Healthy Fats vs Fat Free and Beneficial fats such as Olive Oil and Coconut Oil
We often have to educate ourselves to eat healthy fats such as olive and coconut oils again – in a culture that has gone crazy about “fat free.” Healthy fats are essential to hormone production and vital functions of body, brain, nerves, hair and skin, as discussed in this video on Vegetarian Weight Loss. We may have a distorted view of fat in the diet because we live in a culture where there is too much saturated and trans fat in many foods used for flavor, filler and to get us “addicted.”If we’re health conscious we want to get away from these things – yet need to re-educate ourselves to consume healthy fats.
Let’s take a look at:
- healthy fats: olive oil and coconut oil
- fat relating to weight loss and nutrition
- fats to avoid such as trans and saturated fats, margarine and commercial vegetable oils
We require regular intake of healthy fats to create energy and burn the “bad” fat. This becomes particularly noticeable when we lower our intake of animal foods. Often we think we need protein when what we really need is healthy fat. Olive oil and avocado contain mono-saturated oils, which science is now demonstrating lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise the “good” HDL. Here is a great salad recipe with raw foodist Dennis, age 63, using virgin olive oil and avocado.
Scientists have identified a compound in olive oil called oleuropein which prevents the LDL cholesterol from sticking to the inside of arteries, thus lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart attack. Olive oil has shown through many generations and ancient tradition in the Mediterranean to be at the core of health producing dietary practices with statistically lower incidences of cancer and heart disease. Here’s a great site to learn more about nutritious olive oil.
Coconut Oil – Many Benefits
Coconut oil was given a bad rap in the 1950s when research was being done on saturated fats. What we really need to avoid like the plague is processed fats such as shortening and margarine – which contain trans-fat and are large contributors to Alzheimers and cardiovascular disease.
Coconut oil contains monolauren, a fatty acid that has antiviral antibacterial qualities, and is effective against microorganisms such as candida. It contains medium chain fatty acids and is absorbed and burned for energy, rather than going to storage in the fat cells. Monolauren is thought to improve cognitive function in type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemia, as well as improve cardiovascular health.
Coconut oil has also been found to have a positive effect on the thyroid, raising metabolism for leanness and weight loss. Be sure to buy the most natural, cold processed coconut oil and olive oil.
You will find these beneficial fats make your soups much more tasty, nourishing and sustaining. I often add them near the end of cooking time so they are basically raw when we eat them; however it’s also beneficial to add some during cooking time as the oil assists to draw some of the compounds to be more available from the herbs and spices. Toasted sesame oil adds a wonderful flavor and is part of the macrobiotic tradition. Shown to be beneficial for heart and kidneys it contains antioxidants, is protective of DNA, raises interleukin levels (disease fighting component of the blood), and is cancer protective particularly agains skin cancer and leukemia.
Natural food science sheds a new light beyond traditional eating practices.We should be very cautious around the consumption of margarine, a hydrogenated fat containing nickel, particularly clogging to arteries, and though most cooking oils are polyunsaturated, they are very toxic to the system. Here’s an excellent article on Fat Soluble Vitamins.
ABOUT DAIRY – If you consume dairy, please BUY ORGANIC. If you haven’t yet seen it, watch the Michael Moore movie, The Corporation. This movie has great insights on disease in commercial dairy production and manipulation of information by the food producers associations. Again, vote with your grocery bill when you can for organic food; it may cost a little more now but less in the long haul. Organic dairy products are high in CLA, conjugated linoleic acid, important to helping the body burn fat and preserve muscle tissue as noted in this article.
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Cholesterol does not stick to the inside of arteries. Cholesterol is one of the bodies main repair tools. Blaming heart disease on cholesterol is like blaming fires on firemen. Arterial disease is a result of inflammatory processes affecting the inside of the artery wall. One of the primary causes of inflammation is eating refined carbohydrates. Another is the consumption of large amounts of polyunsaturated fats and oils. They oxidize with extreme ease while monounsaturated and saturated much less so. Both refined carbohydrates and polyunsaturated also greatly increase the dangerous form of Low Density Lipoprotein, namely the small, dense particles which become oxidized and move into the artery wall. Saturated fats, in the absence of refined carbohydrates and starches increases the production of large fluffy LDL particles which are essentail for getting cholesterol to the cells of the body and as well as being a key component of the immune system.
While coconut oil can raise the level of lipoproteins (HDL and LDL), it causes a much greater increase in HDL which reduces the risk of heart disease. It is also important, as you pointed out, to use virgin coconut oil which has not been subjected to high temperatures.
Reading ingredient labels is crucial. Avoid any product that lists corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated anything. If you have a sweet tooth, try this experiment at a regular grocery store. Pretend you’re buying dessert and eliminate anything with high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated fats and see how long it takes to find a suitable item. Low fat also does not equate with healthy. Remember a five pound bag of sugar is fat-free. Lowfat or nonfat yogurts for example are usually loaded with fructose. The neat thing about fructose is that the body cannot burn it directly for fuel. It must first convert fructose to fatty acids in the liver before it can be utilized.
Lastly, avoid any processed food with more than three ingredients and buy from the perimeter of the store.
Right on! Thanks for sharing this great info!