Don’t fear the wrong fats
We live in a world that fears fat! We eat foods that are low-fat or nonfat dairy and we. look for the leanest cuts of animal fats. In many ways, it seems that we are trying to eradicate fat from our world. This is a problem. Our diets consist of what we call “macronutrients.” When you hear that term you only have to think of three things: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. All the foods that we put into our bodies fall into one of those three categories. Fats are just as important to our body as carbohydrates and proteins, and recovering our health requires the right types of fat. If you haven’t already, I invite you to download my free Simple 3-Step Plan to get more information about starting to address the cause of your health problems.
Every cell in our body has a membrane made of fat. Many of the hormones we make require fat. How did fat get such a bad rap? Years ago, the sugar industry paid scientists to blame fat for heart disease.1 I discuss this in more detail in my blog about skeletal muscle. While that doesn’t explain the entire picture, it does begin to point to the villainization of fats and why we have such an adverse reaction to the idea of fats.
To complicate matters even more, not all fats are made the same, just like all carbohydrates and proteins are not created the same. Some are much better for us than others. Animal fats are much better for us than fats from seeds. Foods fried in fats are not as healthy as air fried or lightly baked foods. Most of our fat intake comes in the form of oils, and just as there are a variety of kinds of oils, there are differences in the health value of the different types. For instance, oils which come from seeds are highly processed, reactive and unstable, and generally contain toxic byproducts used in the extraction process. These oils are termed “The Hateful Eight.”
Highly processed industrial seed and vegetable oils that are highly derived from seeds include canola, corn, soy, sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, grape seed, and rice bran. These are the Hateful Eight! These oils contribute to problems with metabolism which leads to a variety of conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The byproducts they contain also increase the toxicity in our body which then requires more effort to detoxify to avoid developing into cancers and other diseases of toxicity. Even without directly developing diseases, these oils contribute to inflammation leading to a whole host of other disease processes.
Our cells are pretty tough. In fact, the nucleus of cells can be removed and the cell can continue to live for some time afterwards. However, if the membrane loses integrity, the cell dies rapidly. If you recall, the membrane is made almost entirely of lipids, another name for fats. When these cheaper, highly processed seed and vegetable oils are consumed, they displace the necessary fats out of the membrane. The result is they become more rigid and brittle, leading to rapid cellular death. The necessary fats that should be in the membrane are called Essential Fatty Acids or EFAs. When we consume EFAs, we give our body a much better chance to thrive.
Essential Fatty Acids are called “essential” because we cannot create them within our body and must obtain them from our food. There are two categories of EFAs, you may have heard of them, they are Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. We get so much Omega-6 in our diets that it really isn’t worth going into more detail. Omega-3s on the other hand, play a much bigger role in maintaining health and are mostly found in oils produced from fish. Whereas Omega-6s lead to a path of creating an inflammatory response, Omega-3s actually generate an anti-inflammatory response. This is due to two types of acid found in Omega-3s, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
Both EPA and DHA have profound anti-inflammatory properties alone, but together they compliment each other. In fact, they are much more effective for reducing inflammation when they are in a ratio of roughly 2:1 EPA:DHA. There are a variety of recommendations for different ratios of these acids, however when looking specifically at inflammation, this is the best ratio. This is a very similar ratio that I have formulated for my Omega-3 Recovery supplementation. You can get more information about it here. My custom blend not only helps lower inflammation, but works to support healthy glucose and insulin metabolism, while also supporting cardiovascular health, among other benefits. As these Omega-3s are primarily derived from fish, it is crucial to get them sourced from clean systems. The regulation and processing of the fish that I use for my Omega-3 Recovery is detailed in the link above, and great care is used to produce the highest quality oils for my supplements.
Restoring your function is not about perfection. If you know me, you know my saying, “progress not perfection,” and that applies to so many aspects of our lives. It is so difficult to get away from something 100%, especially something so ubiquitous as cheap, highly-processed seed and vegetable oils. It’s about increasing the volume of healthy fats that you eat. The more you create a favorable ratio between the healthy fats and the bad fats that you eat, the more you will start to see positive changes in your health. With the knowledge you now have, you can stop fearing the wrong types of fat and start making informed choices about getting the right types!
References
1) Domonoske C. 50 years ago, sugar industry quietly paid scientists to point blame at fat. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074/50-years-ago-sugar-industry-quietly-paid-scientists-to-point-blame-at-fat. Published September 13, 2016. Accessed August 22, 2022.
