|
Eat the Right Fat or Die
Prematurely!
(The truth about the big
"FAT" lies) |
(get printer friendly
"WORD" version of this article)
Go straight
to Eskimo Kids Omega Fish Oil
|
"The fats and oils
story may well be the greatest scandal of ignorance,
disinformation, and greed in the entire history of food
production. The effects of poorly processed oils are a
major causative factor in heart disease, cancer, and
most modern diseases that have affected hundreds of
millions of people all over the world."
John Finnegan, The
Facts About Fats |
For some
years now there has been a
'no-fat' or 'low-fat' craze.
But make no mistake. Fats are vital to
our health. Without the right fats in our diets we first
become ill, and then we die prematurely.
One of the main secrets to good health
is knowing which are the 'good' fats and which are
'bad'.
As Udo Erasmus states on the cover of
his best-selling book "Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill",
eating the right fats and oils improves:
-
energy level
-
athletic performance
-
fat loss
-
cardiovascular health
-
immune function
-
longevity
-
and more
We've all heard the 'old wives tale'
that fish is good for the brain. Now the evidence is
rolling in thick and fast of the importance of omega 3
oils for the brain, from the time of pre-conception,
through time spent in the womb building the brain and
nervous system, to school years and beyond.
Essential Fatty Acids' are called that,
because they really are ESSENTIAL. We die without them.
But first we become ill.
And it's not just the
omega-3 " which
everyone is talking about now.
There is much omega 6 to
consider too.
Yet, it
appears on the face of it, that we are getting too much
omega 6 already in our modern diets. And so we are. The
point is, by the time they have been processed, heated,
altered in the manufacturing process, and so on, they
are no longer good for us. On the contrary, they create
big problems for our health, and in spite of eating them
in our diet, many of us are still FUNCTIONALLY DEFICIENT in them, especially
children.
It has
been said recently by Jamie Oliver, popular chef of the
UK television programmes which highlighted the poor
nutritional quality of school dinners, that for the
first time ever, children are destined to die at a
younger age than their parents.
All this and beyond will be discussed in
the following chapters, clearly and precisely, in easy
language.
Best kept secret
One of the
best kept secrets of good health is to eat something
which most of us have been purposefully avoiding, out of fear that it would cause us to
put on weight and die of heart disease. A culture of
fear has surrounded this particular food group. The
reason why? For many years we have been fed misleading
and confusing information - indeed, nothing less than
lied to. The truth has been known for some years, but
vested interests did not want us to know.
It's worth repeating the quote in the
Foreword:
|
"The fats and oils
story may well be the greatest scandal of ignorance,
disinformation, and greed in the entire history of food
production. The effects of poorly processed oils are a
major causative factor in heart disease, cancer, and
most modern diseases that have affected hundreds of
millions of people all over the world." |
The truth is, that fats and oils in
their natural, unprocessed states, are vital for our
good health, whilst processed oils and most margarines
will eventually make us ill.
If you think about it, the oils come
from nuts and seeds. Each nut and seed contains the germ
of a new life, and all it needs to start growing a
completely new healthy plant is water and light. The nut
or seed contains all the nutrition the new plant needs.
But by the time the oil manufacturing companies have
finished with it, they have turned this healthy seed
into a toxic timebomb called 'pure vegetable oil' or
'pure safflower oil' or 'margarine'.
More on this later.
Some vital statistics
There are about 50 essential factors for
healthy life:
-
water
-
oxygen
-
light
-
a source of energy (most commonly starch
or glucose)
-
about 20 minerals
-
13 vitamins
-
8 amino acids (10 for children, 11 for
premature infants)
-
2 essential fatty acids
Our bodies cannot make these things, and
we must obtain them from our environment.
In addition to these 50 essential
factors, there are several which are not considered
'essential' but are required for good health. These
include fibre and friendly bacteria for the health of
our intestines, and digestive enzymes, bile and
hydrochloric acid for digestion of food.
Several surveys in both America and the
United Kingdom have shown that the majority of the
population are deficient in several (often many) nutrients.
Depending on which nutrient is involved, this will
inevitably lead to disease.
