Udo Erasmus Answers Your Questions

During Udo Erasmus’ visit to the UK in April 2012 we asked our Facebook Fans to send us the questions that were upper most in their minds. There were some great questions and here are Udo’s answers

Can I take a fish oil in combination with Udo’s Choice?

While the most important thing to do in our oil intake is to get the “food oil foundation” right it is ok to use a fish oil supplement in addition. Remember that Udo’s Oil is there to replace the circa 50 grams of damaged cooking oils that we get in our foods daily whilst fish oils provide only about 1-3 grams of oil so if the 50 grams is damaged 1-3 grams of supplement is not really going to sort out any problems caused by an unhealthy food oil foundation. Here’s my All – Some -None statements.

All of us need to get our foundation right

Some of us will do better by adding supplements to our foundation
None of us can do it on supplements alone
If you do wish to use a fish oil try to find one that is not damaged by processing and does not contain PCBs and dioxins – this is difficult as pretty much all fish oils are processed heavily to remove the PCBs and dioxins and this processing damages the delicate fatty acids.

Is it best to take the recommended 3 dessert spoons of the oil all together or is it ok to spread it out over the day?

It is always best to spread out your intake throughout the day mixed with food. It is compatible with all foods. Try taking one dessert spoon in your porridge and then spread the remainder throughout the day with other meals. Look out for our recipe booklet for some inspirational ideas on incorporating Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend into your diet.

 

Is there any benefit from eating whole flax seeds and also ground flax seeds (such as in salads?)

The main benefit from eating whole flax seed is that the mucilage fibre is good for bowel regularity, can be helpful in blood glucose regulation by slowing its absorption, its lovely food for probiotics and also helps to export toxins from your liver out of your body.

If you swallow the seeds whole you will not get the nutrients inside the flax because it has a very hard coating. It will go through you and you could (should you want to!!) still plant it and it would grow.

If you eat ground flaxseed you will get the nutrients but it needs to be fresh as ground flax will go rancid rapidly –even kept in the fridge in a dark container it will be rancid after about a week.

What can be done regarding ‘klonking’ /joints that rub against each other?

The oil helps the cells that make the cartilage and the fluid inside the knee. In addition, even though they are made in the body some additional intake of glucosamine and chondroitin may also be helpful. You might also find magnesium helpful (if there is not enough magnesium in the knee, calcium deposits can take their place). Reducing acidity may also help and the quickest way to become more alkaline is to do some deep breathing as oxygen is the most alkaline substance there is on the planet.

Is it the Omega 3 in the oil or the MCT (medium chain triglycerides) from the Coconut Oil that provides the energy?

Both but primarily the Omega 3. Omega 3 provides more energy per gram and is like a fat burning ‘fire starter’ in your body. MCTs give you energy but do not encourage energy production from fat burning like Omega 3s. Besides, there is a lot of Omega 3 and little MCTs in Udo’s Oil. The coconut oil is in there for two reasons – flavour and the antioxidants it provides.

Omega 3 turns OFF fat producing genes and turns ON fat burning genes, does that mean that we don’t need exercise to burn fat away, simply staying on a low carb/ketogenic diet with Udo’s is enough?

To some extent yes. We do have people who burn fat without doing anything different in their exercise program. However, I wouldn’t want to recommend this as the lazy persons weight loss program as exercise both burns fat and makes you healthier. The body was made for activity and struggles with non-activity.

Should we take the Udo’s Choice Digestive Enzymes with every meal as maintenance or is that over-doing it?

The digestive enzymes are meant to replace the enzymes destroyed when foods are cooked so they should be taken with every cooked meal. I have also had feedback from people on raw food diets that when they eat their food raw, taking enzymes increases their ability to digest food even though the raw foods still contain their enzymes.