What is the truth?
Good fats? Bad fats? We know that we cannot rely on the American Heart Association or the FDA to give us the true facts. I believe that knowledge is truly power and the more that we know the better informed decisions that we can make. So let’s take fats and look at some facts about them then perhaps. we can make better decisions.
Believe it or not the American heart association is at it again stating, “Because coconut oil increases LDL cholesterol, a cause of cardiovascular disease, and has no know offsetting favorable effects, we advise against the use of coconut oil.” The problem is that the information that they used to come up with their statement is based on very old research, from the 60 and 70’s and this is when the. low fat era started. Sadder yet, the four studies that they used to come up with this recommendation did not even involve coconut oil. They also urged people to replace saturated fats with margarine, (a hydrogenated oil), vegetable oil and corn oils and suggested that this could cut heart disease risk by as much as 30%.
Yikes is all I can say! Margarine often contains deadly trans fat and polyunsaturated oils that are very easily oxidized and highly inflammatory which increase risk of cellular damage. It has been proven that a diet loaded with these fats causes obesity, metabolic syndrome, heart and cardiovascular damage and even blindness.
Polyunsaturated fats also known as PUFAS especially when heated or struck by UV light when seen in the skin, are vulnerable to oxidative damage. When this happens they become toxic lipid oxidation products also known as LOPS which promote heart attacks, stroke and the buildup of arterial plaque. A very large study that was published in the British Medical Journal from 1966–1973 proved that vegetable oil consumption was linked to an increase of death. Here is a quote from the press release”…Clinical trial shows that replacing saturated animal fats with omega-6 polyunsaturated vegetable fats is linked to an increased risk of death among patients with heart disease.”
Western diets, (yes USA, that is us), have a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 that. are somewhere between 20:1 or 30:1. Studies show that a diet rich in omega-6 fatty acids promotes inflammation, increases the risk of blood clots and constricts blood vessels. The best ratio is 1:1 or 2:1 so we do not need any more omega-6 fats. Inside your cell is the mitochondria it is the power of the cell. Omega-6 overdose damages the mitochondria and symptoms such as tiredness, headaches, and accelerated aging occurs. Eating healthy fats will fuel the mitochondria. They burn clean and are resistant to oxidative damage. Good fats are even better than carbohydrates for your mitochondria.
Vegetable oil is terrible for your metabolism and slows the flow of nutrients into the cell and waste out of the cell taking the ability of the mitochondria to produce energy to a crippling level. These fats cannot be used for energy.
Inflammation is a primary cause of disease and because the eye is so delicate that it has been found that a diet rich in PUFAS double the risk of blindness. (The Macular Degeneration Foundation study). Another study found that those who used an excess of vegetable oil, blindness from macular degeneration increased 3.8 times faster than those who ate less.
High fats have been found to assist in longevity, high carbs are linked to early death. The American Heart Association is not giving good advice. Just read studies about margarine and oils such as soybean and corn and what it does to your body. Just eat real food. Consume healthy fats, grass fed beef, poultry and pork that have not been filled with hormones or fed food that comes from genetically modified or genetically engineered products. Coconut oil is an MCT oil which means it helps your body to burn fat. Avocados are a really good fat for you and will not raise your cholesterol. When you eat these foods you are providing your body with clean burning cellular food and minimizing bi-products that are harmful to your metabolism.
Shop the perimeter of the supermarket, skipping the doughnuts and processed foods. Shop at your local farm markets and ask if the food is genetically modified and engineered. If it is, don’t eat it. Learn which foods are best to purchase organic and which ones really do not matter is they are organic or not. Stay informed and don’t believe everything you hear and read. Knowledge is power. Soak it up.
