There
seem to a lot of different fats out there - monounsaturated, polyunsaturated,
saturated, trans-fats, etc. What are the differences between them
and which should I be eating or avoiding?
There
are fats that heal and fats that kill. Our choices of which fats to eat and which to avoid must be
made with consideration of two issues: Essential Fat Content, and
Processing.
Essential Fats are of 2 kinds: omega-3 and omega-6. The body can't make
them, absolutely requires them, and must obtain them from food.
Lack of either one results in physical deterioration. Both
omega-3 and omega-6 are polyunsaturated fats.
All other fats, including monounsaturated and saturated, can
be made by the body from sugars and starches and therefore
are not required in the diet.
The only fats we must eat to live are omega-3
and omega-6. Sources
include greens (very small amounts), seeds like flax (rich
in omega-3, but too little omega-6), sesame and sunflower oil (rich
in omega-6, virtually no omega-3), fatty fish (herring, sardines, salmon,
mackerel, trout, tuna), and oils carefully pressed from omega-3
and omega-6 rich seeds.
Processing can damage natural fats and make
them toxic. Hydrogenation
produces unnatural trans-fats (margarine, shortening, partially-hydrogenated
vegetable oils, CLA). Frying also damages oils. Cooking oils
contain damaged fats due to harsh chemical treatment followed
by overheating before such oils are bottled.
Processing can damage poly- and mono-unsaturated fats and can
further damage already-damaged trans-fats.
Because of their sensitivity to damage by light, air and heat, oils for health and performance should be made under protection,
pressed from organically-grown seeds to avoid toxic pesticide
residues, bottled in brown glass and boxed for protection against
light. Such oils are found in Health Shops or practitioners'
dispensaries.
In summary, we should use oils rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fats (2:1
ratio) made and stored under protection from light, oxygen
and heat and made from organically-grown seeds. I have found
that about 15ml per 25 kg of body weight (about one Tablespoon
for 50 lbs) is optimum, but as little as 5-10 ml per day has
health benefits.
Fats are complex. I hope this helps to clarify your question.
What
part do you believe the mind (not the brain) plays in grassroots
health?
- - deals with feeling peace and contentment; does
not need to be learned, only to be focused in on; discontent
can
lead to negative thinking which can translate into destructive
actions.
- - deals with beliefs/survival; sets the
direction in which we move, and therefore determines our destiny;
if we don't
like where we are heading, we need to change direction by changing
our mind.
- - made from food and for activity; genes, foods,
toxins, and physical activity are the topics that need to be
addressed
here.
- - what we do to the environment, we do to
ourselves; we incorporate the environment into ourselves as
food, water, air,
light, toxins; if we make the environment ugly, we are affected
mentally/emotionally by having to look at the mess we've made.
Each of these 4 topics is unique in its nature, function, and
failure, and therefore each require a different kind of intervention
to set it back on a track of health. All 4 topics need to be
appropriately addressed.