
Most of the health problems that we blame
on fats should be blamed on the destructive processing to which fats
have been subjected!
This point has been overlooked by most researchers and educators,
but it is the critical issue that makes the difference between
the fats that heal and the fats that kill-processing!
Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils are widespread in
breads, cakes, candies, cookies, granola bars, crackers, digestive
biscuits, pancake mixes, raisin bran, instant soups, chocolate,
desserts, fruit cakes, chips, convenience and junk foods, peanut
butter, some salad dressings, and even in the croutons used to
make your 'healthy' Caesar salad. Research suggests that they
ought to be absent from the foods of anyone interested in health.
- increase cancer risk factors (interfere with liver
detoxification, change B and T immune cell ratios, interfere with the
functions of anti-cancer fatty acids);
- elevate cardiovascular risk factors (elevate total
cholesterol and 'bad' LDL cholesterol, lower 'good' HDL cholesterol,
make platelets more likely to stick to together to form a clot, increase
the strongest known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (lipoprotein{a};
- interfere with insulin function, making diabetes
worse, and more likely to occur;
- decrease testosterone, increase abnormal sperm, & interfere
with pregnancy in animals;
- correlate with low birth weight babies, & lower
human breast milk quality;
- change the fluidity of cell membranes, making them
more leaky, thereby lowering cell vitality; and
- interfere with the healing fats - essential fatty
acids - required for health.
turns
oils into cheap, plastic, spreadable, shelf-stable fats. It twists healing fats trans- fatty acids present in margarines,
shortenings (sometimes listed as 'vegetable shortening'), shortening
oils, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Research consistently shows that fried (over-heated)
fats correlate with increased cancer and cardiovascular problems.
The oils best for our health, those richest in the healing
essential fats, become most toxic when fried. But frying heat
also damage hard, stable, saturated tropical fats and butter.
The browned (burned) parts of fried, deep-fried, toasted,
roasted, baked, broiled, barbecued foods are toxic. By definition,
toxic means: 'of, or relating to, poison'. And poison, by definition,
is: 'any substance that, when introduced into or absorbed by
a living organism causes death or injury'. Either quickly,
or slowly. In the case of toxic oils, they do their poisoning
job slowly.
The inner part of burned (browned) foods is fine, because
it does not reach burning temperatures-it is actually steamed
in the water it contains.
The best oil for frying? If health is what we want, water
is the only oil appropriate for frying. We're back to steaming,
poaching, boiling, or pressure cooking our foods. Or, even
better in most cases, eating them raw.
produces colorless, odorless,
tasteless, oils-the equivalent of white sugar and white flour,
products from which most of the nutrients required for health
have been removed.
Except for extra virgin (green) olive
oils, which remain unrefined and undeodorized, all oils not
labeled: 'Unrefined'
have been harshly treated: degummed-treated with sodium hydroxide,
an extremely corrosive base; refined-treated with extremely
corrosive (phosphoric) acid; bleached with bleaching clays, producing
rancidity (peroxides)-unpleasant odors and tastes; and deodorized:
over-heated (above frying) to remove the rancidity produced by
bleaching. Toxic molecular alterations take place at those temperatures.
These oils, especially corn and safflower oils, are associated
with increased cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Some (perhaps 0.5 to 1.0%) fatty acid
molecules change into toxic molecules. Phytochemicals with health benefits, that make
up about 2% of most oils are removed. Some healing fats are destroyed.
At least one study suggests that when oils are heated above 150°C
or 302°F, they are converted from protective against mutations
to mutation-causing. We can only guess with concern what damage
to future generations these oils may cause.
Our body uses them in cell membranes, in fat deposits, and as fuel.
When we consume more than we use, they make platelets more sticky,
interfere with insulin function, and interfere with functions of
the healing fats.
If we work hard physically (like our grandparents), we can burn
a lot of hard fats to produce energy. Sedentary, we need far less
fuel, and cannot stay healthy if we eat grandfather's high hard
fat diet. The more hard fats we eat, the more of the healing fats-essential
fatty acids-we need to consume.
If we optimize our intake of essential
fats, made with health in mind, and in the right ratio of omega
3 to omega 6, then we can use saturated fats in moderation without
fear. We can then
use whipping cream in our coffee, butter on our bread, and sour
cream on our potatoes (but, since the starch in the potatoes can
make us fat, we should probably eat the sour cream by itself!).
This is, in fact, another key point you need to understand. It
is more important for health to optimize the consumption of essential
fats than it is to avoid the bad fats. The fats that heal protect
us from the fats that kill. If you removed all the bad fats from
your diet, and did not bring in the good ones, you would still
die from degenerative disease, because you cannot live without
the good essential fats.
Sugar is not
a fat, but our body turns sugars into the same hard fats that
make platelets sticky; interfere with insulin; and interfere with healing
fats. Sugar also damages teeth; feeds bacteria, yeast, fungus, and cancer
cells; increases serum triglycerides; interferes with vitamin C transport
and immune function; increases adrenalin production by up to 4 times,
a powerful internal stressor; cross-links proteins and speeds aging; and
steals calcium, chromium, and other minerals from the body.
If the 120 or more pounds of sugar that Westerners consume
annually were replaced by 120 pounds of honey, maple syrup,
brown sugar, rice syrup, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup,
or other similar sweeteners, the cause would have the same
effect. Detrimental results on health would be similar.
Summary:
Health problems can be caused by high fat diets;
low fat diets;
oil processing; excessive hard fats; and sugars.
Good grief!
What's left to eat?

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