Healthy Fats For A Longer Life And A Great Body

By Author: Robert Locke
Total Articles: 8
Comment this article

Let us start by getting a few things straight in this article. Fats are sometimes severely criticised by the diet gurus and we get a load of hype about this in the media. First, we HAVE to eat a normal quantity of fat which is absolutely essential for our health. Look at the cells that make up your body - yes, I know you cannot see them but researchers tell us fat is one of the principal components of the cell membranes which are all over the body. So to keep the cells healthy we will need to eat the right amount of fat. But not any old fat ! Now if we eat lots of altered fats or fats which have been heavily manipulated, then our cellular makeup is going to go haywire. What sort of foods contain these ‘bad' fats? All the processed foods that we eat from cereals, snacks, biscuits, fried foods and so on. What happens if our cellular functions go a bit mad ? Our bodies will have to work much harder to keep going and you are going to be at a much greater risk from degenerative diseases like heart disease, strokes and diabetes. Another very good reason for eating healthy fats is that our bodies need them to maintain a ...
... normal production of hormones and these hormones are crucial for building up muscles and for burning off the dreaded fat. These fats also play a vital role in helping us to utilize to the maximum all the vitamins and minerals which are again essential for our bodies to work like a well oiled machine.
Lots of dieticians will tell you to cut down on fat. They will also try to convince you that a low fat diet is the answer to all your prayers for a long life free of health problems and above all for your weight loss programs. But get this - if you cut down on any one essential nutrient such as fat, carbs or protein- you are your own worst enemy and you are not doing your body any favours. You need all those macronutrients for a lean healthy body which will never suffer from any nasty disease. One famous researcher has dome some work on Pacific islanders who consume great quantities of fat, mostly coconut fat - up to 65% -75% of their total calories. This high fat diet has NOT caused any degenerative diseases among them. There is practically no obesity and heart disease is at an incredible low. Look at the Eskimos who consume up to 75% of fat mainly in the form of whale blubber, seal fat and fish. They too show that they live much longer than us and have a very low incidence of heart disease and obesity.

So what is going on ? Well, all the nutritionists and even governments have been fooled into thinking that all fats are bad and that all fat should be cut out ! The problem is that all the good fats (or those that are unprocessed) have been put in the same category as all the bad fats contained in all those highly processed fats and oils which make up a very high proportion of the food on our supermarket shelves. They are everywhere - in the restaurants, pizzerias, delis, fast food joints etc. So, you need to keep your wits about you and eyes wide open! I am not recommending that you consume up to 75% of your calories in natural unprocessed fat! If you exercise regularly and are active, then all you need to do is to make sure that your body is getting a sufficient supply of carbs, protein and fat and that you are staying in your range of daily calorie intake. I am going to list some of the healthiest fatty foods and the deadly ones to avoid !

Here are the good fats to go for:-

Coconut fat: Coconut fat is approximately 92% saturated fat, yet oddly enough, it is a 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 which boost your immune system. 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. Try fresh coconut, organic coconut milk and virgin coconut oil.

Dark, bittersweet chocolate (>70% cocoa): Look for a quality dark chocolate that lists its cocoa content between 70%-80%. A dark chocolate with cocoa content in this range will contain mostly cocoa and very little sugar. Do not forget 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.
Look out for high fat fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout, etc. These are great sources of 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). Go for roasted nuts rather than those cooked in oil.

Here are the deadly ones to avoid!
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.
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. Even most refined oils still undergo the high temperature, high pressure, solvent extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing processes. Anything labelled vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and even many canola oils have been damaged by this refining process. 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 at that time.
Avoid like the plague any fried foods such as French fries, donuts and fried chicken just to mention a few.
Once food such as milk is pasteurised it is also homogenized it poses a real danger once it gets inside your body! Unfortunately, you will find it almost impossible to find raw milk in the US unless you personally know a farmer. Check out 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. If you use butter for cooking, cultured organic butter is the best option.
I hope this article has shed some light on the truth about dietary fats and made you realize their importance in a healthy diet.