Quality Fat, Not Low-Fat, is the Secret to Health and Weight Loss
Saturated fats, found in animal products like butter, cheese and fatty meats, are not as dangerous as you may think. Saturated fats offer a host of health benefits and play many important roles in the body. Some vegetable oils (coconut, palm and palm kernel) also contain saturated fat. Coconut oil is a particularly healthy choice.
Trans-fatty acids, formed through a process called hydrogenation, are found in fried foods and processed foods such as cookies, crackers and pastries. Trans-fatty acids are much worse for you than saturated fats. Not only can they raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and lower HDL (good) cholesterol, but they have also been linked to heart disease.
A third type of fat is monounsaturated fat, found in oils such as olive and canola. Olive oil is a healthy choice, however I do not recommend canola oil.
It’s also important to make a distinction between omega-3 and omega-6 fats. In cell membranes, omega-3 fats improve your cell's response to insulin, neurotransmitters and other messengers. They also help the repair process when your cells are damaged. On the other hand, omega-6 fats contribute to insulin and membrane resistance, altering your mood, and impairing learning and cell repair. To avoid high levels of omega-6, it is important to avoid all vegetable seed oils.
Most Americans consume too many omega-6 fats and not enough omega-3 fats, leading to a distorted omega-6 to 3 ratio. To reach the ideal ratio of 1:1, it is necessary to not only consciously consume more omega-3 fats, but also to decrease the amount of omega-6 fats in your diet.
Omega-3 fats, DHA and EPA, are essential for brain and nerve function. An excellent source of omega-3 fats DHA and EPA is fish oil and cod liver oil. Benefits of omega-3 in fish oil and cod liver oil include a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, depression, Alzheimer's, arthritis and many other degenerative illnesses.
I highly recommend regularly consuming high-quality fish oil or cod liver oil. A high-quality brand is necessary to ensure that the oil has been purified of all contaminants--Carlson fish oil and cod liver oil is superior to all other brands I have tried in both quality and freshness. Please review my guidelines for proper dosage of fish oil and cod liver oil as well as for information on the difference between the two.
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