It is likely that you are aware that there are many
different forms of fat which you knowingly or
unwittingly eat every day. You are probably also
aware that some types of fat are bad for you and
conversely some are good... but, are you sure which
ones they are?
If you are not certain and you would like to know,
then this article is devoted just for you. I will
attempt to explain the basic facts that you need to
know so that you will not allow 'bad; fats to damage
your health and you can use the 'good' fats to enhance it.
You will often find that dietary fats are put into two
simplistic categories. One being saturated fats and the
other being unsaturated fats. You are told that saturated
fats are bad and unsaturated fats are good. But, is it
as simple as that? No, its not! Before we look at these
closer lets discuss the real 'baddie' fat which is in
a category of its own. This is because it is 'man made'.
Maybe we should call this fat the 'ugly' one because it
does the most damage.
I'm talking about Transfats or Hydrogenated fats... or, oils
OK, what are they, how are they made and where do I find them?
First of all you find them almost everywhere. In most
processed foods including cookies, solid and semi solid
margarines, commercial cooking oils and many domestic
cooking oils. Look carefully at the labels of any processed
food that you buy. If you see hydrogenated or partially
hydrogenated on the label put it back on the shelf.
Hydrogenated fats are produced by taking liquid oil and
putting it through a process called hydrogenation. This
is a process which combines heat and pressure to add
several hydrogen atoms to the oil. This process which
takes place at around 400 degrees F for several hours in
the presence of a nickel or platinum catalyst converts
the liquid to a semi solid.
This helps prevent the oil from becoming rancid even
though it destroys its nutritional value. This process
enables manufacturers to convert cheap low quality oils
into butter substitutes... hence the explosion of margarines
on the market.
These reprocessed oils and fats are completely foreign to
the body and it cannot assimilate them. There is therefore
no nutritional value to them at all. Studies have shown
that hydrogenated fats and oils are significant contributors
to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, immunity and
reproduction problems, as well as obesity.
Give them a wide berth!
What about saturated fats?
These are the fats which are found in animal fats, red
meat, poultry skin, and dairy products. Also some
vegetable oils such as coconuts and palm oil are high
in saturated fat.
These are the fats that the mainstream media warns you
to stay away from. This is either through ignorance or
influence from their advertisers, or both. There is no
doubt that eating saturated fats in excess would not be
good for you, but this principle applies to virtually
all food.
The simple fact is that your body is designed to cope
with saturated fats and has been since the first human
walked the earth. Not only are our bodies designed to
cope with the ingestion of a certain amount of saturated
fats, our bodies also need it. I accept that many people
have too high an intake of dietary fat, but it is not
usually through this source, but rather from trans or
hydrogenated fats.
Saturated fats are natural whose molecules have not been
'bent out of shape'! I'm not kidding...the molecules of
transfats are actually distorted into an unnatural
configuration.
Cut out all hydrogenated fats and oils and enjoy that
juicy steak.
OK, what about the unsaturated fats?
There are two types of unsaturated fats. Poly-unsaturated
and mono-unsaturated.
It is generally believed that all unsaturated fats are
OK, but this is not the case. Poly-unsaturated fats are
bad for your health and are consumed in excessive
amounts. They should be avoided.
Polyunsaturated fats are found in safflower, corn,
sunflower and ... soybean vegetable oils. They remain
liquid at room temperature. They do not have any
redeeming health benefits. They are widely used because
they are cheap and although they contain Omega 6 essential
fatty acids most people get far too much Omega 6 which
must be partially offset by Omega 3 essential fatty
acids. More on that shortly!
Switch your polyunsaturated oils to mono-unsaturated.
The most common sources of mono-unsaturated fats are
olive oil, rapeseed oil, hazelnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts,
cashews, avocado, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds.
Oils made from these foods are much more stable at high
temperatures than the poly-unsaturated alternatives, and
they do not have the negative health implications. The
best oil for cooking is without doubt EXTRA virgin olive
oil. I put the 'extra' in caps because it so important.
Most of the mono-unsaturated oils have been through
varying degrees of processing. The more processing,
the greater is the loss of the nutrients. The best is
cold mechanically pressed oils which are often processed
in darkness because of the sensitivity of these oils to
light and oxidation.
Studies have shown that a quality cold pressed extra
virgin olive oil will help lower the bad LDL cholesterol
and raise the good HDL cholesterol. However, ordinary
virgin olive oil makes no change.
So, only use quality mono-unsaturated oils for your
cooking needs.
Where do Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential
fatty acids fit into all this?
This is another subject all on its own, so I will just
try and give you the outline in a nutshell!
As the name suggests Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty
acids are just that... they are 'essential'. Many, many
ailments can be traced to a shortage of one of these...
specifically Omega 3. There are schools of thought which
believe the increasing incidence of brain disease is
directly attributable to a shortage of Omega 3. I think
that is credible.
There is no shortage of Omega 6 in the typical western
diet. In fact there is a general over consumption of
this as it is present in most cooking oils. The problem
is a deficiency of the Omega 3. The optimum ratio of
Omega 6 to Omega 3 is 3:1. Over the last couple of
decades that ratio has got out of control where it is
now estimated that the ratio is something like 20:1 or
maybe even as high as 50:1.
Start adding Omega 3 essential fatty acids into your
regular diet. The best natural source is flax seeds. Go
to your local health food store and buy some ground flax
seeds (preferably organic) and sprinkle a heaped
tablespoon on your food every day. You can also get
omega 3 from oily fishes such as salmon. The problem
there though is the difficulty of getting fish which is
100% free of contaminants.
