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Health & Fitness

The Skinny on Fats

Are you eating the right fats?

Fat is the most feared word in the entire Health and Wellness world, especially in commercial fitness/nutrition. There is an underground movement of very well educated people who prove through history, research, and clinical experience that fat is not the bad guy. Fat has become public enemy #1 to all, especially saturated fat, whether the goal is fat-loss, weight-loss, or the far reaching six-pack ab crowd.

Unfortunately low-fat or non-fat diet is not the key to success. Yes there are bad fats, usually it is the bad fats being consumed and the nutritional ones which are dismissed. Flawed logic, clever marketing, and propaganda have brainwashed people in thinking (bad fats) are healthy, (good fats) are unhealthy.

I am not a betting man, but I will wager a fair sum of money that people who eat proper amounts of (good) fats are not fat. On the contrary the frequent dieter who abstains from fat is more likely to be fat from consuming a lot of high calorie foods that are nutrient empty. Eating fat has no correlation with getting or being fat. It’s all a myth, so stop drinking the Kool-Aid. Lets breakdown the good/bad types of fat.

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Saturated Fat (Good):

The fat that has been vilified by the “experts” in the industry. The fat that has been linked to countless diseases, but yet never scientifically proven to actually cause them. The sources of saturated fat come from animal proteins and tropical oils (coconut and palm). Too complex to explain, but on a molecular structure level these fats are extremely stable. Meaning they’re less likely to go rancid when cooking and producing damaging free radicals. They are usually solid or semi-solid at room temperature. Saturated fat is needed in almost every function and structure in the body. The brain is mostly made up of saturated fat. If so why wouldn’t one eat more fat in order to nourish the brain? Natural healthy sources of saturated fat can be found in egg yolks, meat fats, coconut oil, palm oil and raw sources of butters, creams, milk.

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Monounsaturated Fat (Good):

The only source of this fat is in food as oleic acid, which is the main component in olive oil and sesame oil. It is also the oil in almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, and avocado. These fats are found to be liquid at room temperature. Use the oils for minimal cooking, due to high heat denaturing the original structure. This means it isn’t the same oil you started cooking with and all the health benefits are lost. Saturated fat can be used by the body to produce monounsaturated fats when needed.

Polyunsaturated Fat (Good):

The body cannot make these fats, so they can be referred to as “essential” because they must be obtained from foods. The two main sources are Linoleic acid (omega-6) and Linolenic acid (omega-3). It is liquid even when refrigerated. These fats as oils can be highly reactive (read below for the bad side of these fats). The ratio between these fats should be kept to a 3 to 1 or 2 to 1 omega-6 to omega-3 and no more. This ratio can naturally stay balanced by eating real foods. There are plenty of sources of proper omega-6 in legumes, nuts, animal fats. Ideal omega-3 is found in eggs, cod-liver oil. Throw out all vegetable cooking oils to avoid unbalancing the respective ratios.

Polyunsaturated Fat (Bad):

Vegetable oils are highly reactive and unstable, they go through extreme production processes. All of these oils are heated to excessive temperatures which causes them to spoil and go rancid. These rancid oils smell really bad so the next step is to go through a deodorizing process to remove the stench. Some oils have been partially hydrogenated to alter their chemical structure. When used for cooking, the heat denatures the oil which produce free radicals. Free radicals are unbalanced molecules that scavenge the body for other molecules to steal from and destroy. This is a simple explanation of what is known as oxidative stress. Inflammation in the body occurs from the onslaught of oxidative stress, in the form of wrinkles to body aches and pains. The main oils that are detrimental to our health are the ones we’re told to be the “healthiest” options. Vegetable oils are high in omega-6 fatty-acid content. Excessive consumption of omega-6 will unbalance the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, which can lead to unhealthy situations. The best option is to eliminate corn, safflower, soy, and sunflower oils. Plenty of the necessary sources are in real food.

Trans Fat (Bad):

The food industry has created this extremely unhealthy fat by altering the natural structure of polyunsaturated fat. A hydrogen molecule is forced into polyunsaturated fatty acid, which is termed “partial hydrogenation”. The goal was to create trans fat to behave like its natural/healthy counterpart saturated fat. This is the fat that is in all processed foods, fast foods, margarine, almost all packaged, and manufactured foods. This oil is the preferred source by the food companies. It is cheap and easy to manufacture. Polyunsaturated fat is also extremely cheap to produce. So not only is vegetable oil rancid and unstable, now it structure has been compromised again. It is pretty much a chemical disaster. Trans fat also have a longer shelf life, real food spoils. Again they don’t have your health in mind. Trans fat can harm many different body functions and promote weight gain. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science has stated there is no safe level of trans fat in the diet.

I always preach to please, do you and your body a favor and eat well. We only get one body. Conduct your own research, read more books, challenge what doesn’t sound right. Don’t take everything you hear to be set in stone. Most commercial and government institutions do not have your health in mind just your money. Eat more saturated fat, your body will thank you now, and you can thank me later.

Sources: Enig Ph.D., Mary and Fallon, Sally. Eat Fat, Lose Fat (New York, New York, Penguin Books 2005)

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