Good Fats = Good Health
This may be some shocking news, but we need more healthy fats in our diets. Every cell in our body is surrounded by a “phospholipid” bilayer making fat a key building block of all of our cells – of which we have trillions! This means it’s surrounded by a two-sided fatty layer that contains primarily fatty acids. The integrity of that layer plays a huge role in the transportation of nutrients, minerals, and waste materials in and out of that cell. When we eat low-fat, no-fat or poor quality fat, that layer is compromised and thus the workings of our cell health is too. Deficiencies in fatty acids are at epidemic levels. If you suffer from any of the following, this article is important for you: musculoskeletal issues, hormone imbalances, PMS symptoms, cardiovascular issues, imbalanced immunity, allergies, dry/flaky skin, joint pain, arthritis, mood disorders, learning disabilities, weight gain, acne, vision issues and inflammation.
When bad things happen to good fats
Unfortunately, the commercial processing of oils ruins them. Most fats and oils are good for us, but large scale, industrialized processing uses high heat, and the oils are stored in clear plastic containers, allowing the sun through, that make the contents toxic. They are also exposed to air which makes them oxidize and turn rancid. And there are in fact some oils on the market that are not meant for human consumption. More on that later.
There are several different types of oils, and some are more fragile than others. It’s important that we know what oils are good for cooking with heat and which ones are best not heated, but maybe just drizzled on our food after cooking it (or better yet on a fresh salad i.e. olive oil). Heating can destroy some of the good qualities of our more fragile oils making them less available to the body and sometimes making them toxic.
Before the industrialization of oil processing, our ancestors ate a ratio of about 4:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3 fats. Through my nutritional training we are supposed to get a ratio of approximately 3:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3 fats. The average American eating a Standard American Diet (SAD) is getting a ratio of 18:1! This is directly attributed to the high rate of disease we see in our populations today.
This image reflects how out of balance our omega-3 to omega-6 consumption is currently.
So, here’s the deal. How do I get good, healthy fats into my diet?
When cooking with heat, use fats that are saturated or monounsaturated. This includes things like lard, coconut oil, ghee, butter and tallow from the saturated fat category, and things like avocado, extra virgin olive oil, almond oil, and pecan oil from the monounsaturated fat category. It’s important that all the oils are of good quality and the animal fats are pasture raised. The more delicate monounsatured oils should also be expeller-pressed and cold pressed. Olive oil should be extra virgin, first pressed, expeller-pressed and cold pressed. All monunstaurated and polyunsatured oils should be in dark bottles (preferably not plastic) and be kept out of the sunlight and the lid should be kept on tightly.
The following chart helps to see what fats tend to be more saturated and monounsaturated and therefore, lend themselves to cooking with higher heat. A key point to notice is that all fats and oils have components of nearly all types of fats, so when looking for balance it’s important to keep this in mind.
The following chart is provided to help see at a glance what fats and oils are best for cooking.
A word of caution
If you continue eating a Standard American Diet that is high in simple and processed carbohydrates, you will gain weight! Don’t blame the fats, blame the empty carbs! You must remove those chips, snacks, sodas and other unhealthy foods from your diet. They are full of over processed delicate Omega-6 oils and are more than likely toxic. Replace them with healthy carbohydrates that will mostly come from vegetables, grains and legumes (beans, peas, etc.).
Adding fats to your diet will not make you fat, it’s all the empty calories in the unhealthy, highly processed carbohydrates that make you gain weight. You’ll also need to eliminate fake sweeteners. They fake out the brain and make you gain more weight. And some of them have been proven to cause cancer.
Fats are key for our health, but it is a complex topic as well. For those that want a deep dive here are two articles that give you more in-depth information.
Know your Fats from the Weston A Price Foundation https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/know-your-fats/the-skinny-on-fats/
Fats and Oils FAQ’s from the Weston A. Price Foundation https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/faq-fats-and-oils/
Better yet, contact Optimal You and we’ll get you on the path to a healthy fatty acid balance that will help you feel so much better!