Episode 209 — Certain FATS Are ESSENTIAL
Guest: Udo Erasmus • Date: June 20, 2024
Episode Overview
Udo Erasmus returns to the show and we did a deep dive into the world of healthy oils. Udo highlights the significance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for overall health, as well as the critical role parents play in setting an example.
About Udo Erasmus
The legendary Udo Erasmus is the co-founder of Udo’s Choice line, which can be found in Whole Foods and other health food stores worldwide. Udo designed the machinery for making oils with health in mind and pioneered flax oil, a billion-dollar industry. However, Udo walked a difficult path to become the man he is today. Being a child of war, Udo’s life began with intense struggle. As an adult, he got pesticide poisoning in 1980, leaving doctors at a loss regarding treatment. Deciding to take his health into his own hands, Udo began researching, and his discoveries led him to a passion for finding the answers to life’s big questions, which would hopefully one day bring him and the world peace. Today, Udo is an acclaimed speaker and author of many books, including the best-sellingFats That Heal Fats That Kill, which has sold over 250,000 copies. He teaches at events hosted by Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra, has keynoted an international brain health conference, and has traveled to over 30 countries to conduct thousands of live presentations, media interviews, and staff training impacting more than 25,000,000 lives with his message on oils, health, peace, nature, and human nature. Udo has an extensive education in biochemistry, genetics, biology, and nutrition, including a master’s degree in counseling psychology.
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You’ll Discover
The Worst Thing We Do To Our Food (4:09)
The Three Nutrients That We Are Most Lacking (6:27)
The Poisons We Must Avoid (10:55)
Way To Help Digestion (14:11)
Some Precautions To Take With Meat (19:03)
What To Do If Your Child Only Eats Fried Foods (25:11)
The Dangers of Damaged Oils (31:10)
The Importance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 (45:35)
The Potential Benefits of Omega-3 for Children on the Autism Spectrum (52:55)
The Importance of Choosing High-Quality Oils (52:27)
Referenced in This Episode
Full Transcript
Udo Erasmus | 00:00
When we added the omega-3s, we got better results. And I can tell you in part why. Part is because the brain requires them. They elevate mood and lift depression. There's research on that. They, because most kids are, autistic or not autistic, get too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3, The omega-6s can turn into inflammatory bacteria. Molecules Omega-3 inhibits that.
So, omega-3s bring down inflammation. Omega-6s increase energy level and oxygen metabolism. That's probably good for brain function.
Cass Arcuri | 00:45
Want to truly be the best parent you can be and help your child thrive after their autism diagnosis? This podcast is for all in parents like you who know more is possible for your child.
Len Arcuri | 00:56
With each episode, we reveal a secret that empowers you to be the parent your child needs now, saving you time, energy, and money, and helping you focus on what truly matters most, your child.
Cass Arcuri | 01:07
I'm Cass. And I'm Len Welcome to Autism Parenting Secrets.
Len Arcuri | 01:23
Welcome to Autism Parenting Secrets. It's Len. I'm here with Cass. And returning to the show is Udo Erasmus. He's a legend in the world of health and wellness, a true pioneer. He's the co-founder of Udo's Choice Line, which can be found in Whole Foods and other health food stores worldwide. Udo designed the machinery for making oils with health in mind, and he pioneered flax oil. Now a billion dollar industry. He's an acclaimed speaker and author of many books, including the bestselling Fats That Heal, That's that kill. Which has sold over a quarter million copies, He's got extensive education in Biochemistry, genetics, biology and nutrition, including a master's degree in counseling psychology. The prior episode with Udo was episode 192. And that's called Be Fully Present.
So give yourself a treat and check out that discussion that he and I had. But today. We didn't have time last time to go into the plan topic and the very extremely important topic of diet choices and choosing the right fats. Or your child.
So since harnessing the power of food is Cass' superpower, I'm excited to listen to these two shed light on why getting food right for you, your child, and your entire family is so important. Is so critical. The secret this week is certain facts. Are essential. Welcome, Udo.
Udo Erasmus | 02:49
Good. Yeah, glad to be on. Last time was fun. This time will be fun again.
Cass Arcuri | 02:53
More fun. I'm here. No, I'm kidding.
Udo Erasmus | 02:56
Way more fun. Way more fun then.
Cass Arcuri | 03:00
Udo, so welcome. Thank you so much. I'm so excited, one, to talk with you learn from you because you do have so much knowledge. Can you share a Like... The biggest question I always get is like, where do you start? Because the foundation of what you do for your health is so important.
So I know it's a big question, but do you mind kind of starting to peel back the layers for our listeners?
Udo Erasmus | 03:25
Yeah, well, it's a huge question. But I think the place to always start is, what was it like in nature? Before we got civilized, and got out of line with nature.
So when I look at it, you know, I studied biology and I did all of that and I have all those courses, right? But the place where I go for answers... It's not the book's.
Like, look at the planet. Okay. And so, and the reason why is because health, which is what we're kind of looking for, right?
Well, that was not invented by the pharmaceutical industry. And it was not invented by the medical industry. And it was not invented by the legal industry. And it was not invented by the government. Health was invented. Bye, life. In nature. And it comes from being living and how you want to be healthy. You need to live in line with nature and your nature.
So now we're talking about the nature part because we talked about the human nature part before, right? So what do you look at? Okay, every creature. On the planet that eats. Eats its food, Fresh. All raw Organic. Except for us. Do you never see a squirrel with a frying pan? You might see one in a frying pan, but not with a frying pan.
So if you ever see a squirrel with a frying pan, that'll be your sign that maybe frying is a natural process. It's not. It's the worst thing we've ever invented to do to our food. And more health problems come from damaged oils and frying foods than any other part of nutrition. Way worse than sugar. Even sugar is bad enough, right? Okay, so then you look at that. Okay, so in nature, There are. Nature Coup. There are like 42 essential nutrients. That we can't make in our body from anything else. But we have to have them to live and be healthy.