You can read more about this
in this newsletter on our sister site
Some of the functions of EFAs
-
Wherever intense biochemical activity
occurs - your nerve and brain cells, testes, adrenal
glands and sense organs - you will find
Essential Fatty
Acids
-
EFAs are found in all cell membranes,
nerve coverings, hormones and prostaglandins
(prostaglandins are similar to hormones, but are found
all over the body where they regulate inflammatory
response and have immune-enhancing functions)
-
EFAs are vital in the transfer of oxygen
to cells and in the conversion of food to energy
-
EFAs increase energy, elevating
metabolic rate by increasing fat burning efficiency
-
EFAs are required for the transport and
metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides (saturated
fats)
-
EFAs are needed for healthy skin, hair,
nails and for the healing process
-
There are two Essential Fatty Acids,
called:
Omega-3 Deficiency Symptoms:
In his book "Choosing the Right Fats", Udo Erasmus states "Your intake of n-3 (omega-3)
is likely to have decreased to 1/6 of what people
consumed in 1850. N-3 deficiency is widespread. This is
due to the fact that n-3 is very sensitive to
destruction during processing, and is removed from foods
to extend product shelf life."
He continues "A deficiency in n-3 is
more difficult to identify than n-6. The reason is that
n-6 (omega-6) can partially cover n-3 deficiencies. N-3,
on the other hand, cannot cover for a shortage of n-6.
If your body suffers an n-3 deficiency, you may have the
following symptoms."
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He lists the following omega-3
deficiency symptoms:
-
Retarded growth
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Behavioral* change
-
Weakness
-
Weakened vision
-
Learning problems
-
Depression
-
Hyperactivity, attention deficit, and
dyslexia
-
Poor motor coordination
-
Poor muscle growth
-
Impaired healing of injuries
-
Tingling sensations in arms and legs
-
Insulin resistance
-
High triglycerides
-
High blood pressure
-
Sticky platelets, or tendency to form
clots in arteries, leading to heart attack, stroke, or
embolism
-
High lipoprotein(a) - a strong
predictive risk factor for cardiovascular disease
-
High fibrinogen - a clotting risk factor
-
Inflammation in tissues
-
Leaky gut
-
Allergies
-
Auto-immune conditions
-
Increased susceptibility to tumor growth
-
Water retention of odema
-
Dry or inflamed skin
-
Low metabolic rate
-
Low energy level
-
Lowered thyroid and adrenal function
-
Low testosterone level
*American spellings retained when
quoting from American or Canadian books.
|
|
Omega-6 Deficiency Symptoms according
to Udo Erasmus, in the above mentioned book, include the
following:
-
Eczema-like skin eruptions
-
Hair loss
-
Water loss through the skin, with
attendant thirst; common in diabetes insipidus, and
often seen in hyperactive children
-
Behavioral changes
-
Fatty infiltration of the liver
-
Kidney malfunction
-
Drying up of glands
-
Susceptibility to infection
-
Failure of wounds to heal
-
Sterility in males
-
Miscarriage in females
-
Arthritis-like conditions
-
Heartbeat abnormalities that can lead to
cardiac arrest
-
Growth retardation
-
Dry skin and hair
-
Brittle nails
-
Dry eyes
-
Elevated cholesterol
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In his book "Brain-Building Nutrition -
The Healing Power of Fats & Oils", Michael A Schmidt,
says the following:
|
"Fatty acids and
phospholipids have been associated with a surprising
number of disorders of the brain. In reviewing several
thousand research papers, hundreds of lab profiles, MRI
reports, and case studies, we have totalled over fifty
conditions of the brain that involve fatty acids or have
responded to fatty acid treatment."
|
He includes a partial list which shows
the potential for things to go wrong if we do not pay
attention to proper fatty acid balance. This list is as
follows:
| Aggression
Alzheimer's disease
Anorexia nervosa
Anxiety
Apraxia (varied forms)
Attention deficit
Autism |
Memory Problems
Migraine
Multiple sclerosis
Paresthesia
Parkinson's disease
Phobia (fears)
Postpartum depression |
| Bipolar disorder
Brain tumor (glioma)
Cerebral palsy
Chronic fatigue
Developmental delay
Depression
Diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy
Down syndrome
Drug abuse |
Rage
Reading problems
Retinal disease
Schizophrenia
School failure
Self-mutilation
Slower information processing
Slower reaction time
Stroke
(Prevention and recovery.)
|
|
Hyperactivity
Head injury
Hostility
Learning
disability
Lower IQ |
Suicide
Tremors
Violence
Zellweger's
syndrome
(and others) |
These lists do not include
every sign, symptom or syndrome which has been
associated with EFA deficiency or imbalance, but should
serve to make the point that EFAs are absolutely crucial
to our health.
