Healthy Information
Not All Fats Are Created Equally Nov 13, 2008Dr. Carlos Santo
Fat has gotten a terrible rap over recent decades and the food and drug industry has profited handsomely in its wake. Yet despite our increasing efforts to achieve a low fat intake, we have witnessed a more than doubling of the obesity rate over the past twenty years. Trends show that by 2025, we will see an approximate 70% prevalence of obesity, unless we start to make some radical changes really soon.
Certain fats known as essential fats, or omega-3 fats, are necessary for our survival, and eating them can actually boost our metabolism and help us burn fat. Deficiencies in these crucial nutrients are associated with an increase in weight gain, not to mention heart disease, depression, and cancer, to boot. Sources of essential fats include deep ocean water fish, free-range eggs, and wild game. Unfortunately, the majority of factory farmed animal products are quite low in these vital fat sources due to lack of exercise and substandard nutrition in most livestock.
But I'm a vegetarian. Plant sources of essential fats are high fat, super healthy foods such as avocados, coconuts, and olives. In fact, certain Mediterranean populations whose diets are rich in these foods have lower heart disease and obesity than elsewhere in the world. Flax seeds and hemp seeds provide about the highest vegetarian source of Omega-3 fats. They are great ground up and sprinkled over salads or cereal, or taken in liquid or capsule form.
What are trans fats all about? The fats to avoid at all costs are the trans fats. Our body has no ability to recognize these artificially created chemicals so when we eat them they wreak a whole lot of havoc. Food companies like to use them because they're inexpensive and foods may then be labeled "cholesterol-free." The irony is that trans fats might likely raise cholesterol levels!
Trans fats come from ingredients listed as hydrogenated vegetable oils and are commonly found in margarine and other butter replacements, and processed foods such as crackers, cookies, and chips. We also create trans fats any time we heat oils to high temperatures such as in deep-frying and sautéing. The general rule I like to follow: "If it's liquid at room temperature, don't heat it."
In fact, the best fats to cook with are good old butter or coconut oil because they hold up well under heat and create little to no trans fats in the process.
Yes, essential fatty acid supplements are plentiful on health food store shelves. People have been using them for decades to improve their pain and stiffness, elevate their spirits, and to help calm hyperactive kids. They are certainly great as backup but I suggest first getting a healthy amount of these healing oils in a well-balanced, natural diet.