So we have to bring them in from outside. From nature.
Right? Plants make most of them.
Some of them are in the soil, but plants make most of them. The second part of this definition of the essential nutrients that we have to have is if you don't get enough of any one of them, you can't stay healthy. Your health will deteriorate. You will get deficiency symptoms. They will get worse with time. And if you don't get enough long enough, You die. That's how important these 42 nutrients are. And the third part, which is the hopeful part, is that if you're going down because you're not getting enough of any essential nutrient, but before you die, because death by definition is not reversible, before you die, you bring enough of that too low nutrient back into your diet. All of the problems that come from not getting enough are reversed. And you get your health back because life knows how to make your body provided you take responsibility here at your mouth. To make sure that those 42 Essential nutrients land in your body in optimum quantities so that life can do a job of making you an optimum person. Optimally functioning, healthy body. That's the definition of essentials. And of those essential nutrients that The ones that are most commonly lacking, omega-3. Partly because it's very sensitive to damage and needs to be treated with a lot of care if you expect it to help you. And there's not a lot of sources. It's more like a polar, North Pole, South Pole. And the closer you go to the tropics, the less omega-3s you find in the natural system. Okay. After that, probably vitamin D outside the tropics. Or because we don't run around naked and we don't get the sunshine on our skin that makes vitamin D out of cholesterol.
So that's another one, probably 80%. Actually, for the darker your skin, the more likely you are to be vitamin D deficient in winter.
So vitamin D.
Cass Arcuri | 07:42
And with you and Dee, I just want to say is a lot of times parents, you know, we're so scared about getting sun exposure that we do it to ourselves. We're putting so much sunscreens and SPS and protection on.
Like, even if you're only outside for 10 minutes and birth is like, are you kidding me? That's like. Such a gift to your body is when you actually get unfiltered sunshine directly onto your skin.
Udo Erasmus | 08:11
Yep. In fact, you know, in fact, We are all children of the sun because our life is a fraction of solar energy.
You know, the energy that keeps us alive, that's where it came from through the plants and all of that we talked about that before. So here you're getting the sun creating something in your body directly. Without anything else having to happen. How cool is that? Right.
So in summer, what I do, I'm going to be 82 this year. In summer, I take my shirt off and I go out and get a tea. It's probably a 10-minute walk. And so then I'll just go with my shirt off and my, you know, short pants on. And, And then I'll get my tea and then I'll maybe sit around in the sunshine for 5, 10, 20 minutes. Then I walk back. That's enough sun exposure for me if I do it more closer to the middle of the day. Obviously, you can burn when you overdo it.
So I pay attention. And you do have to pay attention. You have to do things deliberately because the sun, if you work The sun is 15 million degrees Celsius in its center. That would be too close to the sun. And we're just like 93 million miles away, almost perfect.
And then it's filtered through the atmosphere. Right.
So that's cool. Okay.
And then vitamin B6. Is about 80% deficiency. And let's see what else there was vitamin. D3B6 Magnesium Magnetism is very important in energy production and brain function and everything. And that's about 80% to load as well. And stress will dump vitamin will dump magnesium, booze will dump magnesium, And sex will dump magnesium.
So the more of those you do, the more magnesium you're going to need. Right.
And then for Zinc, is about 50 to 60% don't get enough. And for just about every essential nutrient, There's a percentage of the population that doesn't get enough.
So that means there's going to be a tendency towards Deficiency symptoms, which are symptoms of illness, symptoms of degenerative diseases, that's what degeneration is caused by. And so you want to create a program where all 42 of those essential nutrients are present in your diet in optimum quantities. Both as whole foods, and maybe as supplement add-ons.
So that's the first part. The second part is there are things in nature that are not good for you.
You know, nature is maybe 99% good for you. But is 1% toxic. And you have to pay attention to that as well. But more than nature creating toxins, Which it does, like snake poison and poison ivy and stuff like that, right?
So you... But most of the poisons, most of the molecules that We shouldn't be getting into our body. We made ourselves.
So you're talking about plastics. Pesticides. Pharmaceutical drugs, the reason they have side effects is because they don't belong in the body. And no one has ever died of a pharmaceutical drug deficiency. These are not essential nutrients. Okay.
So. So pharmaceutical drugs, industrial chemicals, you know, cleaning chemicals and, you know, stuff we put on our skin and then, artificial synthetic Preservatives. Cosmetics. Flavor compounds, Those kind of things.
And then there is Heavy metals. Actually, not all heavy metals, aluminum. Mercury. Lead. Cadmium and arsenic. Those are the main five.
And then there are radioactive molecules. That come from the detonation of atomic bombs, or that come from nuclear reactors when they blow up like the one did in Japan. And or the one did in Russia as well, a longer time ago.
So those basically break bonds and change molecules. And then the last one is energy molecules.
Like not energy, sorry, energies. That are destructive. X-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet if you get too much, you know, and there's a long list of radio?
Len Arcuri | 13:02
Those. Do you include EMFs in that as well in terms of Wi-Fi, electric fields, magnetic fields.
Udo Erasmus | 13:08
Yeah, they could be. Yeah, they could be.
You know, there's certainly there, you know, a lot of times people say, this is going to be bad for us just because it's synthetic or it's man-made. And you have to look at, you really have to be So like you have to be independent, like dependent on your own common sense, dependent on what's within you. And you have to look at both sides. And really look at, you know, because sometimes people, One side twists us for profit and the other one twists us for fear. Right. Or fear mongering. Right. Whatever it is. Right.
So you have to look at that. And there are probably EMFs that are not good for you. It seems like that. There seems to be some evidence of that.
So you have to pay attention to that as well. But don't jump to conclusions like, you know, because they're not as lethal as That's like my God, right? But you do want to address them and you do want to pay attention.
