Healthiest Fats and Oils

Fats and oils can be either really bad for you or they can actually be really good for you – You just need to learn which ones to choose to incorporate in your diet. Oh, and when I say “diet”, I really mean how you choose to eat for the rest of your life.

Your Body Needs Fat

A lot of people don’t realize that your body needs fats and oils, and if you pick the right type, it can be extremely beneficial for your health.

Your body needs fat! Good fat helps to protect and hold your organs in place, such as the heart, kidneys, and liver. Fat helps insulate and regulate body heat, helps your brain function properly, and initiates a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK), which contributes to satiety (helps you feel full).

Now that you know how much your body needs fat, let’s pick the right kind of fats and oils, and learn which ones to avoid.

Healthy Fats and Oils

It’s important that you choose the right kind of fats and oils, since not all of them are created equal. Here’s a list of healthy fats and oils that you should consider using:

•Coconut Oil – This is one of the only oil that I recommend to use for cooking. Coconut oil is full of Lauric acid and has a high heat tolerance, unlike other oils. Just make sure you get Coconut oil that isn’t refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD).

•Avocado – This is full of Oleic acid (just like Olive and Macadamia Nut oil), vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and glutathione, which are all good for your heart. Avocados are also high in beta-sitosterol, which has been shown to lower bad cholesterol levels.

•Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Olive oil is very healthy for you, and studies prove this! What a lot of healthy guru’s don’t seem to mention that you shouldn’t cook with Olive oil! When you heat olive oil, it is very susceptible to oxidative damage, and that’s because the oleic acid in it creates an imbalance on a cellular level that can be very harmful to you, including the increased risk of heart disease and some cancers.

So remember, use Olive oil, just don’t heat it up! Try blending it with spices to make a healthy salad dressing or dip it in a slice of fresh whole wheat baguette!

•Rice Bran Oil – Full of Vitamin E and shown in studies to help reduce bad cholesterol levels.

•Ghee – This is clarified butter, which means that is basically butter with the milk solids removed. Ghee has been used for thousands of years  and known for it’s medicinal benefits and more recently, it’s known for being lactose free. One of the amazing benefits of ghee is that it has a high heat tolerance, similar to Coconut oil! Ghee has healthy fats in it and has been shown in studies to contain anti-cancer and anti-viral properties.

•Macadamia Nut Oil – This oil is becoming increasingly popular and recent studies are showing that this oil just might be healthier than Olive oil when it comes to health Omega-3 fats and Oleic acid, which can raise HDL (good cholesterol) levels. Just like Olive oil, this oil shouldn’t be used for cooking due to the abundance of Oleic acid. Make sure you get pure macadamia nut oil that isn’t refined or processed.

•Omega 3 – This essential fatty acid has been proven to protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer, arthritis, and other diseases. You will find this heart healthy fat in foods like Salmon and Flax seeds.

•Flaxseed Oil – This oil is one of the best sources of the essential fatty acid, Omega-3, which has been proven to be extremely healthy for your body. See “Omega-3″ listed above.

•Nuts and Seeds – Almonds, Almond Butter, Pecans, Walnuts, Sesame seeds,cashews, Flax seeds (see Flax seed oil), Brazil nuts, Hazelnuts, Sunflower seeds, Pistachio nuts, and Macadamia nuts (see Macadamia nut oil) are all extremely healthy forms of fat. They have numerous health benefits, including weight loss, heart healthy benefits, lowers bad cholesterol levels, high in fiber, and even support prostate health. Wowza!

Yes, these nuts and seeds are extremely healthy and loaded with nutrition and benefits, but they are still high in calories. Just remember to eat in moderation if you are trying to lose weight.

Unhealthy Fats and Oils

These oils that are on the “unhealthy list” might come to you as a shock. My intention is to educate you on what fats and oils are really healthy for you, and which ones aren’t. Of course, some of these oils are only marketed as healthy. Don’t always believe what marketers tell you…

All of the following oils become easily oxidized (or rancid) when exposed to heat. The heating process turns the oil into trans-fatty acids, which results in chronic diseases such as heart disease and even cancer.

•Vegetable/Canola Oil – These oils are very processed, and was developed through hybridization of rapeseed. Canola oil (which means “Canadian oil, low acid”) contains erucic acid, hemagglutinins and toxic cyanide-containing glycocides. These substances have been shown to cause nervous disorders, weakened immune system, and even mad cow disease. Let’s just say that I stay away from Vegetable and Canola oil with a ten foot pole.

•Soybean Oil – Soybeans have Omega-6 in them…too much, in fact. It’s ideal to have a diet with a 1:1 ration of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats. Most of us are getting way to much Omega-6 fats and not enough Omega-3′s, which has negative results on our health.

•Margarine, Shortening, and Lard – Did you know that margarine, for example, was invented by a chemist in 1813 in hopes to create a healthier butter substitute? It’s popularity skyrocketed when people found out that it was “naturally” cholesterol free. However, many years later, we realized that the trans-fats that are in margarine are actually worse for you than butter ever was.

I suggest that you just skip all of the “made in the laboratory” ingredients.

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Tags: fat, Health, heart healthy, lipid, Nutrition, oil

Virgin Coconut Oil

I recently had a poll on my site asking others what they thought was the healthiest oil for them. To my shock, Coconut Oil was quite underrated for it’s many health benefits. Apparently The marketers of Olive Oil are doing a better job, but still, I must set the record straight.

Let’s first begin with going over the different types of coconut oil. I want to be sure when you are using Coconut Oil, you are getting only the good stuff, and using only the best.

