FATS THAT HEAL, FATS THAT KILL

    How processed oils, fats lead to heart disease
    and which oils and fats lead to vibrant health.
    Udo Erasmus, Ph.D.


    Unlike most animals, humans are a relatively high fat-diet-eating species. Rats and mice eat foods containing about five percent fat, mostly from grains that contain about two or three percent fat. Rabbits, deer, moose, caribou, sheep, goats, African cattle, horses, and zebra consume foods containing less than one percent fat. Wild dogs, wolves, and wild cats have about five percent fat in their diets, because their prey is lean, averaging about three percent body fat.

    Few animals eat high fat diets. Carnivorous birds occasionally eat high-fat fish. Whales that eat salmon get about 10 to 15 percent fat from that diet. Bears enjoy a similar diet for a short time in fall, but consume low-fat foods the rest of the year.

    Traditionally, humans consumed 15-20 percent of their calories as fats and oils. This is far less than the 40 percent fat from present-day refined oils, grease-laden convenience foods, trans-fatty-acid-containing margarines, shortenings, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, fat spreads, and fat-inbred pork and beef.

    FATS THAT HEAL

    Not only must the right amount (15-20 percent) of fats and oils be present in a diet appropriate for human health, but they must also be the right kind and quality of fats and oils. We must choose between those that heal and those that kill.

    The fats that heal are fresh, unprocessed fats containing one or both essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFAs are like vitamins--they were once referred to as vitamin F. EFAs are essential nutrients which, by definition, are absolutely essential for life and health; they cannot be made by our body from other substances; and they must therefore come from outside sources (foods or food supplements).

    EFAs are every bit as important to health as protein, vitamins, and minerals.

    EFAs are so important to health that if we obtain insufficient amounts, our cells deteriorate. Prolonged deficiency leads to progressive degeneration that ultimately results in death.

    All symptoms of degeneration (except death) can be reversed by adding adequate amounts of EFAs to the diet.

    WHAT'S IN A NAME?

    EFAs go by fancy names. The first and better known EFA is linoleic acid (LA) [also referred to as Omega-6]. The second EFA is known as alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) [also referred to as Omega-3.]

    Both EFAs have vital functions in all cells. Both (but especially LNA) are extremely sensitive to destruction and become toxic with exposure to light, oxygen, frying, or hydrogenation. To promote good health, both EFAs must be present, in their natural state, in adequate quantities, in our diet.

    LA & LNA DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS

    Lack of LA can cause the following deficiency symptoms that resemble degenerative disease of the 20th century:

    eczema-like skin eruptions
    hair loss
    liver degeneration
    behavioral disturbances
    kidney degeneration
    excessive water loss through the skin
    thirst
    susceptibility to infections
    failure to heal wounds
    male sterility
    miscarriage
    arthritis-like conditions
    heart and circulatory problems
    retarded growth


    LA deficiency is relatively rare, because our intake of LA has doubled during the last 50 years, due to increased intake of polyunsaturated oils, mainly corn and safflower.

    If anything, our intake of LA is too high. Although it is essential to health, studies show that excessive consumption of LA promotes tumor growth and cancer.

    Lack of LNA can cause deficiency symptoms that also resemble degenerative conditions of the 20th century:

    retarded growth
    weakness
    impaired vision and learning
    loss of motor coordination
    tingling sensation in arms and legs
    behavioral changes


    Lack of LNA can also result in:

    high serum triglycerides
    high blood pressure
    sticky platelets
    tissue inflammation
    water retention (edema)
    dry skin
    mental deterioration
    low metabolic rate
    some kinds of immune dysfunction

    LNA deficiency affects upwards of 95 percent of the population, because LNA is extremely destructible--a nightmare of possible rancidity that most manufacturers prefer to avoid. As a result, our intake of LNA has decreased to one-sixth of the prevailing level in 1850. Most people's health will improve by increasing LNA intake.

    While excess LA promotes it, LNA inhibits tumor growth. LNA also inhibits tissue inflammation and increases metabolic rate and energy level, helping in weight loss. Here is fat that can help keep you slim!

    A QUESTION OF BALANCE

    Not only must both EFAs be present in their natural, unspoiled form, but they must be present in the right ration one to another. Our balance of EFAs has shifted away from a healthy balance. Hence, we should make changes in our oil consumption habits. The ideal ratio differs somewhat from person to person, depending on dietary habits, state of health, lifestyle, ancestry, and genetic makeup.

    SOURCES

    The best sources of EFAs are seeds and nuts that contain them in their natural, unspoiled form, along with protein, minerals, vitamins, and fiber and fresh, unrefined oils or blends carefully pressed in the absence of light and air, shelf-dated, and kept in dark brown (or opaque) glass bottles.