Just a tiny bit of easy science
Chapter Two gave a brief introduction to
the Essential Fatty Acids - essential because we can't
make them in our bodies, and we must get them from our
diet, or from supplements.
But what about the other fats?
Fats are, very roughly, divided into
four types:
-
Saturated (e.g. pork fat)
-
Monounsaturated (e.g. parts of olive
oil)
-
Polyunsaturated (e.g. parts of sunflower
oil)
-
Superpolyunsaturated (e.g. fish oil
or flax oil)
You'll also have heard of 'hydrogenated'
or 'partially hydrogenated' vegetable oils.
Hydrogenation is a process which hardens liquid
vegetable oils so that they can be used for spreading.
The main example is margarine. They're also usually
found in biscuits, cakes, pies, crisps, french fries and
other snack foods. Hydrogenated oils are always
bad, and are implicated in most of the disease states we
see. More on this later.
Let's first enlarge a little on the
different types of fats, and then everything will become
clear. This is a fascinating subject when studied in
detail, but not everyone will have the time or
inclination to do so. For those who do, we can highly
recommend "Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill" by Udo
Erasmus.
|
Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill
(Udo Erasmus)
Healing fats are required,
together with other nutrients to prevent and
reverse so called ‘incurable’ degenerative
disease: heart diseases, cancer and Type II
diabetes. Healing fats help reverse arthritis,
obesity, PMS, allergies, asthma, skin
conditions, fatigue, yeast and fungal
infections, addictions, certain types of mental
illness, and many other conditions. Good fats
also enhance athletic performance, skin beauty,
longevity and energy levels. Contrary to
popular belief based on advertising hype, the
most dangerous fats are typically found in
margarine, shortenings and heated and refined
polyunsaturated oils. |
For those who just want a quick and
simple explanation, we hope the following will be
helpful.
What's a molecule between friends
As Udo Erasmus says, the birth of our
health takes place at the level of molecules - all
diseases are rooted in the behaviour of molecules. "The
fats that heal have different molecular structures than
those that kill".
Think of a small twig at the end of a
tree branch. It has three caterpillars hanging from it,
side by side. The twig is made of glycerin, and the
three caterpillars (always three) are fatty acid
molecules. These four separate pieces together are
called a triglyceride. (Your Doctor will often test your
blood for triglycerides when testing for cholesterol.)
Triglyceride
The basic structure of a fatty acid (one
of the three caterpillars hanging off the twig) comes in
two parts: one end is fatty and the other end is acid.
Linked together, it is aptly called 'fatty acid'.
There are many different shapes and
sizes of these fatty acid caterpillars. Some are long,
some are medium length, and some are short. Some are
straight, and some are kinked.
Each of the caterpillar 'bobbles' is a
carbon atom. Now imagine that each of these
'caterpillar bobbles', or carbon atoms, has two hairs,
one on each side. Most of these hairs have a hydrogen
atom attached to its end. (Actually, the hair isn't real
- the thing that keeps the hydrogen atom in place is a
force field.)
 |
 |
|
Saturated Fatty
Acid |
Unsaturated Fatty
Acid |
One more thing to imagine, and then
we're almost there.
One end of the caterpillar hates oil,
but loves water. This end of the caterpillar can
dissolve in water. Before the first carbon bobble, where
the caterpillar hangs onto the twig, look
to your left and right, and you see two oxygen atoms and
a hydrogen. This is called the 'Carboxyl End', or Acid
End. (carb for carbon, and oxy for oxygen - easy!)
The other end of the caterpillar loves
fat, and can indeed dissolve in fat. It hates water, and
is not soluble in water. When you get to the end of this
caterpillar carbon chain, you see another hydrogen atom
on its bottom. This is called the 'Methyl, or Fatty,
End'.
These water-loving or oil-loving
properties determine how the fatty acid caterpillars can
be used in the body.
The more hydrogen atoms are attached to
the 'hairs' on the 'caterpillar carbon bobbles', the
more saturated the fatty acid is. Another way of saying
this is, the more carbon atoms that do NOT have a
hydrogen atom attached, the more 'unsaturated' the fatty
acid is, and the more liquid it is at room temperature.
How long is your caterpillar?
There are short, medium length and long
carbon chains. The more hydrogen atoms are missing along
this chain, the more unsaturated the fatty acid becomes.
If all the hydrogen atoms are in place,
the fat is saturated (with hydrogen) and the fat is
solid at room temperature. Beef fat is a good example.