Refined Coconut Oil

This is the most common way to mass-produce Coconut Oil. Refined Coconut Oil is RBD, which means it is Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized. When you deodorize the oil, very high heat is used to do so. Sometimes the RBD oil is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated.  Sodium hydroxide is usually used to get rid of the free fatty acids, which helps prolong it’s shelf life. Due to the refinement process, the taste and smell is bland, and does not keep to the taste and smell of an actual coconut. You may think you want a bland taste rather than a coconut flavored oil…but trust me, you don’t want the refined oil. Please read on..

Virgin Coconut Oil

The only way to extract Virgin Coconut Oil is by using fresh coconut meat. No chemicals or high heating is used in further refining since it’s natural pure coconut oil is naturally able to have a long shelf life (why the processing is done in the first place, I will never know). Virgin Coconut Oil retains the taste and smell of coconuts.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Unlike the Olive Oil Industry, there is actually no difference between “Virgin” and “Extra Virgin” Coconut Oil. When it comes to Coconut Oil, “Virgin” is just as good as “Extra Virgin”.

Coconut Oil Heated

One of the wonderful benefits of Coconut Oil, is that it isn’t damaged by heat. Because Coconut Oil can be cooked without worrying the nutritional benefits will be cooked out, Coconut Oil is great for cooking and baking. Not only is it still good for you, but it taste great too.

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is the richest form of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT), which the body burns for energy (unlike other oils which have Long Chained Triglycerides which actually store as fat – Not good!). Coconut Oil contains Lauric Acid (form of MCT), which is a predominant fatty acid that has anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. The medium chain fats in Coconut Oil is similar to the fats found in breast milk, and even have some of the same health effects, and have a great healing power.

Coconut Oil shows evidence of killing yeast infections (think Candida), increased energy, better immune system, helps with memory, protects the liver, reduced risk of heart disease, normalizes blood sugar levels (also reduces cravings of foods that would raise blood sugar levels), aids digestion, helps with the absorption of nutrients into the body, lowers cholesterol levels, and even helps with Weight Loss.

There are many health benefits of Coconut Oil – even more than what I have already mentioned! Nice.

How Coconut Oil effects Weight Loss

Just as I already mentioned, Coconut Oil has MCT, which helps your body burn fat, thus helping you lose weight. Coconut Oil also helps your body have the ability to control hungry and cravings, which again, helps you lose weight. Does everyone who consumes Coconut Oil lose weight? No, not always. There have been reports of people not losing weight, but they noticed their pants fit better. Apparently Coconut Oil also helps with muscle mass while trimming fat.

Research shows that an under active Thyroid may be to blame for weight problems. That is a pretty intense claim considering that 65% of the US population is overweight, and 27% is clinically obese. Wow. Good news, Coconut Oil is also known to help with an under active Thyroid. Diet seems to play a major role in Thyroid health (for good or bad), and considering their is a choice in the matter, I would do what I can to naturally have great thyroid health.

Cooking with Coconut Oil

Personally, I have thrown out all of my oils (Shortening, Vegetable Oil or any other “cooking oils”), and I have replaced them all with Virgin Coconut Oil (USDA Organic). I have to admit, I was a little worried how the Coconut Oil would effect the taste of my food. Come to find out, it has only made the flavor of whatever I was cooking- even better! You can use Coconut Oil as a replacement for all other oils whether it be for baking desserts, adding to smoothies, or to cook with your meats- you won’t be disappointed.

Coconut Oil has a melting point of 76 degrees, so if it is colder than 76 degrees, the Coconut Oil is going to be more of a solid texture. For measuring purposes, you might want to warm up the Coconut Oil by either running warm or hot water on the jar, or just taking a couple of spoonfuls and baking them for a couple of a minute or two. At this point, it will be a liquid, and easy to measure for recipes.

I love this wonderful oil, and believe you will too!

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Tags: better immune system, burn fat, coconut, coconut oil, fatty acids, health benefits, Healthy, helps burn fat, helps with absorption of nutrients, helps with memory, helps with weight loss, ids digestion, increased energy, kills candida, kills yeast infections, Lauric Acid, lowers cholesterol levels, MCT, Medium Chain Triglycerides, normalizes blood sugar levels, oil, organic virgin coconut oil, protects the liver, reduced risk of heart disease, thyroid solution, Weight Loss

Oregano

Not only is Oregano a wonderful herb used to spice up a bland recipe, but it also has many wonderful health benefits you may not know about.

Benefits

•Strong antibacterial properties

•Contains antioxidant vitamins, which may play a role with anti-aging and cancer prevention.

•Contain Carvacrol and Thymol, which have been found to aid digestion, calm upset stomachs,  and  inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

•Contains Fiber.

•When fresh (not dried), Oregano contains Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Iron, Manganese, Calcium, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

•Helps maintain respiratory health.

•Can help treat skin infections and itchy skin.

Uses

You can use Oregano fresh or dried in recipes or as an oil topically. Oregano fresh is less flavorful than dried oregano, but both still have their health benefits.

Precautions

•Oregano oil can reduce the body’s ability to absorb iron. If you are already iron deficient or pregnant, you should limit your consumption of Oregano oil. The volatile oil can be harmful for your unborn child if you are pregnant.

•Children who are less than two years of age and those with very sensitive skin should not use the Oregano oil topically.

•Bottom line:  Yes, Oregano is good for you but too much of a good thing, can be bad.

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Tags: aid digestion, antibacterial, antioxidant, bacteria, calm upset stomach, carvacrol, Food, fungi, Healthy, herb, itchy skin, oil, Oregano, oregano oil, Recipe, respiratory, skin infections, thymol, virus, vitamins