    "MINOR" INGREDIENTS IN OILS

    Besides EFAs, unrefined fresh oils contain another set of important ingredients--the so-called minor ingredients. They are minor because they constitute only a small fraction of the total oil (usually less than 2 percent, but in unrefined rice bran oil they make up 4.2 percent).

    The term minor is misleading, because the minor ingredients in fresh, unrefined oils can have major benefits on health. Let me illustrate.

    Virgin (unrefined) olive and unrefined rice bran oils have a good reputation for supporting human health. Yet, if we look at their fatty acid profile, both oils are unremarkable. They contain only LA, the EFA already too abundant in most people's diets. Both oils contain virtually no LNA, the EFA missing from the foods most people eat. Why the good reputation?

    The minor ingredients in virgin olive oils improve gall bladder function, increase bile flow and liver function, improve digestion and have beneficial effects on our hearts and arteries. All virgin olive oils are unrefined (minimally processed), whereas all other oils available on the mass market have been refined. Refining removes most of the minor ingredients that have health benefits. In studies, unrefined olive oil containing its beneficial minor ingredients has been favorable compared to other oils from which the minor ingredients have been removed.

    Minor ingredients in unrefined rice bran oil have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, cholesterol level and brain function. They inhibit tumor formation and also relieve menopausal problems.

    PROCESSING

    [For] every step we take in processing, away from the natural state of whole, fresh raw, sun-ripe, organic, in season and locally grown, something of value is lost from food. For this loss, we pay a price in health. This is also true for oils.

    Seed to oil. [The majority] of commercial manufacturers begin with cheap and/or rotten, discarded, broken, inedible seeds, and from these they make the refined, bland, tasteless, odorless, colorless oils in clear glass bottles that adorn the marketplace.

    Here's what happens to the unrefined oil during the making of these oils: The oil is treated with sodium hydroxide (as in corrosive sink and drain cleaners), then with phosphoric acid (as in corrosive window washing acid that cuts grease). Then it is bleached and deodorized at a destructively high temperature.

    During these processes, most of the beneficial minor ingredients are removed, and small amounts (perhaps one percent of the oil weight) of many toxic substances are formed. The oil changes from protective against mutations (unrefined) to mutation-causing (refined). The effect of the oil on human health has taken a 180 degree turn. Oils on supermarket shelves, except for virgin olive oil, have taken this turn.

    Oil to margarine. Having removed the minor ingredients and produced toxic substances, we subject the refined oils to a further insult called hydrogenation, carried out at frying temperature for six to eight hours to make margarines (cheap imitation butter) and shortenings (to replace lard) as well as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (to give body to potato chips, other junk foods, candy, and bakery products).

    In this process, the essential nutrients of LA and LNA are selectively and systematically destroyed. Trans-fatty acids are formed in large quantities, and they make up from 9 to 50 percent of the total in most hydrogenated products. In addition, other unnatural toxic products are formed. This processing is a remarkable destruction of a whole , nutrient-rich, natural food with many health benefits.

    FATS THAT KILL

    We can categorize the fats that kill into four groups:

    hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils
    fried oils
    refined commercial vegetable oils
    ard fats

    Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils include margarine, shortenings, shortening oils and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that are used in junk foods, convenience foods, candies, confections, cookies, breads, and other baked products.

    The EFAs in these products have been largely destroyed and converted into toxic products that increase cholesterol levels and promote cancer and atherosclerosis. The largest group of these toxic substances, trans-fatty acids, make up twice the amount of all other food additives combined. Studies indicate that trans-fatty acids have detrimental effects on:

    cardiovascular function (they increase bad LDL, decrease good HDL, make platelets
    stickier, and double the risk of heart attack)
    some aspects of the immune system
    insulin response and function (detrimental for diabetics)
    liver function (inhibit detoxification)
    reproductive function
    pregnancy
    birth weight (low)
    breast milk quality
    cell membranes
    EFA functions

    Fried oils have been subjected to the destructive effects of light, air (oxygen), and high temperature, all at the same time. EFAs are destroyed in hundreds of different possible ways, resulting in a smorgasbord of toxic molecules. Fried oils have been shown to increase both atherosclerosis and cancer.

    Frying is a health-destroying practice, no matter what fat or oil is used. The more EFAs an oil contains, the more toxic it becomes when fried. For those unwilling to give up this health-destroying practice, small amounts of butter or tropical fat cause the least damage to health, but also provide no EFAs, which must come from fresh, unrefined oils in brown glass bottles.

    Refined oils have been overheated, producing some toxic molecules; and beneficial minor ingredients, including vitamin E, carotene, lecithin, and phytoserols, have been removed.

    Our bodies can deal with some hard fats, but an excess of hard or saturated fats makes platelets stickier, slows metabolic rate, results in fat deposition and weight gain, interferes with insulin function and interferes with the function of EFAs.