So and then the third thing that happens is if your digestion isn't working. Then you will not get all of your essential nutrients or you may not get all of your essential nutrients. And you may create toxicity in your own body.
And then, and the, What is helpful there? Most of the digestive problems can be fixed by digestive enzymes, adding digestive enzymes to your cooked and processed foods. Adding probiotics, cooked and processed foods. Because both of those are destroyed. They're present in and on raw foods, but are destroyed when those foods are processed and cooked.
So you need to replace them. Now, nature, in nature, if it was raw, was the standard. Then there are enzymes and probiotics coming with your food. And when you cook them, you've departed from nature.
And then what you're actually doing is you're putting a much heavier load on your digestive system, which then puts a heavier load on your immune system. Because the immune system gets involved in digestion if your digestive system isn't getting it done. And that's because, and so When you cook your foods, you literally more than double the workload on your digestive system. Because the enzymes will do 60% of the digestion of the food for you. If you chew them properly while they're waiting to go into your stomach acid, Right? And so that 60%, you need to take enzymes to replace that. And that seems to work Awfully well. Okay, you had some.
Cass Arcuri | 15:54
Yeah, I have a question because the cooking piece is... Yes, I agree. And especially I think the form of the way that you cook matters.
So like steam cooking is, items, I feel like in using like water baths for cooking is much more and beneficial than let's say frying or even like grilling. And so I just wanted to get your take on that.
Udo Erasmus | 16:18
Yeah. Okay.
So yeah, the one thing on the list of toxins is, The one I left out, the most important one is food molecules damaged by food processing and food preparation. And frying, of course, is the worst of the worst. Whoever invented the frying pan, He definitely should not get a statute to be remembered.
Right? No, because what you're doing is you're wrecking, you're burning the food So you're changing molecules from natural to unnatural. And the oils themselves, you overheat them and you change oil molecules. And when oil molecules get changed, they go into your body, they go where oils are supposed to do their jobs, and then they interfere with the job that should have been done there. Because those molecules can't do that job, but they occupy the space.
So that's how you, and where is that does the most damage is in the mitochondria where your energy is made. And fried foods fry health and fried oils fry health.
So if you're frying foods, you should go in the direction of cooking in water. When I was a kid, cooking mint in water. Now cooking means with oil. We call that frying and deep fry. Okay.
So. So go from... Crying? The cooking and water. But then don't stop there because you lose something when you cook in water too, because you wreck the enzymes and the probiotics and you lose some of the minerals unless you drink the cooking water. And you damage some of the more sensitive parts amino acids partially and vitamins partially. Right.
So that's not the best way. The body was actually, you were a raw creature. We're raw under our clothes. We're raw. Right. And Ra... And raw food for raw creatures.
So you want to go as far as you can in the direction of fresh, whole, raw, organic. Right?
So. And so, yeah, so digestive enzymes, probiotics, then there's fiber.
And then there's bidders. Bitters are herbs that are good for digestion and liver function. Those four pretty much fix most of the digestion issues.
Cass Arcuri | 18:37
So What you're saying from a raw, like, I can understand to a point, but I do think some of our listeners, I know I'm plant-based myself, but I'm raising carnivores. And so I always am like, that's where I end up using more water as that meat water or technically broths, homemade bone broths that I use to cook the food in. And so I just wanted to kind of get your take because for someone who's listening, who eats animal protein, you would say more of a steam kind of cooking would be What would you say?
Udo Erasmus | 19:13
No, if you look in nature, every creature that eats meat... Or fish. Eat it raw. Even the carrion eaters, you know, the They eat it raw. Even when it's rotten, it's rocked.
And then you go to Japan, Eat sushi. Rawr! But they're very hygienic. They make sure that the meat is not contaminated. Right. And they're, I mean, they're fastidious. When you watch the sushi chef, he washes his knife every time he makes a cut and he washes his hands every time he makes a cut.
So they're so fastidious. You have to pay attention to that because on hamburgers, you're allowed to have a million hamburgers. I think it's a million... Live E. Coli. That can make you sick, for every gram of meat. And if you have a little E. Coli on the meat, you know, and then you grind it up, you mix all of those bacteria everywhere through the meat. You're doing like the dumbest thing.
And then you, of course, have to cook it because you've got to kill those buggers.
Cass Arcuri | 20:21
Well, and that's my thing, right? Unless you're kind of know, really know that source of your meat, when it was killed, all those elements to it. I feel like especially with the food supply as it is right now. That choosing to cook it is probably best for our listeners, but that's where I'm thinking water would be better. I think setting an intention in the water that you cook because water has a memory.
So you can bless the water, but just really much Bring on the stinking glue.
Udo Erasmus | 20:54
Some of the scientists would say that's a little too woo-woo, but I agree with you.
Cass Arcuri | 20:59
Even.
Udo Erasmus | 21:00
Good intention, even good intention, just because having good intentions is good for health. But I want to just add to what you're saying, you know, When you eat raw vegetables, you have to make sure they're clean and not contaminated too. Right.
Yeah. Because you can get...
Yeah. And because, you know, you hear it on the news, every time there's somebody gets infections from.
Sometimes it's lettuce. Sometimes it's strawberries.
So in a way, it would be very useful if you have a house and you have a yard, you grow some of your own food.
Cass Arcuri | 21:37
Well, and that is. That's the ultimate, right? Grow it yourself. Be mindful of the soil that you put it in. Be mindful of the water source that waters it. Be mindful of your neighbors. And if the neighbors spray, right, like all of those elements come into it. We used to be part of an organic community garden.
And then they ended up spraying for weed. And I asked them for the MSDS. And it was like glyphosate based.
Yeah. I had to leave it because I was like, I'm not consuming glyphosate.
Like, no way. That's air, water, like. It's in everything.
So yeah. But it's like, so for someone who's listening, who probably buys their meat from a store, I probably, unless you've sourced it so well, I'd probably steam, water, cook it.
