Good Fats/ Bad Fats

Before I do this section, I want to talk briefly about Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats. As we both know, Omega-6 and Omega-3's are essential fatty acids, that we need in order to survive. They are important precursors that affect a ton of things in our body, and it's important to have a balance of them, in order to maintain healthy function and flow in our bodies. In the typical American diet, there is wayyy too much Omega-6 and very little Omega 3. An imbalance of too much Omega-6 can contribute to inflammation, lipid peroxidation and heart disease, due to Omega-6's ability to promote blood clotting.

So it's important to choose fats that A: have a balance ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 and B: To have a low percentage of polyunsaturated fat percentage in general. For reasons that are too complicated to explain right here, it's better to balance them at a low level than to balance them at a high level. You're better off having less of both. To know more, visit http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/search?q=eicosanoid    He goes into great detail and has a great series. Scroll down to Eicosanoids and Ischemic Heart Disease. Infact, read all his blogs. He explains things really well. 

The Best Fats to Eat! Saturated fat!

#1 Butter/Cream: Butter has an almost perfect balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio and also is a good source of vitamins including some that are rare, such as vitamin K-2. Butter is also a good source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is believed to have anti-cancer properties and other benefits. Please note that, butter from cows that are allowed to graze on fresh grass has more of everything I've mentioned. So it's best to get that if you can. Always aim for grass fed dairy products.

#2 Ruminant Fat: That includes, Beef, Lamb, Bison and probably any other 4 legged animal that eats grass. These in particular have a good balance of omega-6 to omega-3, as well as a very low total amount of polyunsaturated fat. They also contain CLA, and possibly other biologically valuable compounds. Similarly to dairy, animal fat contains more nutrients when it comes from grass fed animals. So again, aim for free ranged, grass fed animals as much as possible.

#3 Egg Yolk: The fats in egg yolks are amazing. Provided that the eggs come from chickens that get to run around outdoors in the grass to eat whatever they can find. Chickens are not vegetarians, and they shouldn't be fed like one. Also, don't be fooled by labels that say free ranged, cage free or organic. These are mostly marketing gimmicks. None of these things mean that the eggs are healthier. Look into the farm the eggs are coming from to really find out. If you can't afford real pastured chicken eggs, at least get the kind that are fortified with omega-3. These eggs have a good balance of essential fats, and a ton of important fat soluble nutrients.

#4 Coconut: In general you will want to avoid any plant fats, because they are typically inferior. However, coconut oil has a number of advantages. It is highly saturated and very low in polyunsaturated fats; it contains lauric acid, which is a fatty acid also found in breast milk which is believed to strengthen the immune system; it contains medium-chain triglycerides that pretty much turn into energy right away and don't get stored as fat; there are so many good things about coconut oil that several authors have written entire books about it. Coconut oil is a great alternative.

#5 Lard/Duck Fat: Lard coming from Pigs and ducks do not have the greatest ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 as compared to larger ruminants such as cows, but it's still vastly better than most fats out there. They have a pretty good saturated/monounsaturated fat ratio. Their fatty acid composition is very similar to olive oil. I wouldn't make it my main fat everyday, but you shouldn't stress about it either. If lard is the worst fat in your diet, then you're doing great. I would also like to mention chicken fat in this section. I do not recommend eating much chicken fat at all. Chicken has a lot of omega-6, so I'd try to avoid it as much as possible. Unless it's from chickens that really spend their time in grassy pastures, but that's going to be really expensive. I'd avoid it, except on a special occasion.  

#6 Palm kernel oil: Palm kernel oil is similar to coconut oil. It has great saturated fat content, low polyunsaturates and a lot of benefits. Do keep in mind, Palm oil is different then Palm kernel oil. Palm oil, the red one in particular is a good source of vitamin E, and is mostly saturated fat, but not as good as Palm kernel oil. I would not make this my primary fat, but it is still a good alternative.

Bad fats to avoid completely. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Soybean oil

Corn oil

Cottonseed oil

Sunflower oil

safflower oil

rapeseed/Canola oil

peanut oil
Trans Fat/Partially Hydrogenated Oils

These oils are the ones you will see in 99% of food items. They are not food, do not eat them under any circumstances if you want to be healthy. If you buy any prepared foods, be sure to read the labels and don't ever just assume it's okay to eat.  It would be wise to get into the habit of checking the ingredients in foods before you buy them.  Your health is important, don't be fooled by things that say “All Natural” or even things that are “100% Organic”. There's even such a thing as organic soybean oil, and that's still bad. DO NOT buy into the marketing to make yourself feel better. Take a second to read the actual ingredients, your health depends on it.  

One last thing I would like to mention about these 2 oils specifically.

Olive oil- It's highly over-rated. Saturated fat is always going to be better. But if you love the taste of olive oil, I would recommend to only use it for flavor. Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat, so frying with it is not a good idea. It also has more omega-6, so unless you're using it for flavor, I wouldn't bother with it. 

Canola oil – Canola oil is often recommended by nutritionists because it is high in monounsaturated fat, like olive oil, and also contains a good ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fat, at first glance. However, in reality, canola oil is so processed and refined that virtually all of its high polyunsaturated fat content will be oxidized or transformed into evil trans-fat before it even gets to the store! The seemingly good amount of Omega-3 is misleading because you'll never get the benefit of any of it. All you will get is a bunch of nasty, unstable oxidized lipids. Stay away from canola oil and eat real food, instead.


Extra Extra!!

Me and my husband were walking through PCC Market, and we stumbled across their news letter. On the front page, it read "The truth about fats."  I can honestly say, I didn't pay much attention to it; I just kept on walking. At this point, I'm sick of reading false information the media tells everyone.  But my husband grabbed it, skimmed through it, smiled at me and said "They actually got it right this time"  So I grabbed the paper, read it and was so excited to finally read something backing up what I've been saying for so long.  And the fact that it was by an actual nutritionist made me even more excited; most nutritionists you see say the same thing, "Saturated fat is bad." I've lost all hope in them until I read this article. I'm pleased to say I found it online for you all to read.  It was written by Cherie Calbom, who has a masters in nutritional science.  <3!!! http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/1010/sc1010-fats.html