    CONCLUSION

    Small amounts of saturated fats are part of our natural diet. Refined oils, fried oils and partially hydrogenated oils found in margarines, shortenings, and convenience foods are unnatural food additives to be avoided.

    For health, we need both EFAs and many natural oil-soluble minor ingredients. For health, we need to get all these from seeds, nuts, and fresh, unrefined oils.

    Purchase the entire book Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill: The Complete Guide to Fats, Oils, Cholesterol and Human Health by Udo Erasmus here!  

    For almost two decades, Udo Erasmus has dedicated his time to understanding the effects of fats and oils on human health, as well as the nature of health itself. Most of his more recent days have been spent on the road, spreading the message about this largely misunderstood, but vitally important, subject. He has written two ground breaking books: Fats and Oils, and Fats That Heal Fats That Kill, and has now almost completed his third, Fats That Heal Fats That Kill: The Kitchen Guide, co-written with Usha Menard. Udo's latest research and itinerary can be seen at www.udoerasmus.com.

     

    The Complete Fats & Oils Book : How to Buy, Use, and Control Fats & Oils--Harrison
    Synopsis: Fats and oils, though essential to our diet, can cause high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and a host of other degenerative diseases. On the other hand, the right kinds can lower cholesterol, improve our memories, and correct many problems caused by years of poor nutrition. Written in easy-to-understand language, this book tells you how to buy, store and cook with oils, and how to use oils to heal.
    Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill : The Complete Guide to Fats, Oils, Cholesterol and Human Health (paperback)--Erasmus
    The Nutribase Guide to Fat & Fiber in Your Food --Ulene
    Synopsis: This guide lists the fiber content of more than 30,000 food items, helps people make better decisions about what they eat, and provides guidelines that will help them discover which of the foods they commonly buy are overprocessed and turn instead to those with higher fiber content and more nutritional value.
    The Omega Plan: The Medically Proven Diet That Gives You the Essential Nutrients You Need to Greatly Reduce Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke...--Simopoulos, Robinson
    The Omega Plan: The Medically Proven Diet That Restores Your Body's Essential Nutritional Balance--Simopoulos, Robinson
    Synopsis: The Omega Plan presents breakthrough research that will transform the way you think about fat. Fat is more than fuel. Some "good" fats are essential nutrients that influence every aspect of your being, from the beating of your heart to your ability to learn and remember. A renowned expert on nutrition, Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos tells you exactly which fats and other nutrients you need to experience optimal health.

    Recommended Cookbooks

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    C'Mon America, Let's Eat! : Susan's Favorite Low-Fat Recipes to Fit Your Lifestyle--Powter
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    Cooking for Good Health : Creative Recipes Without Added Fat, Sugar, or Salt--Rose
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    Cooking Without Fat--Mateljan
    Synopsis: Unlike other low-fat cookbooks, Cooking Without Fat is really two cookbooks in one--a first-rate cookbook with hundreds of recipes that cut fat but add flavor through the use of healthy ingredients and a complete healthy eating guide which draws on all the most recent nutritional and scientific information available. of color photos.
    George Foreman's Knock-Out-The-Fat Barbecue and Grilling Cookbook--Foreman, Calbom
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    Healthy Indian Cooking --Husain
    Synopsis: Indian cooking has always been naturally healthy and low in fat, using spices and herbs rather than fats as the principal flavor enhancers. This book makes the vegetable- and grain-centered dishes even healthier by replacing "ghee", the traditional Indian clarified butter, with vegetable oil. 100+ recipes. 80+ color photos .
    Hey, Mom! I'm Hungry! : Great Tasting, Low-Fat, Easy Recipes to Feed Your Family--Powter
    Synopsis: From the mega-bestselling author of Stop the Insanity!, The Pocket Powter, Food, and C'mon America, Let's Eat! comes a guide for moms and kids to healthy eating. Here are 100 of the tastiest, most nutritious recipes from Susan's own kitchen and from moms across America, all of which have been "kid-tested" and "kid-approved" by schools and children's groups.
    Indian Light Cooking: Delicious and Healthy Food from One of the World's Great Cuisines--Law
    Customer Comment (rating= *****): Ruth Law's "Indian Light Cooking" is my favorite cookbook. Ease of preparation, healthy recipe design, and a sincere respect for the cuisine are combined to produce a remarkable (and usable) resource. Highly recommended.
    In the Kitchen With Rosie : Oprah's Favorite Recipes--Daley
    Synopsis: From Oprah Winfrey's personal cook, here are 50 light, low-fat recipes, now in a large print edition, that helped Oprah lose weight and feel great. The original hardcover edition has sold more than 4,700,000 copies to date.
    Low-Fat Cooking for Good Health--Rose
    Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals--Moosewood Collective
    The New McDougall Cookbook --McDougall
    Vegetarian Times Low-Fat & Fast : 150 Easy Meatless Recipes--Vegetarian Times




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