October 1, 2005
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I finally got the article done and boy did I learn some things I wish I’d known a long time ago. I won’t bore you with the whole thing but I do want to share snippets.
Did you know???
Butter is a saturated fat but coconut oil is a better substitute. It contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which the body metabolizes quickly, not requiring bile; converting the fats to energy rather than storing them as fat. Extra virgin coconut oil is a stable, healthy saturated fat that does NOT elevate “bad” (LDL) cholesterol.
…Poly-unsaturated fats are even less stable than monounsaturated fats. They are found in safflower, sunflower, soybean, grape seed, flaxseed, walnut, and fish oils.
Our bodies cannot produce poly-unsaturated fats; that’s why they’re called essential fatty acids. Poly-unsaturated fatty acids are further divided into two sub-groups called omega-6 and omega-3. Both are essential but the body requires them in a ratio that is not normally achieved by the typical diet of today’s industrialized nations. Because of their wide-ranging roles, virtually every area of the human body is susceptible to problems if the balance of the two poly-unsaturates becomes out of kilter. Another consideration is the fact that they must be consumed regularly as the body has limited storage for them.
…the ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is somewhere between 10 and 20 to 1 instead of 2:1. Western diets are therefore deficient in omega-3 fatty acids compared to the diet on which humans evolved and their genetic patterns were established.
Key omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are both found primarily in oily cold-water fish such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel. Aside from fresh seaweed, a staple of many cultures, plant foods rarely contain EPA or DHA. However, a third omega-3, ALA, is found in dark green leafy vegetables, flaxseed oils, and certain vegetable oils. Although ALA has different effects on the body than EPA and DHA do, the body has enzymes that can convert ALA to EPA
Researchers found that without a sufficient supply of polyunsaturated omega-3s, the body will use saturated fat to construct cell membranes, which compromises the elasticity and the cell walls.
Hydrogenated and trans fats are basically one in the same. Hydrogenated fats are created in a lab from oil like soy, corn, cottonseed, or canola and chemically altered so that they become more stable, allowing them to last on the shelf longer. The processing turns the oil into a trans fat. When they are absorbed and incorporated into the body’s cell walls they change cell structure and function. Trans fats actually inhibit important cell-to-cell communication and will block the body’s utilization of the good fats affecting the immune system and increasing cholesterol.
The brain is 70% fat. Omega-3s help regulate mental health problems because they enhance the ability of brain-cell receptors to comprehend mood-related signals from other neurons in the brain. In other words, the omega-3s are believed to help keep the brain’s entire traffic pattern of thoughts, reactions, and reflexes running smoothly and efficiently.
There’s more but I’ll stop. I take something called “The Total EFA” (essential fatty acids) I just never knew why. You’d be amazed at the how much a little cod liver oil can cure.
Comments (13)
I love you! Just lay off the hydrogenated stuff.
Interesting, isn’t it? Looks like our,[ at least mine] Grandmothers knew what they were talking about!….take good care, Lee
while i am normally not much of a commenter, this post got me thinking about what i eat. i stick a spoonful of flaxseed in my yogurt in the morning…i did it just because i like the taste, but apparently it’s worth its weight in gold…
yes–i have a mortar and pestle and it works pretty well!
article for whom about what? and it sounds like popeye was right once again!
omega 3 fatty acids also are critical to maintainance of neurons in the old brain…. have a shrink friend who is of the op inion that the shortage of omega 3′s, since gramma stopped with the cod liver oil, is at least in part behind the big increase in things like adhd and, possibly, autism. my twin grandchildren, 14 months old, are vegan (yep…. their aunt on their mother’s side, a naturopath, studied at bastier in seattle, is g uiding their nutrition… mom almost had a cat at recent baby gathering when another mother gave them lttle fish crackers….) – rice cheese, they love it. and to deal with the omega 3 issue, they get avacado every day, avoids the issue of toxins collected in the fish oils…..
pru, RYC, i’m laughing a wonderful laugh and in between the sounds wanting to say, “gotta love that pru!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I’m going to the store tomorrow to buy some CLO.
I’m going to the store tomorrow to buy some CLO.
no, i’m totally serious about the mortar and pestle. my husband is nuts and insisted we have one–and it’s just easier to use than cleaning out the blades of a grinder or foodprocessor. plus, most commercially milled flaxseed is pretty chopped up, if you just give it a quick grind, it’s a good texture for yogurt. i keep the flaxseed in the fridge…it tastes like…grapeseeds, i guess. very yummy in vanilla yogurt with blueberries.
wow. i sound very medieval and crunchy granola tonight–with my stone grinding tools and my flaxseed and my yogurt.
Thanks for sharing this important information! Is total EFA expensive? (My grandmother used to give us kids cod liver oil-blech).
It was my godmother who used to make me take a tablespoon of cod liver oil every morning when I stayed with her. *gag*
I think I’ll look for what you’re taking. *smile*
Brain=70% fat! Wow…makes me think of that joke: Want to lose 20lbs. of ugly fat? Cut off your head…
Yes, it’s is almost 6am, and I’m heading to bed, shortly.
I love you, Pru…GFW
Sardines are good too aren’t they? My sister raves about flax seed and says it has done wonders for our mother who is still going strong at 93. But, I thought coconut oil was not a good thing and have avoided it for years. Oh well, what do I know.
where does olive oil fit into all of this? And I shall have to find the coconut oil and give it a try.