Udo Erasmus | 22:27
Yeah, you wouldn't. Yeah, if I think it's important, if you don't grow your own food, it's important that you know. Who is growing the food? And how they're treating it. Because there are some people who are philosophically aligned with the cleanliness And there are some who just doing a job for $17 an hour and who don't give a...
Cass Arcuri | 22:48
Yeah, well, I shop at Whole Foods. I'm like, congratulations, but the farmers who did it and how long did it take to get there and where was it grown and how was it cared for? If you can't answer those questions, which 99.9% of us can't.
Udo Erasmus | 23:02
And just because it's Whole Foods doesn't mean that everything they're doing is above board either.
Cass Arcuri | 23:07
No way.
Udo Erasmus | 23:09
And again, and it depends on the people who are working there. So you're putting yourself in the hands of people. Who you don't know what their attitude is.
You know, and I mean, I, this is not just about Whole Foods. This is about Everybody you buy from, this is about your government. They sometimes lie to you.
So you have to be as much independent as you can be, as much in charge of your own food supply as you can be, And then you have to get maybe get to know your sources. And get to know what is the track that you food, you know, from the farm or from the seed really to the table? What is the track of that food? And.
Cass Arcuri | 23:54
That's where I love shopping our farmer's market because most of the farmers that we work with let you visit the farm and visiting, being able to see how your food is grown, how like all of those elements is such a key part of making those best choices for your family.
Udo Erasmus | 24:11
And then you're still not in control of everything. So you got to do the best you can. And you gotta not drive yourself crazy. For not having total control because then your craziness will make you sick.
Cass Arcuri | 24:29
There's a part of surrender that comes into this, right? But, you know... Being mindful where you can be mindful and then where you can't be mindful. OK, having grace about it, but then making some smart choices. OK, I'm going to wash this in salt water. Whatever you're going to do to make it.
And then, you know, your intention to it matters, Love that.
Udo Erasmus | 24:50
Too. I think we say live from the heart, but bring your mind with you. Udo.
Len Arcuri | 24:58
I'm mindful. There's one question I want to throw out, which you don't have to answer now, but before the end of the episode, if you can answer it. There's people listening who are probably their heads exploding because they're like, my kid only eats fried foods. That's all they eat.
So if you could think about that in terms of what you.
Udo Erasmus | 25:16
Would- Let's do it right now.
Cass Arcuri | 25:19
I love that. I love that question.
Udo Erasmus | 25:22
Yeah. So what would happen if there was no fried food in your house?
Len Arcuri | 25:25
Well, these parents would say my kid would just go crazy.
Cass Arcuri | 25:28
My kid won't eat. They'll go on a hunger strike.
Udo Erasmus | 25:31
He won't. Yeah, he'll have a temper tantrum.
And then he's not going to eat. Then when he gets really hungry, then he will eat.
Len Arcuri | 25:39
Well, then people experience violence. They could get violent reactions.
So for some parents, it's like a nuisance. Other parents, it's like legitimately a safety issue for people in the family.
Cass Arcuri | 25:51
Well, personally, I think it's a gradual process, right? So it's kind of like, okay, if you're frying it now, can you bake it instead of frying, right? And so can you add some elements that might give it a crispy texture?
Udo Erasmus | 26:02
If you want to do it the way that women are more likely to, you know, guys get violent real fast. They want to get her done, right?
Yeah. And women are really good at picking away at stuff.
So if your kid just likes fries, Then every day, one less fry. So how many days would it take to be out of fries? Might be 30 days.
Cass Arcuri | 26:25
Then it might be an apple stick next to the fries that's cut like a fry. Right.
Like give them something, an option that kind of looks similar to what they like. So this is where like that kind of gradual transition, like, you know, rice, right? You can rice to riced cauliflower, you can make switches.
Udo Erasmus | 26:44
Right. But the other thing I think that's maybe even more important... Is that you As a parent. You are yourself. Of french fries And you can do that, you know, because kids, you know, how did the kids get into French fries?
Well, they got given them. Who gave them?
Well, the parents gave them. Right.
So we started him off and we got him into it. First thing is we need to change our habit. Because the kids will copy us and they won't do what we say. They're pretty much going to do what we do. Right. And so a lot of the work that we think we need to do on our kids is actually work we need to do on ourselves.
Right? And then you become the example. And kids are, you know, the kids have mirror neurons, right? They're monkey see, monkey do. Right. And so kids have mirror neurons. That's how we learn. That's how we learn even our emotions.
So whatever you're displaying for your kid, He will come around to that. But it takes time. It's not a quick fix.
Len Arcuri | 27:58
- So the weeding off of the fried foods If that's your goal, you can take a while to get there, however you do that, one less fry or whatever method.
Udo Erasmus | 28:11
Yeah, but what you need to do is you need to set the goal. And then you need to just step by step.
So, you know, you could take a year to do it. But you have to hold the standards. You don't give up because the kid has a temper tantrum.
You know, you don't give up because the kid doesn't eat. You have it as a standard and then you find your way to it in the most in the least intensely painful way for the kid. And for yourself.
Right? Because this is not about suffering. But this is about making changes in a good direction. And if you fall in love with anything, fresh, whole, raw and organic because it's the natural God-given fruit system. Then you get there slowly.
You know, if you eat three fried meals a day, well, maybe for a week, only two fried meals a day. Right?
And then maybe just. Dare I say one?
Right? And so because it's not hard, like I eat mostly fresh, whole, raw, organic. Mostly plant-based. I didn't always eat like that. I eat like that because when I eat like that, I feel the best. And that's become more obvious as I've gotten older. And here I am, I'm 81 and most people think I'm about 60.
Right? Because I'm actually I've actually gradually put those things in place. And I didn't do it overnight.
I mean, some things I do overnight. Sometimes I get really fed up with something that I should have been, should have not been doing and then I get to a point where I'm just like, I'm swearing, you know.
