The GOOD, The BAD and The UGLY!
The Practical Nutritionist, LLC
Audrey J Pellegrino, Med, MSHN
603-768-3214
I know the title of this month’s article sounds like an old Western movie. What I am talking about is not train bandits wearing cheap bandanas and carrying six shooters but the different types of fats in foods and their effects on your health. Everywhere you turn someone is telling you something different about the fats in your food. If you are like many people you get confused and decide to eat whatever you want to. Well that sounds great and it would be… if fats didn’t have such a profound effect on your health, but they do.
The biggest confusion is that all fats are bad for you. That is as far from true as we can get. Fats have many benefits and are necessary for a healthy life. The problem is that there are also fats that damage your health and may lead to disease. Knowing the difference between the fats and having a diet rich in the good fats and low in the bad and ugly fats will take you one step closer to optimal health.
I always like to start with the positive in situations, so let’s begin with the good fats. The lovely Omega threes. Omega threes are the good for you fats which help the body to use vitamins, provide us with energy, build healthy cells, improve brain function, contribute to healthy skin and hair, cushion organs, make hormones(including neurotransmitters, insulin and cortisol)and help us to feel full and satisfied. Omega three fatty acids are essential for life and we need to get them through the foods that we eat. They can be found in nuts, seeds, eggs(the lecithin in egg whites actually remove harmful LDL cholesterol), walnuts, fish, avocados and flaxseed. To confuse matters more the oils from good fats can quickly turn into toxic trans fats if they are cooked at high temperatures, so beware of the foods which tell you they are cooked with healthy oils such as safflower, sesame, canola or olive oil. If they are deep fried at high temperatures they become toxic.
The Omega sixes are the Trans fats and hydrogenated oils which are typically found on the average dinner plate. Your body needs a balance of Omega threes and sixes, requiring more three than six. However we tend to eat in reverse. Nutritionists and doctors are conducting studies that point to the Omega sixes as responsible for the increase in asthma, heart disease and some cancers. But, like the fairy tale Cinderella there is always one good sister and the fat CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is the good member of the Omega six family. Studies are showing that it may assist building lean muscle mass, boost immunity, promote weight loss and effect cancer growth. CLA is found in the fat of milk, having much higher levels if the cows were grass fed and the milk is raw. Now I know you have finally adapted to skim milk, but as far as CLA is concerned only the whole milk products have it.
As with all foods eating them as close to natural as possible promotes good health. So enjoy that quarter cup of pistachios as your evening snack and slice up that avocado to put on your sandwich and don’t forget to sprinkle seeds and nuts on your oatmeal and salads as well as using flaxseed oil for a salad dressing or marinade. Understanding and eating healthy fats will bring you closer to having an immune system that is at optimal function, and that delays the aging of your cells and the onset of disease.