If one hydrogen atom is missing, it is
mono-unsaturated, like the oleic acid found in olive
oil. This makes it mainly liquid, but a bit sludge-like
in the fridge.
If two hydrogen atoms are missing, the
fatty acid is poly-unsaturated, like sunflower oil. This
makes it liquid, even in the fridge.
When three or more atoms are missing,
the fatty acid is sometimes called
super-poly-unsaturated. This is like the fatty acids you
find in cold water fish. Fish can't afford to have their
fats freeze in the cold water, or they wouldn't be able
to swim.
One more thing - the position along the
carbon chain at which the hydrogen atoms are missing (as
well as the number of hydrogen atoms which are missing)
determines how it will be named. For example,
omega 3 has its first hydrogen atoms missing between
carbons 3 and 4 along the carbon chain. Omega 6, is
between carbons 6 and 7.
This may not seem like a big deal, but
it is. A tiny difference in structure, can make a big
difference in how the oil is used in the body.
The
diagram to the right is
another way of illustrating fatty acids. The one shown
here is DHA, which has six double bonds, making it a
superpolyunsaturated fatty acid. This particular fatty
acid is found in the brain, and is particularly
important for infants and children.
Docosahexaenoic Acid
(DHA)
Let's go back a step
Remember that a triglyceride is like a
glycerol twig, with three carbon chain fatty acid
caterpillars hanging from it?
We just looked at one of the
'caterpillar fatty acids', but there are two others on
the same glycerol twig.
It is the combination of different kinds
of fatty acid caterpillars attached to the glycerol twig
which determines the nature of the fat.
For example, beef fat is made of twigs
on which most of its fatty acid caterpillars are of carbon chains with most of their hydrogen
atoms in place.
Flax oil has more than two-thirds of its
fatty acid caterpillars as long carbon chains, with
several hydrogen atoms missing.
Olive oil is a combination of short and
medium carbon chain fatty acids with most of its
hydrogen atoms in place.
Remember,
the
more hydrogen atoms are missing, the more liquid the oil
will be at room temperature.
Now for some kinky stuff!
Kinky is good when it comes to fatty
acids. The kinks in the caterpillar carbon chains are
caused when at certain points along the chain, a
hydrogen atom is missing, and the caterpillar kinks in
the opposite direction. This is at the place where
bonds, or double bonds, occur in the carbon chain. The
carbon atoms attach slightly differently at these
points, and lots of metabolic activity can occur.
The way in which the fatty acid
caterpillar kinks, and how often, determines its quality
and its functions in the body.
When this happens naturally in nature,
it takes the shape of what is called the
cis-configuration.
In this configuration, or shape, both hydrogen atoms on
the carbons involved in the double bond are on the same
side of the molecule. Simply put, this is a good fatty
acid.
A double bond in the fatty acid chain
can also be in the trans-configuration or shape. In this
arrangement, we find the hydrogen atoms of the carbons
involved in the double bond on opposite sides of the
molecule. This prevents the carbon chain from kinking,
and it now looks more like a saturated fat. The
difference is, it is not a saturated fat found in
nature, but an unnatural 'trans-fatty acid' which
behaves more like an unnatural saturated fat than the
unsaturated fat it actually is.
This is a
harmful fatty acid - the cause of much damage in
the body.
These very harmful trans-fatty acids are
found in the oil of crisps, French fries, hydrogenated
vegetable oils used in shop-bought cakes, pastries,
biscuits, etc. They're also found in bottles of cheap
vegetable and sunflower oil - in fact virtually all the
cheap oils found on supermarket shelves. Most margarines
contain lots of trans-fatty acids.
A few more pointers on kinkiness
-
Saturated fats have no kinks
(double bonds) in their
carbon chains.
-
Monounsaturated fats have 1 kink
or double bond
-
Polyunsaturated fats have 2 kinks
-
Superpolyunsaturated fats have 3 or more
kinks
No double
bond kinks
means the fat is more sticky,
solid at room temperature, which provides rigidity in
the body. They are used in the body for padding and
insulation, and as a source of fuel.
The more
double bonds there are, the more they
participate in your body's biochemical and energetic
processes. When these molecularly active fats are
incorporated into your cell walls, they provide
fluidity.
The more
double bonds there are in the fatty
acid chain, the more delicate and important become its
functions, but at the same time, it becomes highly
unstable. This means that it can be damaged very easily,
by light, oxygen and heat. (This is where it becomes
crucial that you buy your oil supplies from a reputable
manufacturer, and then store it properly in a dark cool
place - more on this later.)