You know, and then it's like, You know, it's kind of like, I get this moment of, really intense moment of What's it called? Fierce determination is what I call it. Right. It's never going to happen again. And sometimes that's enough to break a habit.
You know? And sometimes we wait and we drift and we say, well, I should, but yeah, I don't. Until we get to a point, we were just so fed up. With not doing what we need to be doing. That we hit that point. And that can be very powerful. But a lot of changes that I've made are all gradual.
Yeah, it's not supposed to be an ordeal. But I want to have my health. I want to maintain my health and I want to have better health if my health isn't as good as it could be. And fried foods are toxic. Fried food is poison.
Right? It's the most poisonous thing we eat other than pesticides.
Right? Because we're taking food molecules and put them in the body. And because they didn't exist in nature, life never made a program to break them down.
So if you fry foods, you're going to get inflammation. And you're going to increase the risk of cancer. And inflammation is behind just about everything that falls apart in the body.
Right? So if you know that, and you want to be healthy. You got to set the standard.
And then you got to inch your way towards it. Inch it or foot it or...
You know, What is it called? Sprinted. Sprinted.
Len Arcuri | 31:52
Right. So if damaged oils are, incredibly important thing for parents to minimize. Fried foods are like the biggest... Culprit, if you will, what other things would result in damaged oils? What other products would have damaged oils?
Udo Erasmus | 32:09
Well, I think what people don't understand is there's a lot of people saying don't use seed oils, don't use omega-6s. A lot of people saying that. And there's always been people saying that.
So I've been working in oils for 45 years. Always somebody was saying oils, no oils, should no oils.
So. What happened to me was... I got poisoned by pesticides and I was looking for self-help because the doctors that I went to said, we don't have anything for pesticide poisoning.
So I had the background in biochemistry and genetics. So I went into Medline and looked up all of the research on health and nutrition, disease and nutrition, on the ideas that your body's made out of food, water, and air. And if something goes wrong in your body, you need to raise the standard of food, water and air. And within one year, 98% of the atoms in your body will have been removed and replaced, and you will have built a new body. 98%. Of a new body to that higher standard.
That's why healing works. Right.
So I was looking at all of that and there I read a study that said omega six is an essential fatty acid, which means you've got to have it. You can't live without it. You die if you don't get any. And if you're not getting enough and you're going down, if you bring it back, Everything is reversed that comes from not getting enough. That's what essential means. It's just essential. Omega six is an essential nutrient. And the very next study I read said omega six is give you cancer and kill you. I had exploded. It's like, wait a minute. It's I'm supposed to have it.
And then it kills me. That's like when I was a kid, people said, if you see God, he kills you. Wait, this guy loves me unconditionally and takes care of everything and made a whole planet for me.
And then I look at him and he kills me. Right. It's like, that doesn't make any sense.
So. And I struggled with it because it's like, how can it be so contradictory? Research can be that contradictory. And I was assuming that they weren't cheating because that's a possibility in research these days.
So I said, okay, well, I must be missing something. I need to look deeper.
So when I looked deeper, I found out. That when these oils are made, so these are the colorless, odorless, tasteless oils that you get in plastic bottles that line the shelves of all the stores, Big industry, $100 billion a year industry. And found out how they make the oils is for shelf life, not for health. And in order to get the shelf life, because these are sensitive molecules that are easily damaged by light, oxygen and heat, which on the frying pan you get all three of those at the same time, right?
So to make them, They... Treat them with sodium hydroxide, which we know as Drano, which is the sink pipe cleaner when it clogs up. It's corrosive. Base, then with phosphoric acid, a very corrosive acid. Then they bleached them with bleaching clays. Then they go rancid. Then they smell bad. Then they have to be deodorized, or I call it destinkarized. Right. Or they have to be molecularly distilled or wiped film evaporated. Those are names for the similar process. And when they do those four things, They have a Colorless, odorless, tasteless oil. Can't tell what it came from because all the flavor of it is gone, right?
So they turned into something that might not be good for you. And so I had a question. I had been poisoned by pesticides. I was very interested in truth about health, right? I didn't want just like some whitewash. I said, I want to talk to a scientist at the American Oil Chemist Society. Which is the umbrella organization for the oil industry. Put this guy on the line. And I said, well, when you know. This does damage to the oil. Why do you do it? He says, well, one of the reasons we do it It's because we can get rid of half the pesticides in the world.
Well, at that point, I didn't even know there were pesticides in the oil, right? And of course, I'd been poisoned by pesticides.
So it's like, okay, this was not a good answer. So I didn't say anything, but I said, well, why don't you start with organically grown seeds? Then you don't have a pesticide problem. And there was a silence at the other end of the phone, like a long silence, probably three seconds, but it seemed like a really long time.
And then he came back and he was really angry. He says, But your problem is the oil is just 1% damaged. It's 99% good. And if you got 99% on the exam, you'd be damn happy, wouldn't you? Bye.
You know? And, So I thought and then I thought, well, maybe I'm overreacting. It's only 1%. Don't let me do the math.
So I did the math and my question was, if I have a US tablespoon, which is 15 milliliters, 14 grams. Oven Oil. That is 1% damaged you how many damaged molecules would be in that tablespoon? And I want you guys to answer that question. You don't have a basis for answering it, but answer it anyway. A A dozen.
Len Arcuri | 37:41
Dozen.
Udo Erasmus | 37:44
12. 12 damaged molecules.
Len Arcuri | 37:47
Okay. How about just throwing something out.
Cass Arcuri | 37:48
There? Much more.
Udo Erasmus | 37:50
Cass, okay. Yep. How many? Amen.
Cass Arcuri | 37:55
I don't know. I feel like you're in the thousands.
Udo Erasmus | 37:57
Yeah, give me a number.
Cass Arcuri | 37:59
5,000.
