Fats

working on this

We can certainly eliminate bad fats like hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (in margarine, for example, no it's not better for you than butter!) which are also called Trans Fats.  These clog our arteries, increase our LDL bad cholesterol, lower HDL good cholesterol, and increase the risk of heart disease.  They have no nutritional value and are bad for our bodies.  Hydrogenated oils are found in many processed foods, shortening, margarine, and fried foods.  Most restaurants and manufacturers used hydrogenated oils because of shelf stability.  If you're thinking that you can have it every once in a while, the studies indicate that a safe amount of trans fats is actually zero.  Sorry to burst your bubble.  It's not really food so give it up and get on with (a longer more healthy) life and enjoy real food!

Bad fats should be avoided.  Good fats should be consumed regularly.

Avoid:

• Canola Oil - there is controversy around this oil; some say it is healthy, others not.  Everyone agrees that if you do use it, make sure it's organic so it's non-GM and expeller-pressed.  But you may want to avoid it as I've read that it is a source of transfats.
• Corn Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Crisco and other shortening
• Hydrogenated Oils
• Margarine
• Partially Hydrogenated Oils
• Peanut Oil
• Safflower Oil is polyunsaturated and should therefore be used sparingly
• Soy or Soybean Oil
• Sunflower oil has some controversy I need to research.

Fats that are good, use (in moderation):

• Avocados
• Avocado Oil (great for salads!)
• Butter and Ghee (clarified butter) (organic and preferably grass-fed) - in moderation.  Raw butter is recommended by many
• Coconut Oil (Virgin Organic) - The Virtues of Coconut Oil - Coconut Oil is a stable saturated fat and is misunderstood.  This fat is good for the occasional frying or even high heat sautéing as the composition does not change in high heat like olive oil.
• Cod Liver Oil and Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids from cold water fish like salmon and sardines
• Grass-Fed Meat in moderation - much better than grain fed beef as it contains Essential Fatty Acids, but meats are harder to digest and should therefore be consumed in moderation generally.
• Nuts and Seeds, particularly walnuts and almonds

The traditional view limits all saturated fats as they increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.  While this is a good idea in theory, many people avoid saturated fats and end up eating more transfats instead of the saturated ones.  That does more harm than good.  Transfats are not good at all.  Saturated fats, on the other hand, do indeed raise the bad LDL cholesterol but also raise the beneficial HDL cholesterol.  Saturated fats, in moderation, promote a strong immune system.  The fat in grass-fed beef contain important CLA, for example.  Too much, however, is not good and can have negative effects.  So the above saturated fats are actually good for us in moderation.  Transfats should always be avoided.

And eat regularly Essential fats from foods:

• Fatty Cold Water Fish like Tuna and Salmon and Sardines
• Avocados
• Seeds and Nuts including Walnuts and Flax seeds, many other nuts are higher in omega 6 than omega 3s and it's important to have a healthful balance of 3:6 so add Walnuts to your diet.  You can add them as a snack, as in trail mixes, or to a meal, as in zucchini and walnuts.
• Olive Oil - (organic, cold pressed, first press, virgin) - The Benefits of Olive Oil

Fats from vegetables, like Avocados and Olives, have been shown to decrease the risks of heart disease and cancer.

Chocolate lovers rejoice, the saturated fat in chocolate, stearic acid, does not raise LDL!  And chocolate, dark chocolate, has antioxidative properties.  Indulge, but every so slightly, and choose only the best, and make it fair-trade, organic, and slavery free.

Omega 3 fatty acids also decrease the risk of heart disease and actually improve our overall health.

Highly refined oils that can take the heat are better for frying including highly refined Avocado and Almond Oil.

Unrefined oils are used for flavor.  These include first pressed, cold pressed good organic Olive Oil and Coconut oil.  Just a dash of Toasted Sesame Oil can add lots of flavor to a dish too.  They are perfect for salads, topping a dish, and light sautéing. 

Oils ideal for high heat sautéing include Grapeseed, Walnut, and Coconut oils

Flax and Coconut Oil are also used as supplements.  Many people add flax oil to cottage cheese for added omega 3 value.  Pumpkin Seed and Walnut Oil are also sources of omega 3s but the best source is cold water fish.  Others add either Coconut Oil or Flax Oil to smoothies or fresh vegetable juice to add nutrients.  Other oils that people use include Evening Primrose, Borage and Wheat Germ Oils. 

Hydrogenated Oils and trans-fats are in most processed foods because of their stable shelf life.  So the food can sit on the shelf for a long time - how well do you think that sits in our bodies?  It's easy to eliminate from your home, ready?  Get a garbage can, no a bigger one, go to your cupboard, now take out every processed food with a big brand name label.  Look for words like "partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated" oils and dump and don't look back.  You will be adding years, healthy years, to your life and that of your family. 

Now, what do you eat?  Whole foods.  No, not the store.  Eat whole foods and prepare meals.  No time, there are some companies that provide convenience foods without the transfats.  And YOU could just make two of whatever you're cooking and freeze it to create your own convenience foods.  We'll have more ideas on that soon.

Many vitamins need fat to do their job properly.  For example, living in Florida, we are quite lucky to get Vitamin D from the sun (you don't have to lay out to get it, it's in our everyday life just by getting outside some.)  Milk is also fortified with Vitamin D.  Green Vegetables like Collards, Kale and Broccoli, contain Vitamin K (linked to decreasing the clogging of arteries) which helps the bones absorb calcium, but Vitamin K needs fat in order to do this job.  Vitamin K needs fat to do it's job of helping Vitamin D do it's job of making stronger bones.

• Fats, Dr. Sears - great source on the differences between all Fats.
• The Truth about Saturated Fat, Mercola, Mary Enig & Sally Fallon
• What Oil Should You Be Cooking With and Which Should You Avoid?, Mercola
• Big Fat Lies, Atkins
• Proof Saturated Fats Are Healthy
• Trans Fat Much Worse for You Than Saturated Fat, Mercola
• Coconut Oil: A Dietary Hero Misidentified as a Culprit, Body Ecology
• The Fats of Life
• Essential Fats
• Fats to Eat, Fats to Avoid, ivillage
• Only Safe Intake of Trans Fat is Zero
• Low Fat My Not Be Best for Heart, Yahoo News
• Thumbs Up to Grape Seed Oil, Dr. Weil
• Dairy from Grass-fed Cows and Grass-fed meats, Delicious Organics
• Point-Counterpoint:  Experts Debate the Pros and Cons of Saturated Fat, Environmental Nutrition, August 2004
• The Great Con-ola, Sally Fallon & Mary Enig
• Weight, Fitness, & Health, Delicious Organics

I will be adding information to help decipher the mystery of fats, but this is a start.