The fatty
acids with double bonds have fewer
functions in the body, other than providing insulation,
padding and fuel for energy when there are not enough
carbohydrate sources. They are much less easily damaged.
This is why it is so much safer to cook with coconut
oil or butter, or, next best, olive oil.
The more
double bond kinks, the more fluid the oil
is. Superpolyunsaturated omega-3 oils remain fluid even
in the freezer, although they might become sludge-like.
In fact, it's a good idea to store spare liquid oil
supplements in the freezer until you need them - this
will extend their shelf life. The oil in the bottle will
contract when it gets colder, so it won't break the bottle.
This makes sense. If these oils became
solid in cold conditions, cold-water fish would freeze
to death.
| Type of Fat |
Consistency |
Kinks |
Molecular Activity |
Stability |
| Saturated Fat |
Most are solid at room temperature |
0 |
Virtually inactive |
Very stable |
| Monounsaturated Fat |
Sludge-like in the fridge |
1 |
Slow |
Stable |
| Polyunsaturated Fat |
Fluid in the fridge |
2 |
Fast |
Unstable |
| Superpolyunsaturated Fat |
Fluid in the freezer, possibly sludge-like |
3 or more |
Very Fast |
Extremely unstable |
The Good, The
Bad and The Ugly
Saturated Fatty
Acids (SaFAs)
These are the
simplest of the fatty acids. They get this name because
their carbon chains are saturated with as many hydrogen
atoms as possible. This makes most of them solid at room
temperature and metabolically quite sluggish.
Our body uses the
short-chain saturated fatty acids mainly to produce
energy. They are easy to digest and people suffering
from liver and digestive ailments should include them in
their diets.
According to Udo
Erasmus, in his book Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill,
"Butyric acid (4:0)* helps feed the friendly bacteria
that keep our colon healthy.
Caprylic acid (8:0) is used
to inhibit the growth of yeasts and candida in our
intestines. It appears to be incorporated into the
membranes of yeast cells and then these membranes
rupture, killing the yeast cell."
*4.0 means Butyric
acid has 4 carbon molecules, and no (0) bonds, or kinks,
or missing hydrogen atoms.
Medium-Chain SaFAs
(Saturated Fatty Acids) contain 6 to 12 carbon atoms -
but mainly 8 and 10 - in their chains. Our body
metabolizes medium-chain SaFAs the same way it
metabolizes short-chain SaFAs: to produce energy. It
does not store them as fat. For this reason, they are
used as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in diets of
people with digestive and liver problems.
As MCTs,
medium-chain triglycerides are also popular with
athletes, who use them as a source of energy before
workouts. Coconut oil comes in this category, and as the
body does not store them as fat, but uses them for
energy, they are a good choice for cooking and baking,
especially as they are not damaged by heat in the way
the unsaturated oils are.
Long-Chain SaFAs
are used by our cells to build their membranes. The
tendency of Saturated Fatty Acids to aggregate (stick
together) balances the tendency of unsaturated fatty
acids to disperse. Therefore both kinds of fatty acid
are required in cell membranes. However, the long-chain
SaFAs are needed in moderation only, as excess causes
platelets in the blood to become sticky, leading to
cardiovascular disease.
Diets high in
beef, mutton, pork, dairy ../Products/, cakes, biscuits,
pies and fried foods cause excess long-chain SaFAs to be
deposited within cells, organs, and arteries.
Monounsaturated
Fatty Acids (MUFAs)
MUFAs are unsaturated fatty acids with
one double bond. The length of their carbon chains can
vary.
The most important MUFA in nutrition has
an 18-carbon chain, and its double bond is always
between carbons 9 and 10. It's called oleic acid (omega
9) and is found in the oils of the olive, almond,
peanut, pistachio, pecan, canola, avocado, hazelnut,
cashew and macadamia. It's also found in the membranes
of plant and animal cell structures and in the fat
deposit of most land animals. Because it is fluid, it
helps keep our arteries supple. It's a fairly stable oil
(only having one double bond) and is therefore not so
easily damaged by heat, light or oxygen.
In excess, however, oleic acid can
interfere with essential fatty acids and prostaglandins.
Unsaturated Fatty Acids with More
Than One Double Bond
These are the most interesting fatty
acids, in so far as they have numerous functions and
effects on health.
Among the Unsaturated Fatty Acids are
the two which are called 'Essential'. They are extremely
important in nutrition and vital to our health.