Udo Erasmus | 38:01
5,000. Okay, so Let's take the higher number, okay? Let's call it 6,000 because it makes the math easier, okay? Six thousand. Okay, so there's three zeros. In 6000, right? Yep.
So would you like to know the actual number?
Cass Arcuri | 38:21
Yes, please.
Udo Erasmus | 38:23
It's a sixth. Not followed by three zeros, but by 19 zeros.
So in a tablespoon of an oil that is 1% damaged, you will get 60 quintillion damaged molecules. So your estimate of how bad those oils are for you is 60 quadri... No, is... 10 quadrillion times. Too low. And most people, when I ask this question, because I do it all the time, they're always at least a billion times too low in the estimates.
So then I say, okay, look, Cass, you're going to fly home for the holidays. And you're at the airport, and you're about to get on the plane and somebody is there who you know who only always tells the truth, says to you, by the way, did you know? That your chance of crashing and dying on the flight home was 10 quadrillion times higher than you thought it was, would you get on the airplane? Would you do that to yourself? I was in Ireland. I told him I would canoe back to Canada.
Cass Arcuri | 39:34
My answer was, where am I, right? If I'm like in Europe or something, I probably would, but yeah.
Udo Erasmus | 39:42
But think about it. So what we're doing, so we are thinking we're using these oils, like everybody's using these oils, but their estimate is, of how much damage is in oil and how much damage they're putting into their body when they use those oils. The in one tablespoon. Is always a billion times or more lower than it actually is. And does that give you thought to maybe you should change what you do with your oil intake? Now... In addition to Those 60 quintillion... Quintillion damaged molecules. You got pesticides in there. You got plastics in there. Then you fry them.
Another 11,000. Right. " If it didn't wreck your health... In 30 years. You should be shocked. You should be shocked. And how much is this, like 60 quintillion molecules? It's a million, more than a million. Damaged molecules. That never existed in nature. That we don't have a breakdown product. Program for. More than a million damaged molecules for every one of your body's 60 trillion cells. When I was in genetics, we learned that if you want to change gene expression, All you have to do is put for bacteria, all you have to do is put two molecules outside The bacteria. Two molecules and you can change gene expression.
Well, our cells are about 100, maybe 1,000 times bigger. So let's say 2,000. You're getting $1 million.
So are you changing gene expression? I bet you are. You bet you are. But not in a good way. Okay.
So that's the, and when I've realized that. I said my God, I cannot get healthy on oils like this. We should make oils with health in mind. That's where that whole project came from. We get organically grown seeds, we had to make custom made parts for the machinery, to keep light and oxygen completely separate from the oil while it's being pressed and filtered and settled and filled.
And then it goes in glass bottles, so no plastics. And it's organic seeds, so no pesticides.
And then we put a box around it to cut out the light completely. Then we refrigerate it at the factory. We refrigerate it in transit if it's on the road longer than two weeks.
So when we send to Europe and Asia and Australia, it actually shipped refrigerated. And then in the stores, it's refrigerated.
And then at home you refrigerate it. And then we say, okay, once you open the bottle, you know, you mix it in food, you never use it for frying. You add it to foods after they come off the heat source. You can put it in hot pasta sauce and on steamed veggies, but put it on after they come out of the, off the heat and just put it on just before you eat them.
And then you can mix it in those foods. So that works. And once you open the bottle, air starts to get in and then you start slowly starts to go rancid.
So we say use the bottle. Use it up within eight weeks once you've opened it. If it's refrigerated, it's got a year. And if you want a long-term keeping, I say buy it by the case, stick it in your freezer. The oil shrinks when you freeze it, so you won't break the bottles. And once you freeze the oil, the molecules don't move. When the molecules don't move, they don't meet. And when they don't meet, they can't react.
Right? It's like I had a joke about that. It's like if everybody on the planet was frozen in place, Nobody would get pregnant.
So, you know, if there's no movement, there's no chemistry.
Cass Arcuri | 44:01
With that, your bottles are fine to put in the freezer because I know there's not much headspace on them so that you don't have an explosion because sometimes with glass in the freezer.
Udo Erasmus | 44:11
Yeah, water expands when it freezes, so it'll bust the bottle. Almost everything else shrinks. Oil shrinks when you freeze it. I have it in my freezer all the time. I get it by the case. And it's simpler, you know, and you don't have to buy one every time and you don't have to drive. And, you know, it's all better for the environment. It's cheaper from the transport.
So it's actually a smart thing to do. And you got the freezer anyway.
So it just sits there and I take it out one bottle at a time, keep it in the fridge. So that's where that whole thing came from.
And then the year after I got poisoned... Omega-6 was known to be essential in 1929, but it was proven definitely 1968 with intravenous nutrition.
Well, for omega-3s, there was confusion about an omega-6 derivative that looks pretty much the same and the omega-3 essential fatty acid. They talked about it in the 1930s, but it was not established as essential until 1981. Happened to be the year after I got poisoned and I was right there in the journals when that research came out and I thought, And then they said 99% of the population doesn't get enough omega-3 for optimum health. And I had an epiphany. It's like, my God, if we can make them with health in mind and we can bring them back to the population, my God, we could help almost everybody. And you know how good it feels when you help in your heart?
You know how good it feels in your heart? My God, I found a purpose. My God, this is worth doing. And that was the drive. That was the driver, that enthusiasm, that realization was the driver behind that whole project. And we worked our butts off and we didn't have any money. I feel like for 15 years, I didn't have any money.
Like building it. I just felt it needed to be done. I moved in with my mother. Got free room and board and my mother while I wrote the book. And so then it took me..
So 1980, when I got poisoned, 1981, I started working on oils. Black Soul came out in 1986. The company started in 1987. That was a disaster company. I call it my social project. I never made any money on it.
Anyway, so, but it was something worth doing. And I'm the kind of guy, you know, it's like, I feel good about my life.
