Dietary fats have received much bad press because of their contribution to such disease conditions as heart disease, cancer, gall bladder disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and poor physical fitness. However, what is not widely recognized is that there is a difference between various types of fats. Some fats are not only beneficial but vitally important to our health.

 

Every cell in our body is surrounded by a membrane, a major component of which is fatty acids. These membranes need to be strong enough to protect the cell from infectious agents and other forms of destruction, yet fluid enough to permit smooth passage of nutrients into the cell and cellular products out of the cell. Not only are fats needed to make these membranes, but the type of fats eaten determines the quality of the membrane.

 

In addition to cell membranes, fatty acids are also used to make cholesterol. Excess cholesterol has detrimental effects on health, but cholesterol in the proper balance is essential for health. Our nerves are surrounded by a substance called myelin, which is made from cholesterol, as are all our steroid hormones. Vitamin D is a substance that is derived from cholesterol and is necessary for the body's utilization of calcium. Vitamin D is available in multivitamins and our bodies can also make Vitamin D from cholesterol when our skin is exposed to sunlight.

 

Fatty acids are also used to make hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins have many functions, most notably in terms of regulating inflammation, immunity, production of endocrine hormones and cholesterol, and healthy function of our cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems. Again, what type of fats we eat determines whether we produce prostaglandins that enhance our health or ones which impair our health.

 

Finally, fatty acids are a good source of fuel for our bodies. They are the major source of fuel for the heart and in emergency situations can also nourish the brain. These are our two very most vital organs. Fats are also required for us to absorb fat soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K from our foods.

 

Basically speaking, saturated fats are ones which are more likely to be harmful and unsaturated fats are ones that are more likely to be helpful. Saturated fats are predominantly found in animal products and are solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are predominantly from vegetable sources and are liquid at room temperature, otherwise known as oils.

 

The above is a generalization and of course all aspects of good health involve maintaining a proper balance. There are some saturated fats which are beneficial, such as butyric acid which promotes health of cells in the colon. Similarly, not all fats derived from animal sources are saturated. For example, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is the fat in fish that is beneficial for the health of the heart and blood vessels as well as preventing inflammation.

There are also some unsaturated fats which are harmful, such as oils that have been heated to the point where they change their structures to become what are called trans fatty acids, a contributor to heart disease and cancer. Unsaturated fats which are extracted using chemicals mean those chemicals get absorbed into our systems.

 

Unsaturated fats exposed to hydrogen become saturated fats. Unsaturated fats exposed to oxygen and light can generate free radicals, unstable molecules which can cause cancer, cardiovascular disease, cell degeneration, and aging. Most commercially produced vegetable oils available in grocery stores have at least one of the above problems if not all of them, as opposed to cold pressed vegetable oils from health food stores and food co-ops. Ironically, the beneficial saturated fat butyric acid is found in butter and hydrogenated trans fatty acids are found in margarine. Thus, the widely held belief that it's healthier to use margarine than moderate amounts of butter is another myth about fats.

 

Your naturopathic physician is well versed in the many conditions affected by unhealthy and healthy fats and will be glad to assist you in developing a program to optimize your health. Here are some general guidelines to help you optimize your health in relation to fats:

 

1. Keep total fat consumption down to less than 25% of total caloric consumption. A gram of fat is 9 calories, whereas a gram of carbohydrate or protein is 4 calories. Most Americans get 30-40% of their calories from fat, most of which is not in the form of good quality unsaturated fatty acids (the good fats). Fast food, fried food, desserts, dairy, and red meat are all good things to avoid or minimize. Also, be careful of hidden sources of fat such as coffee creamers, whipped toppings, gravies, etc.

 

2. Try low fat cooking options, such as steaming, boiling, baking, and broiling in preference to frying.

 

3. If you do fry or sauté food, remember that even good quality oils are damaged by heat. Smoking is a sign of oil breakdown. In order to minimize this, cook at the lowest heat that will work for you and choose an oil that is less vulnerable to deterioration. Oils such as olive, sesame, and canola are called monounsaturated. This means they only have one double bonds per molecule, which means they have fewer places in the molecule that are vulnerable to breakdown than polyunsaturated oils which have many double bonds per molecule. Polyunsaturated fats are very healthful if they are properly processed and stored, but aren't as good a choice for high heat cooking, so save them for salad dressings and other cooler uses. These oil include safflower, sunflower, almond, corn, and soy oils. Flax oil is a very healthful oil, high in essential fatty acids. It should be stored in either the refrigerator or freezer due to its very delicate nature.

 

4. Buy cold pressed vegetable oils from health food stores or food co-ops, preferably ones that are nitrogen packed and in non-transparent containers such as amber or green glass bottles. After you open a bottle of oil, store it in the refrigerator in order to prevent rancidity. Some oils such as olive may solidify. Don't worry, the oil is still fine and will return to its normal consistency at room temperature when you're ready to use it. In addition, adding some Vitamin E oil to your vegetable oils will help prevent the formation of free radicals and rancidity.

 

5. If you are eating meat, give preference to fish and poultry. If eating beef or pork, trim it as well as possible. Avoid processed meats such as lunch meats, sausages, hot dogs, and bacon. If using meats in soups, prepare the soup ahead, refrigerate it, and remove the congealed fat from the top before reheating it to eat.

 

6. Avoid excess simple carbohydrates such as sugars and processed grains, choosing instead complex carbohydrates such as grains, beans, and produce. Not only are the latter foods much healthier choices in general, but excess carbohydrate that doesn't get used by the body gets converted to fat for storage, so all these advertisements for "fat-free" sweet desserts are really only telling half the story.

 

7. Season foods with herbs, spices, lemon juice, and vinegar rather than butter, lard, meat drippings, margarine, cheese, or sour cream.

 

8. If using dairy products, choose ones with lower fat content.

 

9. To get healthy fats from your snacks, choose fresh raw nuts and seeds from your health food stores or food co-ops. These include almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds to name a few. Store these in your refrigerator to preserve freshness.

 

Hopefully this has clarified some of the myths and confusion about fats. If you have further questions, consult your naturopathic physician. While many of the fats most common in our culture can have harmful effects on health, beneficial fats are strongly conducive to good health, and should be part of a healthy diet.