FAQs On Fats - Secrets From The Fat War Revealed
Author: Robert William Locke
Fats have got a bad press. They are demonized and many diets will recommend that you cut them out. But your body needs a certain amount of fat to function like a well serviced machine and fat is vital for your overall health. Researchers tell us that your cells are made up of one main component and guess what that is – FAT ! But of course there are good fats and bad fats. Let us get the bad fats out of the way first. How come these bad fats are no good? Well, they do not allow all those cells to perform properly and therefore your body has to work overtime to keep healthy and stave off nasty diseases which begin to plague as we get older. I am talking about heart disease and diabetes and strokes as well as cancer. Then your body will not function as well for building muscle and burning off fat. What sort of foods contain these bad fats? All those biscuits, cakes, cereals, fried foods and snacks which are heavily processed. Now, if you eat the good fats, then your body is going to work much more efficiently because they are are also going to kick in to optimize hormone production which are so essential for muscle gain and fat loss. They also have another vital role to play and that is they allow your body to make use of all the vitamins and minerals you eat.
The diet gurus tell us to go for a low fat diet. That kind of diet will stave off heart disease and obesity. We will also live a very long time without any major health problems! That is not the whole story. But what they do NOT tell you is that if you cut out or restrict your intake of any one of the macronutrients (carbs, proteins or fat), then your body is not going to function like the well-oiled machine it should be. All three of these essential elements are vital if the body is to perform properly. Dr Mary Enig is one of the leading fat and lipids experts in the world to-day. She has pointed to several examples of populations eating a high-fat diet and yet remaining free of all the degenerative diseases that we westerners suffer from. These people have a low heart disease rate, do not suffer from obesity and live much longer than we do !
She gives an example of the Masai tribe in Africa who remain free from degenerative diseases and maintain low body fat percentages on diets consisting of lots of raw whole milk, blood, and meat. She also quotes the Samburu tribe of Africa. These people eat up to 5 times the quantity of fat (from whole milk and meat) than the average American!. Which ones are disease free and lean and fit ? The Samburu tribe of course. And the Americans ? They suffer from an alarming obesity rate and suffer form chronic degenerative illnesses which are a drain on the American economy in terms of work days lost etc. And not forgetting a great favourite of mine - traditional Mediterranean diets, which are known to be very high in fat (sometimes up to 70% fat), and are also well known to be very healthy?
So what is going on ? Well, all the nutritionists and even governments have been fooled into thinking that all fats are bad and that all fat should be cut out ! The problem is that all the good fats (or those that are unprocessed) have been put in the same category as all the bad fats contained in all those highly processed fats and oils which make up a very high proportion of the food on our supermarket shelves. They are everywhere – in the restaurants, pizzerias, delis, fast food joints etc. So, you need to keep your wits about you and eyes wide open! I am not recommending that you consume up to 75% of your calories in natural unprocessed fat! If you exercise regularly and are active, then all you need to do is to make sure that your body is getting a sufficient supply of carbs, protein and fat and that you are staying in your range of daily calorie intake. I am going to list some of the healthiest fatty foods and the deadly ones to avoid !
Here are the good fats to go for:-
Coconut fat: Coconut fat is approximately 92% saturated fat, yet oddly enough, it is a healthy natural fat. The health benefits of coconut fat lie in its composition of approximately 65% medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Specifically, about 50% of coconut fat is a MCT called lauric acid, which has very potent anti-microbial properties which boost your immune system. Coconut oil is also an excellent cooking oil for stir-frying, etc. since saturated fats are much more stable and do not oxidize like polyunsaturated oils when exposed to heat and light, which creates damaging free radicals. Try fresh coconut, organic coconut milk and virgin coconut oil.
Dark, bittersweet chocolate (>70% cocoa): Look for a quality dark chocolate that lists its cocoa content between 70%-80%. A dark chocolate with cocoa content in this range will contain mostly cocoa and very little sugar. Do not forget that although dark chocolate can be a healthy treat, it is still calorie dense, so keeping it to just a square or two is a good idea.
Look out for high fat fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout, etc. These are great sources of omega 3.
Nuts (any and all - walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamias, etc.): Nuts are great sources of healthy unprocessed fats as well as minerals and other trace nutrients. Macadamias, almonds, and cashews are great sources of monounsaturated fats, while walnuts are a good source of unprocessed polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3’s). Go for roasted nuts rather than those cooked in oil.
Here are the deadly ones to avoid!
Hydrogenated oils (trans fats): These are industrially produced chemically altered oils subjected to extremely high pressure and temperature, with added industrial solvents such as hexane for extraction, and have a metal catalyst added to promote the artificial hydrogenation, followed by bleaching and deodorizing agents…..and somehow the FDA still allows this crap to pass as food. These oils aren’t even worthy of your lawnmower, much less your body! They’ve been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more.
Refined oils: Even if the oils are not hydrogenated, most oils on your supermarket shelves are refined, even most of the so called “healthy” canola oils. Even most refined oils still undergo the high temperature, high pressure, solvent extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing processes. Anything labelled vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and even many canola oils have been damaged by this refining process. This damages the natural structure of the fats, destroys natural antioxidants, creates free radicals, and produces a generally unhealthy product. Take note that the explosion of heart disease in the middle of the 20th century coincides quite nicely with the rapid increase in the use of hydrogenated and refined oils in the food supply at that time.
Avoid like the plague any fried foods such as French fries, donuts and fried chicken just to mention a few.
Once food such as milk is pasteurised it is also homogenized it poses a real danger once it gets inside your body! Unfortunately, you will find it almost impossible to find raw milk in the US unless you personally know a farmer. Check out realmilk.com for more info on the benefits of raw milk and to find out if it’s available near you. As an alternative, cultured dairy products like yogurt have at least had beneficial microorganisms added back to them making them better for you. Realistically, since you probably won’t find raw milk, sticking to skim milk is the best option. If you use butter for cooking, cultured organic butter is the best option.
I hope this article has shed some light on the truth about dietary fats and made you realize their importance in a healthy diet.
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Robert Locke is a specialist in Wellness.
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