You know, I feel cared for. Super cared for. I have peace. Because it's in there. I just go in there sometimes when I want to feel loved. I just go where the love is. It's in there. Life loves the body unconditionally.
So anyway, so I was good to do it because it needed to be done. Because it wasn't about money. It wasn't about, if I do this and if I become famous, I'll just feel better. Aim is completely off. Stupid. Actually, it's completely stupid. People treat you different. You can't have a normal conversation.
You know, when people... It's like, you know, so that was the drive.
And then we literally turned flax oil into the second highest selling oil in the natural foods industry. Because that's where we were active within two years. We did a tour in a van without air conditioning in the hottest months of the year. 30, 5 states, 17,000 miles by road, 85 city and cities in 101 days. Talk to everybody who would listen and that enthusiasm So people got excited. Everybody wanted to, you know, it was like, It was amazing. It was like a divine. Intervention you know, and a divine push.
You know, to do something really awesome. And we didn't cut any corners and we set the standards. And if people didn't want to follow our standards, we wouldn't do business with them because we said these are very fragile oils, especially omega-3s. They need that care. If you don't give them that care, they lose their benefits. We are only working with people who are willing to give them the care that we give them. Because then they're going to work and they're going to help people.
And then a lot of people started getting good results from flax oil, you know, and what was this, you know, talking about the title. Oils made with health in mind. Not oils made with shelf life in mind.
You know, oils made without damage, not oils 1% damage where a tablespoon gets you 50%. Sixty. A quintillion damaged molecules.
So that was the project. But if you want to be really cool about it, is required by every cell in the body. Highest amount is in the brain. And omega-3 is required in brain function, in sperm formation, vision, When a woman is pregnant, omega-3s are super important because she has to build a brain in her body. In her womb. And she has to maintain her brain in her head. And if she doesn't have enough omega-3s in her diet. Then the kid will take him out of her head. Because nature says, well, mom's the pest. Child's the future. If we have to, we will sacrifice the past for the future.
So then what happens in the research, they say, Every child depletes the mother further and because most women don't get enough omega-3s in their diet. Each child gets less than the previous child. They've actually... Studied that and measured it, right? And they think it's the reason why the oldest kids are the are on average the most intelligent. Obviously, there are other factors involved. And they say women need to make sure they have a reliable source of both essential fatty acids, and I would add to that undamaged and non-toxic, In their diet? Both for their own health and the health of their children. And they think it's the reason why women get two to 15 times more often than men depression, Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, collagen, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. And they say that deficiency of omega-3s or depletion of omega-3s sets them up for those conditions in a way that men are not set up because men never get pregnant.
So that's like huge. And then we've done studies with, we work with a plant. I became omega-6 deficient on flax oil. This is very high in omega-3 and quite low in omega-6, about four times more omega-3 than six. And I ended up with dry eyes, skipped heartbeats, arthritis-like pain in my finger joints and thin papery skin, classic omega-6 deficiency symptoms, fixed it by eating sunflower seeds because they have a lot of oil. And they have a lot of omega-6 and they have no omega-3s.
So the balance between the two is important. Because the same enzymes convert them into all the other things they get turned into.
So if you get too much of one, it'll crowd out the other. If you get too much of the other, it'll crowd out the one.
So the balance is important. Flax is poorly balanced.
So then we developed a blend where the balance is right. And so I've been working with that. We gave that to athletes. It's about... About 40% to 50% omega-3s. And half of that omega-6.
So we give it to athletes. We had them do their sport to exhaustion before they got the oil. And we measured how far they could go.
And then 30 days after starting on a tablespoon per 50 pounds of body weight per day, of the oil blend mixed in food and the intake spread out over the course of the day. Their increase in performance, when they did their sport to exhaustion, went up by 40 to 60% on average. 40 to 60%. There's no training program that gets you those kind of results. That's the difference the oil can make when it's made with health in mind.
Len Arcuri | 52:38
And you talked about, well, you're talking about athletes now, you talked about the importance for the mother and pregnant women. What about specifically the children, the kids, perhaps children who are on the spectrum, especially? I know you're not a doctor, you're not giving medical advice, but for the grown brains of those kids, who are on the spectrum, who perhaps have challenges with their immune system and just be maybe more susceptible to harm from toxins like damaged oils. What are your thoughts on that particular population?
Udo Erasmus | 53:12
Do you know who Bernie Rimland is?
Len Arcuri | 53:14
He was the founder of the Autism Research Institute.
Udo Erasmus | 53:18
Yeah, well, I worked with him and I talked with him. And when we came out with the oil, I don't remember how we got connected. He said when we give the omega-3s to the autistic kids, he was using vitamin B6 was one of them. And I think he was using magnesium. Is that right?
Yeah. It was a long time ago.
Yeah. So he said, when we added... When we added the omega-3s, we got better results. And I can tell you in part why. Part is because the brain requires them. They elevate mood and lift depression. There's research on that. They because most kids are autistic or not autistic, get too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3. The omega-6s can turn into inflammatory molecules Omega-3 inhibits that. To inhibit, so omega-3s bring down inflammation. Omega-6s increase energy level and oxygen metabolism. That's probably good for brain function. And one of the things that's really cool, I think, is that to the extent that autism comes from toxicity, and I don't, you know, I don't know all the research on it, but there's a number of pesticides and, you know, they're Again, like the stuff industrial... Pesticides, what do they say? We're swimming in an industrial chemical soup these days, right?
So one of the things that happens is any of those toxins that are oil soluble, If you give a kid enough oil, And it's.. If you optimize intake, You literally will help the kid remove toxins through the skin. Bye sweating. Okay. And we measure optimal intake by how skin feels. If your skin is dry, you need more of the right kind of oil. In winter, you need more than in summer because you burn quite a bit of it for energy. But whatever makes your skin soft, smooth, and velvety. Because skin gets them last and loses them first. Because the inner organs get priority on it. Brain and heart get priority on it. Because if you didn't get omega-3s for your brain and your heart, you'd be history.