One, linoleic acid (omega 6) has two
double bonds. Usually this is called polyunsaturated.
The other, alpha-linolenic acid (omega
3) has three double bonds. This is sometimes known as
superpolyunsaturated.
These are so important to our health,
that the next few chapters are devoted to them.
Trans Fatty Acids
|
"Trans fatty
acids are probably the most unhealthy substance eaten in
quantity by modern people - and modern people do eat
them in quite a quantity. Margarine is a major source.
From cookies to bread, trans fatty acids appear as
either a hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.
"Medical
studies consistently show that trans fatty acids are
associated with damage to our arteries and higher rates
of death. In Europe, studies also show that they're
responsible for reproductive irregularities, such as low
birth-weight babies, abnormal sperm, and reduced
testosterone levels."
Mary Enig, Ph.D. Researcher of fats and
oils. Well Being Journal, May/June 1995
|
Trans Fatty Acids are unnatural and will
cause disease in the body. They are made when
Unsaturated Fatty Acids (liquid consistency) have
hydrogen atoms attached to them in an artificial manner
by the oil industry. This is called hydrogenation. When
the artificial hydrogenation process is total (that is,
all double bonds in the oil are saturated with hydrogen
atoms, it becomes a very hard fat (used in the industry
for frying, baking, roasting etc). In this new fat,
there are no unsaturated fatty acids, and no 'essential'
fatty acids left. Our body can store this new fat, as
padding and insulation, or in membranes, or we can use
it for energy. This fat contains either aluminium or
nickel which is used in the hydrogenation process, and
our bodies do not need it. It is, however, a
manufacturer's dream: an unspoilable substance that
lasts forever.
Worse than fully hydrogenated fats, are
the partially-hydrogenated fats. Udo Erasmus states in
his book Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill:
| "Partial
hydrogenation produces margarines, shortenings,
shortening oils, and partially hydrogenated vegetable
oils. These ../Products/ contain large quantities of
trans-fatty acids and other altered fat substances, some
of which are known to be detrimental to health because
they interfere with normal biochemical processes. Other
altered substances have not been adequately studied
regarding their effects on health. Trans-fatty acids
have now been shown to increase cholesterol, decrease
beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL), interfere
with our liver's detoxification system, and interfere
with EFA function." |
One alternative to partially
hydrogenated margarines is to dip our bread in fresh,
unrefined olive, flax or other fresh oils. The dipping
custom of Mediterranean countries makes hydrogenation
and processing to manufacture spreads completely
unnecessary and is therefore a step towards better
health.
Herbert Dutton, one of the oldest and
most knowledgeable oil chemists in North America states:
"If the hydrogenation
process were discovered today, it probably could not be
adopted by the oil industry. . . . the basis for
such comment lies in the recent awareness of our prior
ignorance concerning the complexity of isomers formed
during hydrogenation and their metabolic and
physiological fate."
|
Udo Erasmus claims that now that we know
some of the ways in which fats are changed by
hydrogenation, and the fact that our body can't use them
in the same way it uses normal fats and oils, that if
this were a new process, governments would forbid the
use of this process for making 'edible' ../Products/ if it
were introduced today.
He continues:
"However, because
partial hydrogenation has been used commercially on a
large scale since the 1930s and now has a long tradition
behind it, and because the oil industry has powerful
lobbies in government, hydrogenation is allowed to
continue to supply unnatural fat ../Products/ to our foods."
He adds the worrying observation that
just 60 grams (2 ounces) of margarines and shortenings,
which is the average amount a person eats per day in one
way or another, contains more than twice as many toxic
'food additives' as the whole of the rest of the day's
food intake.
|
| And to round off this chapter, animal
experiments have shown that Trans Fatty Acids may make
you fatter by increasing the size of fat cells.
This was
reported in The Omega Diet, by Artemis Simopoulos, M.D. |
Good verses Evil
Oils exposed to light, oxygen and heat
become evil. They arm the free radical terrorists in the
body, and kill.
Of course, not all free radicals in the
body are terrorists. Many are created during normal
metabolic processes in the body, do their job, and are
controlled by antioxidants such as vitamins C and E,
selenium, manganese, zinc and so on.
But it's a case of numbers and control.
| A free radical is a fragment of a
molecule which has lost its electron mate. Udo aptly
describes our free radical as a 'sub-atomic,
free-wheeling, loose-living electron bachelor playing
the field for a mate to settle down with, and willing to
break up other pairs to find that mate'.
