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The Shocking Truth about Dietary Fats and Saturated Fats
by Mike Geary - CPT; Founder
TruthAboutAbs.com
I’ll preface this article by saying that it will help if you have an open
mind and accept that some of these facts are a slap in the face to politically
correct nutrition in this day and age where fats are admonished by many doctors,
health "experts", and the mass media.
To start, eating an adequate supply of healthy dietary fats is vitally
important to your overall health. Fats are one of the main components in all of
the cell membranes throughout your entire body. If you eat enough healthy
natural fats, your cellular processes will proceed normally. On the other hand,
if you eat man-made, heavily processed, chemically altered fats (damaged fats)
that are found in most processed foods, your cellular function will be impaired
as these damaged fats become part of your cell membranes, the body will have to
work harder to operate correctly, and degenerative diseases can develop.
In addition, healthy dietary fats are necessary for optimal hormone
production and balance within the body and are therefore essential for the
muscle building and fat burning processes. Other important functions that
dietary fats play in a healthy body are aiding vitamin and mineral utilization,
enzyme regulation, energy, etc.
I cringe every time I hear so called "health experts" recommend restriction
of dietary fat, claiming that a low-fat diet is the key to good health, weight
loss, and prevention of degenerative diseases. Restriction of any one
macronutrient (protein, carbs, or fat) in your diet works against what your body
needs and can only lead to problems.
All three basic macronutrients serve important functions for a lean, healthy,
and disease-free body. As Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D, and one of the leading fats
researchers in the world, notes in several of her books and articles, there is
very little true scientific evidence supporting the assertion that a high fat
diet is bad for us. For example, if these so called "health experts" that
admonish fat are correct, and a low-fat diet is the solution to good health,
then why did traditional Pacific Islanders who typically obtained 2/3 to 3/4 of
their total daily calories from fat (mostly from coconut fat), remain virtually
free from heart disease, obesity, and other modern degenerative diseases (that
is, until Western dietary influences invaded)? Also, why did traditional Eskimo
populations, consuming up to 75% of their total caloric intake from fat (mostly
from whale blubber, seal fat, organ meats, and cold water fish), display
superior health and longevity without heart disease or obesity? Why did members
of the Masai tribe in Africa remain free from degenerative diseases and maintain
low body fat percentages on diets consisting of large quantities of raw whole
milk, blood, and meat? What about the Samburu tribe of Africa, which eats an
average of 5 times the quantity of dietary fat (mostly from raw whole milk and
meat) as overweight, disease-ridden Americans, yet Samburu members are lean,
healthy, and free of degenerative diseases? What about traditional Mediterranean
diets, which are known to be very high in fat (sometimes up to 70% fat), and are
also well known to be very healthy?
These examples of high fat diets and the associated excellent health of
traditional populations around the world go on and on, yet it seems that many
doctors, nutritionists, and government agencies still ignore these facts and
continue to promote a diet that restricts fat intake. Well, the problem is that
the good fats (the natural unprocessed health promoting fats) have gotten
mistakenly lumped together in nutritional advice with the deadly processed fats
and oils that make up a large percentage of almost all processed food that is
sold at your local grocery store, restaurant, deli, fast food joint, etc. These
deadly processed fats are literally everywhere and almost impossible to avoid
unless you know what to look for and make smart choices in what you feed your
body with.
Take note that I’m not recommending following a super high fat diet. Active
individuals that exercise on a regular basis certainly also need adequate
supplies of healthy carbohydrates for energy and muscle glycogen replenishment
as well as good sources of protein for muscle repair. The above examples of the
high fat diets of traditional populations and their corresponding excellent
health were simply to prove the point that you don’t need to be afraid of
dietary fats as long as you make healthy natural choices and stay within your
daily caloric range to maintain or lose weight (depending on your goals).
