Low fat diets and junk food diets do little to feed the brain what it needs to maintain healthy neurological function, memory and emotional well being. Environmental toxins like heavy metals as well as alcohol and drug abuse contribute greatly to loss of brain function and mental health.

This blog post will focus on eating right for your brain. Those of you with issues like anxiety, deppression, brain fog, memory loss, attention deficit disorder, dementia, autism, and addictions cannot ignore the impact of nutrition on the brain. Everyone knows the importance of nutrition when other organs of the body are ailing. But interestingly enough, nutrition for the brain and the ailments of the brain goes all to often ignored. I don't care what other treatments you may be using to deal with your brain issues, you cannot forget to eat foods for a healthy brain! 

Top Ten Supplements For Primo Health

Top Ten Supplements For Primo Health

Taking vitamins and supplements without consulting with a nutrition professional can lead to unwanted health issues, and can end up being a waste of your money. It is best to do some sort of nutrition assessment like the Primo Blood Chemistry Analysis in order to identify any deficiencies or potential health issues related to nutrient deficiencies.

Grain-Free Yucca Buns Recipe

Grain-Free Yucca Buns Recipe

I can't lie and say that I don't miss eating bread on my grain-free diet. I am Latino and Italian, both of which are great bread eaters. My family in Costa Rica made bread for the whole town of Puriscal for decades. Bread is in my blood. I've probably eaten enough bread for two lifetimes if I was honest about my previous consumption. Nonetheless, I experience health problems when I eat grains or foods made from grain flours. So I've had to adjust my life in order to feel better and live longer.

On my last trip to Costa Rica early this year I discovered that they make many non-grain flours there. I was suprised to learn that a traditional cheese bread eaten in many Latin American countries is actually grain-free! Pan de Yuca (yucca buns) are a delicious grain-free cheesey bread that can be eaten on a grain-free diet. It may not be for the strict Paleo Dieter because it is somewhat processed and does have cheese. But I've made adjustments to the recipe to make it healthier and less allergy provoking.