So skin gets it last. So optimum comes from?
You know, you're optimistic. Optimum when your skin is soft, smooth and velvety. Right. That's how we measure it. Right. Now, if you want to do if you want to sweat out toxins, then you want to take a little more than that.
And then you literally are going to find the oil soluble toxins in the oil part of the sweat. And there has been people who have done that with oils. With Ancient Orange. Vietnam veterans, they put them in a sauna for 15 to 30 minutes every day for three to six months. They could measure the Agent Orange in the oil part of the sweat and they could monitor its decrease in their body. Okay, so that's not very well known that you can actually detox oil soluble toxins, which are some of the worst toxins. And you don't get them out. You can't pee them out. They don't go through your kidneys.
So it's hard to get rid of them. But they will dissolve in the oil and you can actually sweat them out through your pores.
And then basically just wash them Yeah, if the oil is dirty, you're going to have pesticides in there.
Len Arcuri | 56:45
Off. If you're consuming the right oils.
Udo Erasmus | 56:52
You're going to add that and you're going to have damaged molecules. You don't want to add that. And you're going to have plastic, you don't want to add that, right? No, these have to be oils. The purer, the better. The cleaner, the better.
Len Arcuri | 57:04
And especially since you came out with your line, there's so many options now. This is something that is better understood about the opportunity of getting fats and the right oils correct. A lot of products on the market, I know as Kat always says, you got to look at the ingredients, you got to look at the manufacturing because a lot of seemingly quote unquote healthy oils may be damaged or may have a lot of stuff that you don't want.
Udo Erasmus | 57:30
Yes, some of the damaged oils only have healthy marketing.
Cass Arcuri | 57:34
Well, that's food in general, right? Yeah, of course. What I loved is your attention to the color of the glass that your product's in, the box that it comes in, that it's refrigerated, even in trans... All of these things because like that's take for granted because like, The plastic, most, so many oils are in plastic and some might be black, but it's still plastic.
So you're still getting phthalates. And so like.
Udo Erasmus | 58:02
Yeah. So we didn't cut any corners. If there was anything else that needed to be done, we would have done it. Because it was like, it was that kind of a, just that kind of a project, right? Now, the other thing is that, you know, we're talking about oils are bad and don't use seed oils and don't use omega-6s.
So the work that the people do who write those books You know, on the one hand, it's true. You know, the research done on oils comes out, says there are some problems. But what they haven't done the homework that I had to do when my head exploded.
You know, they haven't looked deeply enough to understand. So what they're doing is they're blaming the oil. For something that should be blamed on the damage done to it. That should be blamed on the processing that should be blamed on the bad food use.
So because omega-6 is just as essential as omega-3, but part of it is damaged. So what we do is bring omega-6 and omega-3, both made with health in mind, put them together in the right ratio. Put them in glass. Protect them from light, You know what? Do all of that.
So that you're actually getting both essential fatty acids made with health in mind. And in the right ratio so that one doesn't crowd out the other and they can both do their work in the body.
So it's really well thought through. So you've got to give credit for the people who say there's something.
Something you've got to pay attention with oil. But you got to say, guys, you need to do a little more homework. They haven't done their homework. We did that homework for over 40 years ago. And some of those guys who write those books, they should be talking to me. And none of the people who write those books have ever talked to me. Even though I'm in the hall of fame in the Canadian Health Food Association for creating an industry of making oils with health in mind.
You know, I mean, it's interesting, you know, it's like.
Len Arcuri | 01:00:03
The truth stands alone. So again, so- Yeah, sometimes.
So appreciate you sharing all this again. And people, when the shout outs will include links. But you really have at least helped me understand for sure that the 99 because i was definitely one of those people like hey one percent they ain't so bad.
Udo Erasmus | 01:00:23
Yeah well when he said that to me i mean i went by here well maybe i'm overreacting yeah and then you can but then when in doubt do the math especially.
Len Arcuri | 01:00:31
Now there's so much to worry about and cast and i are you know are very aware of a lot of the toxins that are out there and are trying to help people make better decisions if you try to get to 100 you'll go crazy so in most cases 99 is Good enough. But I think what you've shed light on is that 1%, particularly for these damaged oils, that that's much more insidious than people would think. And I wish you had another question so I could redeem myself.
Cass Arcuri | 01:00:57
I feel.
Len Arcuri | 01:00:58
Like I was way off.
Udo Erasmus | 01:01:01
There is that, except 1% is not good enough. If you can do 0%.
Len Arcuri | 01:01:08
If that's an option, and it is.
Udo Erasmus | 01:01:10
Right. And it is an option. That's the point, you know, but you have to set the standard. Always, you got to set the standard. And, you know, my standard, basically my standard, the standard is I am come not to judge, but to love. That's the standard. That's the master standard. That's the standard of the masters to humanity. That's the standard of life to your body. And the idea I am come not to judge, but to love. What does that take to live in line with that? You've got to do the best you can, not just about the best you can.
Cass Arcuri | 01:01:45
Yeah, I would love to have you back on another episode future because I know you have more wisdom to share with us because we haven't even touched the surface on greens and probiotics and prebiotics. So I'd love to go deep another time with you if that would work.
Udo Erasmus | 01:02:00
Let's do it. Yeah.
Len Arcuri | 01:02:01
I think we're a wrap for today. So this is the episode with you. We'll continue it. Thank you so much again. And yeah, we will absolutely look forward to next time. Thanks so much.
Udo Erasmus | 01:02:11
And thank you. Thank you for bringing somebody good looking on the show here. You Thank you.
Len Arcuri | 01:02:17
Deserve the best, you know, you deserve the best.
Udo Erasmus | 01:02:22
No, you guys are awesome. I love what you, what you're doing. It's so important.
Cass Arcuri | 01:02:28
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