Following is a list of some of the healthiest fatty foods (some will surprise
you!) as well as some of the deadliest fatty foods to try to avoid at all costs:
The Healthy Fatty Food Choices:
- Coconut fat: Coconut fat is approximately 92% saturated fat, yet
surprisingly to most people, is considered a very healthy natural fat. The
health benefits of coconut fat lie in its composition of approximately 65%
medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Specifically, about 50% of coconut fat is
a MCT called lauric acid, which has very potent anti-microbial properties
helping to enhance the immune system. Also, MCTs are more easily utilized
for immediate energy instead of being stored as body fat. Coconut oil is
also an excellent cooking oil for stir-frying, etc. since saturated fats are
much more stable and do not oxidize like polyunsaturated oils when exposed
to heat and light, which creates damaging free radicals. The best sources of
healthy coconut fat are organic coconut milk, virgin coconut oil (available
at
http://coconut-info.com), or fresh coconut.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil is approximately 71% monounsaturated,
16% saturated, and 13% polyunsaturated. Choose “extra virgin” olive oil,
which comes from the first pressing of the olives and has higher quantities
of antioxidants. Unlike most other oils on supermarket shelves, extra virgin
olive oil is not extracted with the use of harmful industrial solvents and
is one of your healthiest choices for liquid oils. Try making your own salad
dressing by mixing a small amount of olive oil with vinegar. This is
healthier than most store bought salad dressings, which are usually made
with highly processed and refined (chemically damaged) soybean oil extracted
with industrial solvents.
- Dark, bittersweet chocolate (>70% cocoa): The cocoa bean is a very
concentrated source of antioxidants and responsible for part of the health
benefit of dark chocolate. The fat portion of the cocoa bean (cocoa butter)
is a healthy natural fat, composed of approximately 59% saturated fat
(mostly healthy stearic acid), 38% monounsaturated fat, and 3%
polyunsaturated fat. I’ll limit the description of healthy chocolate to ONLY
dark bittersweet chocolate with >70% cocoa content. Most milk chocolates are
only about 30% cocoa, and even most dark chocolates are only about 55%
cocoa, leaving the remainder of those products composed of high amounts of
sugar, milk fat, corn sweeteners, etc. Look for a quality dark chocolate
that lists its cocoa content like Chocolove Extra Dark (77%) or Dagoba New
Moon (74%), which contain mostly cocoa and very little sugar. Keep in mind
that although dark chocolate can be a healthy treat, it is still calorie
dense, so keeping it to just a square or two is a good idea.
- Avocados or guacamole: The fat in avocados (depending on where they’re
grown) is approximately 60% monounsaturated, 25% saturated, and 15%
polyunsaturated. Avocados are a very healthy natural food that provides many
nutrients, fiber, and healthful fats, while adding a rich flavor to any
meal. Try sliced avocado on sandwiches or in salads or use guacamole in
wraps, sandwiches, or quesadillas.
- High fat fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout,
etc.: Just about any fish or seafood are good sources of natural omega-3
polyunsaturated fats, but the higher fat fish listed above are the best
sources of omega-3’s. Due to the radical switch to a higher proportion of
omega-6 polyunsaturated fats like soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, etc.
in our food supply during the middle of the 20th century, the average
western diet is currently way too high in omega-6’s compared to omega-3’s,
which wreaks havoc in your body. This is where good omega-3 sources like
high fat fish, walnuts, and flax seeds can help bring you back to a better
ratio of omega-6/omega-3.
- Nuts (any and all - walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamias,
etc.): Nuts are great sources of healthy unprocessed fats as well as
minerals and other trace nutrients. Macadamias, almonds, and cashews are
great sources of monounsaturated fats, while walnuts are a good source of
unprocessed polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3’s). Try to avoid nuts
that are cooked in oil. Instead, choose raw or dry roasted nuts.
- Seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds): All of
these seeds are great sources of natural unprocessed healthy fats. In
particular, flax seeds have received a lot of attention lately due to their
high omega-3 content. However, keep in mind that omega-3 polyunsaturated
fats are highly reactive to heat and light, and prone to oxidation and free
radical production. Therefore, freshly ground flax seed is the only way to
go. Instead of using the store bought ground flax seed, you can buy whole
flax seed and use one of those miniature coffee grinders to grind your own
flax seed. Try grinding fresh flax seed into your yogurt, cereal, or even
your salad. If you’re using a flax oil, make sure it’s a cold-pressed oil in
a light-proof refrigerated container, and use it up within a few weeks to
prevent it from going rancid. NEVER cook with flax oil!
- The fat in organically raised, free-range animals: This is where most
people have been misinformed by the mass media. Animal fat is inherently
good for us, that is, if it came from a healthy animal. Human beings have
thrived on animal fats for thousands of years. The problem is, most mass
produced animal products today do not come from healthy animals. They come
from animals given loads of antibiotics and fattened up with hormones and
fed un-natural feed. The solution is to choose organically raised,
free-range meats, eggs, and dairy. At this time, the price is still a little
higher, but as demand grows, the prices will come down.
The Deadly Fatty Foods:
- Hydrogenated oils (trans fats): These are industrially produced
chemically altered oils subjected to extremely high pressure and
temperature, with added industrial solvents such as hexane for extraction,
and have a metal catalyst added to promote the artificial hydrogenation,
followed by bleaching and deodorizing agents…..and somehow the FDA still
allows this crap to pass as food. These oils aren’t even worthy of your
lawnmower, much less your body! They’ve been linked to obesity, heart
disease, diabetes, cancer, and more. Even small quantities have been shown
in studies to be dangerous. If you care about your health, check the
ingredients of everything you buy, and if you see partially hydrogenated
oils of any kind, margarine, or shortening, protect yourself and your family
by choosing something else. The FDA has mandated that all food manufacturers
are required to show the quantity of trans fat on all labels by January
2006.
- Refined oils: Even if the oils are not hydrogenated, most oils on your
supermarket shelves are refined, even most of the so called “healthy” canola
oils. Most refined oils still undergo the high temperature, high pressure,
solvent extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing processes. Anything labeled
vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and
even many canola oils have been damaged by this refining process (unless
they say "virgin" or "cold expeller pressed"). This damages the natural
structure of the fats, destroys natural antioxidants, creates free radicals,
and produces a generally unhealthy product. Take note that the explosion of
heart disease in the middle of the 20th century coincides quite nicely with
the rapid increase in the use of hydrogenated and refined oils in the food
supply.
- Anything deep fried: including tortilla chips, potato chips, French
fries, donuts, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, etc. All of this crap
shouldn't even pass as real food in my opinion!
- Homogenized milk fat - Milk fat is a very healthy fat in its natural raw
state. Milk and beef from grass fed organically raised cows is known to have
higher quantities of healthy fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and
omega-3 fatty acids compared with grain fed cows. Traditional populations
around the world have thrived in perfect health while consuming huge
quantities of raw, non-pasteurized, non-homogenized, full fat dairy
products. Once again, food processing ruins a good thing by pasteurizing and
homogenizing milk fat, rendering it potentially dangerous inside the human
body. Unfortunately, you will find it almost impossible to find raw milk in
the US unless you personally know a farmer. Check out
http://www.realmilk.com for more info on the benefits of
raw milk and to find out if it’s available near you. As an alternative,
cultured dairy products like yogurt have at least had beneficial
microorganisms added back to them making them better for you. Realistically,
since you probably won’t find raw milk, sticking to skim milk is the best
option to avoid the homogenized milk fat. If you use butter for cooking, a
good healthy choice is cultured organic butter.
I hope this article has shed some light on the truth about dietary fats and
made you realize their importance in a healthy diet. A fully comprehensive
analysis on dietary protein, carbohydrates, and fat, and how to compile all of
this information into a diet that promotes a lean healthy body with a low body
fat percentage is provided in my book, “Truth
about Six Pack Abs book.” Give it a try and you won’t be
disappointed!
Visit
the Official Truth about Six Pack Abs Site.
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