Some people cringe when
they hear the word "fatty" or "fats". They think of all the weight
they will gain with fatty foods. But this need not be, if we
understand which fats to take and which fats to avoid. In fact,
when we take the good fats, it actually can help facilitate weight loss.
There are essential fats,
and non-essential fats. Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are called
such because they are just essential. Yet many of us omit these
from our dietary and take the non-essential kinds of fats instead.
If we can only differentiate the type of fats we take¾cutting
out the killer fats, and take more of the healing fats, then we could
reduce/reverse many unnecessary health problems.
What Are
The Killer Fats?
Before I tell you what the EFAs
are, let me share with you which type of fats are killer fats¾fats
that you need to avoid and cut out from your dietary.
Saturated Fats: Also
called "hard fats" found mostly in red meat, animal fats,
milk, butter,
cheese, sour cream, and palm kernel. They are
semi-solid to solid at room temperature. When consumed, these fats
tend to clump together and form deposits, along with protein and
cholesterol. They get lodged in our cells, blood cells and organs,
leading to many health problems, including obesity, heart diseases,
stroke, cancers of breast and colon.
Transfat:
Transfat is man-made oil. By processing and refining vegetable
oils, the structure of polyunsaturated oil is altered into hard fats
that our body cannot use. This process is called hydrogenation.
Margarine is an example that has gone through this process. When
put under a microscope, the molecules of margarine is very similar to
that of plastic! Do we want to eat this?
Most processed foods in
the market are loaded with trans-fat: French fries, onion
rings, fast (fried) foods, commercially baked cakes, cookies, crackers,
muffins, pies, croissants, cereals, peanut butter, chocolate, potato
chips and even ice creams.
Most
vegetable cooking oils fall under this category of unhealthy fats.
Further, when it is used
for frying, the high temperature oxidizes the oil, turning it rancid and
toxic for the body. Many commercial restaurants and fast-food
establishments repeatedly reuse the same cooking oil for deep-frying
until it becomes dark and rancid. When ingested, this oil
generates harmful
free radicals that are carcinogenic in the body.
Vegetable oils are
originally nutritionally rich, but through the process of refining and
processing to increase shelf life, the EFAs had been destroyed.
The following are what we get when we purchase vegetable cooking oils
off the supermarket shelves:
Mass-produced oils are
processed using very high temperature and pressure causing the loss
of nutritional substances such as lecithin, vitamins A and E,
minerals, chlorophyll. Together with these, the natural aroma
is removed, rendering it bland and odorless.
Petrochemical solvents
are used to extract the oil from the seeds, thus residues of these
chemicals may be included in the oils.
Synthetic (man-made)
anti-oxidants are added to preserve the shelf-life of the oils.
When ingested, these cause degeneration of our cells, leading to
degenerative diseases.
The liquid oils are
contained in transparent plastic bottles. The light that goes
through these bottles continues to deteriorate whatever nutrition
that is left of the oils.
Some examples of
hydrogenated oils are from palm oil, safflower oil, sunflower seed oil,
cotton seed oil and corn oil. Do not be deceived by the name which
may sound "natural and healthy".
Safer cooking oil to use
are virgin olive oil for light cooking, and grapeseed oil for high heat
cooking. These are usually contained in dark glass bottles, thus
preserving its nutrients. They are less likely to oxidize.
Our body cannot use these
trans-fatty acids, so they simply just sit around fatty tissues and
around the body's organs, blocking out the essential fatty acids.
When this happens, it inhibits enzymes to work and interferes with
prostaglandin production, causing havoc with blood pressure and normal
platelet action.
Other problems that are
caused by these harmful fats:
Cardiovascular
diseases: The
free radicals from ingestion of trans-fat irritate the walls of the
blood vessels. When this happens, calcium is sent to soothe the
irritation. However, when calcium arrives at the "scene" the
presence of oxidants combine with the calcium, turn them into plaques
that clog up the arteries. Clogging of arteries causes
hypertension. When blood flow to the heart is stopped, a heart attack occurs.
When blood flow to the brain is stopped, a stroke occurs.
Hormonal imbalance:
A reckless diet of high carbohydrate, sugar, processed foods and
trans-fat causes havoc to the production of hormones, rendering an
imbalanced in hormones. Along with hormonal imbalance are many
other symptoms like menstruation disorders in women, prostate problems
in men and
excessive hair loss.
Immune system:
Trans-fat (heat-damaged fat) and poor eating habits block enzymes from doing
its job of regulating EFA metabolism properly. This leads to
the immune system breakdown and development of auto-immune diseases
similar to lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Mental sluggishness:
As our brain is largely composed of fat, the wrong kinds of fats
ingested can induce the lipid rich parts of the brain to oxidize and
break down. These harmful oils, whether hydrogenated or partially
hydrogenated, promote inflammation and deterioration of our brain cells.
Obesity: The
saturated fat that we consume are stuffed into storage cells called
adipose cells. These storage cells can well up to 1,000 times its
own size so it is used to store up a big amount of fats. Saturated
fats, which are flat, stack up easily in these cells, causing obesity,
but not without a host of many other health problems.
The twentieth century diet
is a good recipe for high cholesterol. Trans-fat is found in
almost every processed food that you can purchase from the supermarket.
We know that this type of fat can lower your "good" cholesterol (HDL)
and increase your "bad" cholesterol (LDL).
Even though LDL (low
density lipoproteins) are necessary for our body function, a high level
of it in the presence of free radicals cause oxidation (inflammation) of the
blood that contribute to the arterial plaque build-up and
hardening of the arteries, leading to heart attacks, strokes, and
aneurysms.
This video below explains
the dangers of trans-fat very well.
How Do We Avoid These Killer Fats?
Governments are now aware
of the dangers of trans-fat, and some governments have actually banned
trans-fat in restaurant foods. However, it would not be totally
eliminated from modern day diet. Most cooking oils are already
damaged by processing; and in the name of economy, cheap oils will
always still be used for commercial cooking.
The FDA rules that if a
single serving contains more than 0.5 grams or more trans-fat then it
must be listed on the Supplement Facts panel of the food packaging.
So packaging may list trans-fat as 0 gram. But zero does not
always mean zero as they most likely still contain 0.5 gram of
trans-fat. And these are often also marketed as "reduced fat" or
"zero fat" or "low fat". Even 0.5 gram per serving quickly adds
up.
Where possible, avoid these killer fats
by:
Avoiding fast foods and any
commercially prepared food cooked in oil
Avoiding processed foods
Reading the labels¾look
for "hydrogenated oil" or "partially hydrogenated oil" even though
the label may say "trans-fat 0g"
Increase on your fruits and vegetables
intake. Drink fresh juices regularly in order to supply your body
with natural
anti-oxidants that can help reduce the harmful oxidation caused by
these dangerous fats.
Also, learn in the following pages about
the essential fatty acids (EFAs) which can help you to reverse most
conditions already damaged by the non-essential and harmful fatty acids.
Most
vegetable cooking oils fall under this category of unhealthy fats.
Further, when it is used
for frying, the high temperature oxidizes the oil, turning it rancid and
toxic for the body. Many commercial restaurants and fast-food
establishments repeatedly reuse the same cooking oil for deep-frying
until it becomes dark and rancid. When ingested, this oil
generates harmful
