Confused About Fats? Important Information You Need to Know
Confused About Fats?
The following nutrient-rich traditional fats have nourished healthy population groups for thousands of years:
For Cooking
Butter
Tallow and suet from beef and lamb
Lard from pigs
Chicken, goose and duck fat
Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils
For Salads
Extra virgin olive oil (also OK for cooking)
Expeller-expressed sesame and peanut oils
Expeller-expressed flax oil (in small amounts)
The following newfangled fats can cause cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, sterility, learning disabilities, growth problems and osteoporosis:
- All hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils
- Industrially processed liquid oils such as soy, corn, safflower, cottonseed and canola
- Fats and oils (especially vegetable oils) heated to very high temperatures in processing and frying.
Trans Fats vs. Saturated Fats – You May Be Surprised
Dietitians and government spokespersons are finally admitting that trans fats have many harmful effects; unfortunately, they continue to insist that trans fats are “just as bad” as saturated fats (the kind found in butter, meat fat and the tropical oils), implying that saturated fats are very harmful. In fact, saturated fats play many important roles in the body chemistry and have the opposite effect of trans fats.
- Trans fats raise Lp(a) (indicating they cause heart disease), while saturated fats lower Lp(a).
- Trans fats interfere with immune function, while saturated fats enhance immune func- tion.
- Trans fats inhibit the body’s use of omega-3 fatty acids and the production of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, while saturated fats enhance the body’s use of omega-3 fatty acids and the production of the long-chain versions.
- Foods containing trans fats are associated with increased asthma; saturated fats are needed for the proper functioning of the lungs.
- Trans fats contribute to weight gain, while some types of saturated fats (the medium- chain triglycerides) boost metabolism and help with weight loss.
- Transfats are associated with increased cancer and decreased fertility. Sources of saturated fat, such as butter and meat fats, contain many nutrients that fight against cancer and promote fertility.
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