It can be so complicated figuring out what oils and fats to eat on a daily basis. They can either nourish our cells or damage our cells and cause aging and disease, so it’s kind of important to choose the right oils and fatty foods to eat.
Here is my golden answer whenever I doubt if I am doing the right thing when it comes to my health choices. Nature always provides the goods. What I mean by this is that natural sources of fat such as saturated fat from grass fed animals (not grain fed), organic butter, organic ghee or monounsaturated fat such as organic olive oil, raw nuts and seed or avocado couldn’t possibly be the wrong choice for our health compared to the highly processed seed oils our health advisors have told us to eat for the last 60 years or so.
Nuts and seeds and their oils are not inherently bad for us, the problem is actually the refining process of these seed oils (which oxidize the fats), high heat extraction and the imbalance between omega 3 and omega 6 in our diet. Consumption of high sugar, refined and processed foods mixed with refined and processed seed oils are what increases our chances of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Top offenders to our health
Canola oil
Safflower oil
Rapeseed oil (grape seed oil)
“light” olive oil
Sunflower oil
soybean oil
Margarine
Vegan “butters”
Cooking with any oil/fat at high heat *ghee is an exception
Top store bought processed food offenders
Mayonnaise
Salad dressing
Nut butters that contain more than just the nut
Frozen french fries
Baked goods
Here are a couple of reasons why I choose to stay away from refined seed oils and go for Organic Cold Pressed olive oil most of the time and some organic saturated fats.
1. Every single one of our trillions of cells are coated with fat, it’s called a cellular membrane. If we nourish our cells with oxidized, highly processed seed oils, that is what our body will be made up of and inflammation will thrive.
2. The 7 Country study by Ancel Keys (this is THE study that made us believe that saturated fat is the cause for high cholesterol and heart disease.) Over the years it has been disproven over and over again for its bias nature, misleading and very faulty research collection. In fact more and more studies are coming out that say the complete opposite, saturated fats in moderation are actually good for the body for many reasons and one of those reasons is because they are much more stable when heated.
3. Despite moving away from saturated fats and moving to seed oils in the last 60 years, we have only gotten sicker with food related chronic diseases.
4. Refined seed oils are oxidized which cause inflammation in the body and aging
5. Saturated fats such as ghee, have amazing nutritional properties that you cannot get from seed oils. I eat ghee mostly for its butyrate content and it tastes delicious. Butyrate is super beneficial for our gut microbiome which is an important biomarker for our overall health and specifically for Alzheimer’s prevention.
6. The Mediterranean diet has been one of the most researched diets and from my knowledge there has never been a study showing that quality olive oil harms the body.
My top fats and whole food sources
Avocados
Raw nuts and seeds
Grass fed beef
Wild caught fish
Organic ghee
Organic butter
Organic cold pressed coconut oil
Organic olives
Organic cold pressed olive oil
* Avocado oil is also a great source, I just personally prefer the taste of others. The fat/oil I use the most is organic, cold pressed olive oil
Here are my final words, eat less processed foods, eat mostly organic cold pressed olive oil saturated fats are more stable when heated and a little goes a long way. Do not cook on high heat (if you do, use ghee), eat more omega 3 rich foods, eat out less and do not buy refined seed oils.
Resources and research papers ?
Read eat Fat, Get thin by Mark Hyman
Watch Fat fiction on Netlfix
Read Immunity Fix by Dr.James Dinicolantonio and Siim Land
Pub Med 2015
Pub med 2020