It's hard to
stop them, when they're so miniscule (a thousand of them
can hide behind a hydrogen atom), and they constantly
flit from place to place at the speed of light
(300,000km or 186,000 miles per second). They steal
electrons wherever they go, causing plenty of damage
along the way.
The only thing that can stop them are
the anti-oxidants such as: Vitamins C, B3 and E,
carotenes, cysteine, selenium, bioflavonoids and
coenzyme Q10, as well as several enzymes containing
zinc, manganese, and copper. |
Free Radical Chain Reactions
Take a bottle of oil you find on the
supermarket shelf. It's packed in a clear plastic or
glass bottle. A ray of light (photon) hits the bottle.
Meanwhile, a bachelor free radical happens to be sitting
on a carbon atom right next to a double bond in a
molecule of unsaturated fatty acid. The light gives the
electron more energy than it had before, and it gets
excited and takes off with a hydrogen nucleus, leaving
behind a lone electron desperate for a partner. This
electron will now grab a new partner from wherever it
can, leaving another electron unpaired and desperate,
and so on and on and on. Eventually the loose electrons
may be trapped by a passing antioxidant, but before you
know it, another light photon hits the bottle and
another electron goes wayward.
When light starts exciting electrons to
go off and cause mayhem, the results are broken and
changed bonds in the fatty acid molecules, making new
and different molecules from the ones we started with.
Billions of photons are present even on a cloudy day.
Each photon can alter, denature, and destroy oil
molecules exposed to light, especially if the natural
antioxidants were removed during processing.
Oxygen is equally harmful
Oxygen
destroys oils in a similar way to light. Light first
steals an electron from oxygen, creating a singlet
oxygen radical. The singlet oxygen radical then goes off
on a search of a new electron
partner, and pairs up with an electron it steals from an
unsaturated fatty acid.
If there are enough antioxidants
available (which there usually aren't because most oils
have had them removed in the refining process), then the
free radicals will be stopped in their tracks.
The lesson here is that we need to use
only unrefined oils, which have been extracted in the
absence of light, oxygen and heat.
Ensuring we get antioxidants in the
diet, by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, and
also taking a variety of supplemental antioxidants is a
necessary safeguard for good health. We'd be remiss in
not mentioning that a cup of tea with a couple of
squares of dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa) will provide
valuable antioxidants too!
Frying and Deep-Frying
Very little is more damaging to health
than frying and deep-frying using unsaturated fatty
acids (such as sunflower oil, safflower oil, vegetable
oil, etc.).
When we fry, first of all any
antioxidants that may be present are used up. The
heat produces free radicals and starts chain reactions,
producing trans-fatty acids. If these weren't harmful
enough, other, even more harmful and unnatural changes are made
in the oils.
Click here for our more detailed article about toxins in
fried food
for more details.
Minimising the damage of frying
Deep frying is never recommended.
Minimum stir-frying on the other hand, using the right
oils might not be too bad. Saturated fats are far more
stable and therefore less prone to damage than
unsaturated oils.
The least damaging in terms of the high
heat of frying are the saturated fats, such as coconut,
palm, palm kernel, cocoa butter and butter. Use them in
small quantities, for the minimum amount of time.
Lard has now been largely replaced by
shortenings and margarines. These are not to be
recommended in any circumstances.
Monounsaturated fatty acids, such as
cold pressed olive oil, are acceptable for low
temperature frying.
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A few tips
-
Traditional Chinese cooks first put
water in their wok, not oil. Water keeps the temperature
down to 100oC which will not
destroy the fat.
-
In European gourmet cooking, vegetables
placed in the frying pan before oil is added protect the
oil from overheating and oxidation. You do need to keep
your eye on the pan though, but it's worth it because
not only is it healthier, but also the food tastes less
burned and retains more of its natural flavours.
-
Add sulphur-rich garlic and onions in
frying. This helps minimise free radical damage.
|
Never, never, never, never, never!
Never, never, never use polyunsaturated
oils in frying. Neither the cheap toxic varieties you
find on supermarket shelves, nor the healthful fresh,
unrefined, mechanically pressed, light- and
oxygen-protected EFA-rich seeds oils which we will
benefit from adding to our diet.
Never, never, never pour oil into an
empty frying pan, let it heat, shimmy and smoke before
adding the foods you want to fry. During this time, the
oil is being destroyed. The temperature is too high.
A reminder from a previous paragraph:
Use saturated fats such as coconut oil or butter, or
mono-unsaturated oils such as olive oil (but not too
hot).
