Fats

     So I've been researching fats lately, and oh my goodness, it will make you dizzy. Everyone has a different opinion about what fats are good for you and what fats are bad for you. It's confusing and frustrating. Do it. Google "What fats are good for you" and see how many sites completely contradict each other. So, here's what I'm learning, and my opinion on the matter.

     First of all, what is the difference in all these fats? Saturated animals fats are basically fat from meats and dairy. It's God-given, stable, and well utilized in the brain, heart, and every cell in your body. They are typically solid at room temperature. We've been told for decades that these fats are bad for you because they raise the risk of heart disease. But now experts are starting to question that. There have been studies and conclusions that there really isn't a link between the consumption of saturated fats and artery-clogging cholesterol. You can check that out here. Despite the evidence claiming that saturated fats are bad for you is crumbling, they are pushing their claims even harder. Glad to know you're looking out for us, food industry. People who go with low-fat diets usually eat more carbs, making heart disease and diabetes sky rocket. You can read my post about that here. And when they take out fats, which make things taste better, they have to add something in to make it edible, so in goes the sugars and preservatives.

     What about vegetable fats? The problem with those is that most of them are GMO. They refine them, bleach them, and take out the natural smell. Then what are you left with? A very processed oil that is not good for you. These oils are soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, canola oil, etcetera. These oils cannot be extracted by naturally separating or pressing, so they have to chemically separate them. Learn more about the process of making vegetable oils here.

     Then there are tans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils. They are toxic to the body. But they prolong the shelf life of foods like breads, cookies, and crackers, and are easy and cheap, which equals increased profit. So once again, here is your food corporations looking out for your best interest. Basically they take the vegetable oils and add hydrogen to make them solid at room temperature. They are trying to ban them because they are so bad for you. Though the ban hasn't gone through, companies are required to label their products as having trans fat in them. However, they've found a loop hole. Companies can put 0 grams trans fat on the labels as long as there's less than .5 grams per serving.

     We were told tropical oils, like coconut oil, were bad for us, but we now know that there are so many healthy benefits to using coconut oil. When choosing oils and fats, make sure you are using a reputable, organic company. Some companies are making fake oils, and marketing it as something else. When you buy oils such as coconut or olive oil, make sure you get organic, extra-virgin, cold-pressed. Basically, they press these fruits to extract the oils, and the first press is always the purest.

     So when it comes to fats, stick to saturated animal fats, (bacon grease is one of our favorites) coconut oil, olive oil, grass-fed butter or ghee, and avocado oil, and avoid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, corn, peanut and soybean.