Good and Evil Fats

 

On our journey to “What does it mean to be healthy” we stopped to learn about the differences in fats. Last week we skimmed the surface on this. We know we NEED fats, but there is such a vast difference among them, that we definitely need to understand this before going any further.

Recap on GOOD fats: Good fats fill you up, they have this amazing satisfying capability that nothing else comes close to. In fact, studies show that the more fat you eat and less carbs, the more weight you can lose! You don’t need “empty” calories, because your body is getting what it needs, amazing! They also help make you look and feel younger and fats help regulate blood sugar. Score!

Great! Eat Fat!

But, now that you are becoming the CFO (Chef Food Officer) of your health, lets learn about healthy fats and the scary, “omg, I can’t believe they make this crap” fats.

Once upon a time, there was a man who proclaimed to America that saturated fat was the cause of cardiovascular disease, (although statistical evidence was sloppy and unrealistic). Margarine companies ran with this idea, knowing that if people thought butter clogged arteries they would turn to them. The man went on to declare that margarine made from vegetable oil was the healthy option and not even a decade after this proclamation, we how found one of the biggest health blunders known to man.

Unfortunately this is not a fairy tale, its true life. One of my all time favorite and life shaking books I’ve ever read is called “Deep Nutrition” by Dr. Cate Shanahan. I have spent countless hours rereading this chapter and making sure I’m really understanding the implications here. Now, I feel it is my job, not only has a health profession, but as a fellow human, to let you know about the fat misconception.

I beg you, I implore you, to stop using bad fats. Bad fats include vegetable oil, canola oil,  soy oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, and all fake butters.

So why shouldn’t I use them? “Vegetable oils contain mostly heat-sensitive polyunsaturated fats. When heated, these fragile fats turn in to toxic compounds including trans fats” Deep Nutrition.

Another nightmare type aspect of these fats is that they actually reproduce in your body. They come in to contact with normal fatty acids and poof, you’ve doubled your load of bad fats. When you eat these type of fats, free radicals appear, causing destruction every where.

free radicals are high-energy electrons that are involved in every known disease. DN

Trans fats cause heart disease by literally frying the arteries. Saturated fats are natural, nature didn’t create artery tearing fats, humans did, and now we need to fix it!

We have to start being true gate keeps to our bodies. Every thing you eat has an impact on your cells!

Pro tips: Good Fats

• Heat good fats: coconut oil, ghee & avocado oil have excellent heat points
• They don’t cause heart attacks
• Nature makes excellent sources of good fats
• Fats are satiating
• Your brain loves good fats
• Grab the fattier meats

Pro tips: Bad Fats

• Stop eating bad fats. period
• Ok, I’ll give you one more, start with not adding these to any thing, cut them out of cooking, then move on to food labels.