Fats are Big Business, and Big
Business can be Greedy
If you count up all the fat that is
carried around in the bodies of the world's population
of about 5 billion people, it comes to about 100 billion
pounds of fat.
This body fat is constantly being used
up in biological functions, and has to be replaced by
food. We calculate that this amount of fat would fill
over 677 million double-decker buses.
That's big business for the Fat and Oil
Industry.
In the aggressive advertising campaigns
carried out by the various oil companies, truth and
health are not always uppermost in their list of
priorities, even though some advertising might lead us
(or mislead us!) into thinking they care.
About one-third of all edible oil
produced is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated,
which end up as cheap vegetable oils, margarines and
shortenings. These are used in baked goods, ice cream,
chocolate, crisps, French fries, and so on.
Even though some people in the know
suggest that if hydrogenation were a new process, it
would be forbidden by Governments due to health risks,
the edible fats industry has developed powerful
political and economic lobbies to protect the sale of
../Products/ for profits, whilst hoodwinking the consumer
into thinking some of their ../Products/ are 'good for the
heart'.
Commercial Oil Making Methods
|
It starts with a super-nutritious seed
which has been created by nature to provide all the nutrients to bring
forth a whole new plant.
It ends up with a dead, toxic remnant -
bland, colourless, rancid and deadly.
|
What happens in between involves:
-
destructively high temperatures of 240
to 270 degrees centigrade (464 to 518 degrees fahrenheit)
-
oxidation at a rate 1000 times faster
than at room temperature
-
solvent extraction, using solvents such
as hexane or heptane (gasoline), some of which remains
in the final product
-
degumming, which removes healthy
phospholipids, including lecithin, as well as
chlorophyll, calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper
-
refining, using caustic soda, known in
North America under the trade name of 'Drano' - drain
cleaner. More nutrients are removed during this refining
process
-
bleaching to remove pigments
(chlorophyll and beta-carotene, as well as aromatic
substances). Toxic peroxides are formed at this stage
-
deodorizing removes more aromatic oils,
free fatty acids and molecules that impart pungent
odours and unpleasant tastes that were not present in
the natural oil before processing began. Deodorizing is
carried out at extremely high temperatures for 30-60
minutes during which time unsaturated fatty acids become
mutagenic, which means that they can damage our genes
and those of our offspring.
-
To extend shelf life in the supermarket,
these refined oils may have synthetic antioxidants
added, such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated
hydroxyanisole (BHA), or others. These replace the
natural antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin E that
were processed out of the oil.
-
If the oils are going to be used as
margarines, then an added, artificial saturation is used
- hydrogenation.
|
What you find in all supermarkets and
even most health food stores
Virtually all the oils you will find
in the supermarket, with the exception of Virgin Olive Oil,
will have undergone the above processes. This includes
almond, avocado, canola, corn, grape seed, peanut,
safflower, sesame, soybean, safflower, vegetable and
anything else you can think of.
Sometimes they are advertised as 'low
cholesterol' (all plant oils are cholesterol free).
However, once they have been processed in this way, they
can cause a rise in cholesterol levels in the body even
though they don't contain cholesterol.
They may be recommended for 'frying,
baking and cooking' - almost no liquid oils can safely be used to fry
or cook.
They'll often be described as 'high in
polyunsaturates'. By the time they have been processed,
they're more likely to be full of trans-fatty acids, and
devoid of the antioxidants needed to prevent free
radical damage.
These are only a few of the ways in
which advertisers of inferior ../Products/ tell only the
part of the story they want to tell. If we knew all the
facts, most of us might think twice about buying and
using these cheap oils.
Vitamin E and polyunsaturates
In nature, seeds and nuts always contain
vitamin E and other natural antioxidants. Generally, the
more essential fatty acids (EFAs) an oil contains, the
more antioxidants accompany it to help protect the oil
from destruction by light and oxygen, both in the seed
and in our body.
When we eat fresh nuts and seeds, there
will be no shortage of vitamin E to protect the oil.
When we press nuts and seeds to extract
the oil, the antioxidants remain in the oil. And so long
as the oils were pressed in the absence of light and
air, these antioxidants will remain intact, and these
oils will not go rancid in our body.
| If the oils are exposed to light and
air, however, during careless processing and storage in
clear glass or plastic bottles, the vitamin E and other
antioxidants will be rapidly used up (within hours or
days), and then the oils become rancid. |
In Chapter six we discussed proce
