Get an Oil Change
By Michelle Sala, Integrative Health Coach
Don’t believe what you’ve been told about such oils as vegetable oil, canola oil, soybean oil, etc. These are not heart healthy oils. While they may not contain cholesterol and be low in saturated fats, they are highly inflammatory and can damage your cell membranes which will then impact your overall health.[1]
Frequently, toxic solvents like hexene are used to extract the oil from the seeds.
These oils become rancid in the processing and must be deodorized. Once an oil has become rancid, it’s no longer healthy and becomes inflammatory.
Even if the oil has made it through the processing unscathed, the way processed foods are made with these oils damages the oils and makes them inflammatory. Fried foods that have been cooked at high heat with oil that has been used over and over, are always inflammatory.
What you’ve recently heard in the news about coconut oil is also not truth. Saturated fat from plant sources are not the same as saturated fat from animals. Even then, saturated fats aren’t the evils that the American Heart Association (AHA) makes them out to be. The studies used to vilify coconut oil are highly flawed.[2]
Never Use These Oils
Canola oil*
Corn oil*
Soybean oil*
Vegetable oil* (which is really soybean oil)
Peanut oil
Safflower**
Sunflower**
*Unless these oils say they are non-gmo or organic, then they are ALWAYS GMO!
**High oleic versions may be fine on occasion
The truth about oils is very confusing because the American Heart Association [3] will tell you that the oils I listed above are heart healthy. Please be aware that Big Agra and Big Pharma influence western medical so-called experts with misinformation about these dangerous products. (Don’t get me started on statins. I’ll save that for another post.)
There is a whole other discussion about oils that needs to take place: The ratios of Omega-3, -6, -9, and their affects on health and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Most of the oils listed above are heavy on Omega-6 and -9, therefore depleating the necessary Omega-3 oils necessary for proper cellular health. There is a delicate balance between these essential Omegas and the majority of us do not get the proper ratio (too much Omega-6 and -9) therefore contributing to inflammation and disease.
Believe it or not, lard, tallow, ghee, and butter from grass-fed, pasture raised animals are healthier sources of fat than these oils!
Best Oils
Avocado oil (best for high heat sautéing, frying, and baking)
Virgin or Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (best for baking and sautéing at or below 350° F)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (best used cold or low heat sautéing)
Ghee and butter from grass-fed cows
Debatable
Grapeseed oil
Trans-Fats
Always stay away from products that have ingredients such at partially hydrogenated vegetable/soybean oil or hydrogenated vegetable/soybean oils. These products ALWAYS contain trans-fats (the most inflammatory and heart unhealthy oils)! You will find this in shelf stable peanut butter and many packaged baked goods. Food manufacturers don’t have to claim their products have trans-fats if one serving has less than .5 grams of trans-fats. This is highly deceptive, and we all know that no one has one serving of something. So, if the one serving has .49 grams of trans-fats and you have a couple of servings then you are indeed over .5 grams of trans-fats. If the USDA really cared about your health then why would they let food manufacturers get away with this false labeling?
Be Aware
Do not blindly believe what you see in the news about oils and nutrition in general. Studies are always influenced by big business. If your health really mattered, then there would have been a decrease in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer over the past 30 years thanks to all the dietary advice the public has been given by experts. Instead, there has been an increase in all these conditions since the USDA, FDA, American Medical Association, American Heart Association, etc., have been telling us what to eat.
In the 80s we were told fat was bad, so food manufacturers replaced fat with sugar and empty carbohydrates. This dietary advice fueled a massive increase in obesity and diabetes. Increases in obesity and diabetes increases the incidents of CVD. In the October 31, 2008 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Diseases and Prevention (CDC) reported that the incidence of new onset diagnosed diabetes in U.S. adults has increased by 90{07617649484fed9b0031b804b8d67042e8c9309551466d2a85339975f1cdc4d0} over the past decade. [4]
If you want to see your health turn around quickly, my advice is to eat clean – eliminate processed oils, ditch sodas (diet and regular), eat real whole foods, include lots of healthy fat sources, cook your own food, eat as much organic food as you can afford and don’t eat out of a box!
[1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3335257/
[2]http://thenutritionwatchdog.com/the-real-truth-about-coconut-oil-dont-believe-the-propaganda/
[4]State-specific incidence of diabetes among adults–participating states, 1995-1997 and 2005-2007. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008;57(43):1169–1173. [PubMed]
Disclaimer: The contents of this website are not intended to be used to treat, cure, mitigate or diagnose any medical condition. The reader must consult their medical professionals before embarking on any changes that could affect their health.
Hey friend nice to see you tucked in and ready to go. Congrats to Roz, what a trooper!. Praying for the new chapter in your life. . Can’t wait to meet the family . Much Love, Judy