Fats & Oils from The Skinny on Fats

Excerpts from: The Skinny on Fats by the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Good Traditional Fats & Oils

The following nutrient-rich traditional fats have nourished healthy population groups for thousands of years:

• Butter
• Beef and lamb tallow
• Lard
• Chicken, goose and duck fat
• Unrefined coconut and palm oil
• Cold pressed [or expeller pressed] extra virgin olive oil
• Cold pressed flax oil - see note
• Marine (fish) oils, including cod liver oil

Note: Bee does not recommend using flax oil since it goes rancid very easily, even if it is kept cold, and it contains the kind of omega–3 essential fatty acid that has to be converted inside the body into a form the body can use. Many people are unable to do that conversion, therefore it is advisable to get omega–3 from fish oil or cod liver oil, which are already in the form the body can use, which are EPA and DPA, without having to convert them - see Cod Liver Oil Products/Brands with Nutrient Levels for details.

Damaging, Unnatural Man–Made Fats & Oils

The following unnatural man-made vegetable fats and oils are damaging to health, and can cause cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, sterility, learning disabilities, growth problems, osteoporosis, etc.:

• All hydrogenated oils (trans-fats)
• Soy, corn, sunflower, and safflower oils
• Cottonseed oil
• Canola oil
• Soybean oil
• All fats heated to very high temperatures in processing and frying

The problem with some oils is associated with the amounts of omega–3 and omega–6 essential fatty acids (EFAs) in our diet, in addition to other health issues. Recent research has revealed that too much omega–6 in the diet creates an imbalance that can interfere with production of important prostaglandins (fats) in the body.

This disruption can result in increased tendency to form blood clots, inflammation, high blood pressure, irritation of the digestive tract, depressed immune function, sterility, cell proliferation, cancer and weight gain.

Healthy proportions of these EFAs are 1 1/2 percent omega–3 linolenic acid and 2 1/2 percent omega–6 linoleic acid.

Most commercial vegetable oils contain very little omega–3 linolenic acid and large amounts of the omega–6 linoleic acid. In addition, modern agricultural and industrial practices have reduced the amount of omega3 fatty acids in commercially available vegetables, eggs, fish and meat.

For example, organic eggs from hens allowed to feed on insects and green plants can contain omega–6 and omega–3 fatty acids in the beneficial ratio of approximately one–to–one; but commercial supermarket eggs can contain as much as nineteen times more omega–6 than omega–3!

It is important to understand that, of all substances ingested by the body, it is polyunsaturated oils that are most easily rendered dangerous by food processing, especially unstable omega–3 linolenic acid.

Safe Extraction Techniques

There IS a safe modern technique for extraction that drills into the seeds and extracts the oil and its precious cargo of antioxidants under low temperatures, with minimal exposure to light and oxygen.

These expeller–expressed, unrefined oils will remain fresh for a long time if stored in the refrigerator in dark bottles.

Extra virgin olive oil is produced by crushing olives between stone or steel rollers. This process is a gentle one that preserves the integrity of the fatty acids and the numerous natural preservatives in olive oil. If olive oil is packaged in opaque [dark] containers, it will retain its freshness and precious store of antioxidants for many years.

Saturated fats not only enhance the immune system but are required for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids. omega–3 fatty acids are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats.

Omega–6 and Omega–3 Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are fats the body is not able to make, which is critical for health, so that is why they are called –essential– and must be obtained from foods.

These EFAs occur in butter in small but nearly equal amounts. This excellent balance between linoleic and linolenic acid prevents the kind of problems associated with over-consumption of omega–6 fatty acids.

Olive Oil contains 75% oleic acid, the stable monounsaturated fat, along with 13% saturated fat, 10% omega–6 linoleic acid and 2% omega–3 linolenic acid. The high percentage of oleic acid makes olive oil ideal for salads and for cooking at moderate temperatures.

Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in antioxidants. It should be cloudy, indicating that it has not been filtered, and have a golden yellow color, indicating that it is made from fully ripened olives.

Olive oil has withstood the test of time; it is the safest vegetable oil you can use, but don't overdo. The longer chain fatty acids found in olive oil are more likely to contribute to the build–up of body fat than the short– and medium–chain fatty acids found in butter, coconut oil or palm kernel oil.

Peanut Oil contains 48% oleic acid, 18% saturated fat and 34% omega–6 linoleic acid (contains no omega–3). Like olive oil, peanut oil is relatively stable and, therefore, appropriate for stir-frys on occasion. But the high percentage of omega–6 presents a potential danger, so use of peanut oil should be strictly limited.

Sesame Oil contains 42% oleic acid, 15% saturated fat, and 43% omega–6 linoleic acid (contains no omega–3). Sesame oil is similar in composition to peanut oil. It can be used for frying because it contains unique antioxidants that are not destroyed by heat. However, the high percentage of omega–6 militates against exclusive use.

Grapeseed Oil contains 78% omega–6 linoleic acid, 20% oleic acid, 1% omega–3 alpha-linolenic acid. The high percentage of omega–6 presents a potential danger, so it should be strictly limited.

Safflower, Corn, Sunflower, Soybean and Cottonseed Oils all contain over 50% omega–6 and, except for soybean oil, only minimal amounts of omega–3. Safflower oil contains almost 80% omega–6.

Researchers are just beginning to discover the dangers of excess omega–6 oils in the diet, whether rancid or not. Use of these oils should be strictly limited.

They should never be consumed after they have been heated, as in cooking, frying or baking. High oleic safflower and sunflower oils, produced from hybrid plants, have a composition similar to olive oil, namely, high amounts of oleic acid and only small amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids and, thus, are more stable than traditional varieties. However, it is difficult to find truly cold-pressed versions of these oils.

Canola Oil contains 5% saturated fat, 57% oleic acid, 23% omega–6 and 10%-15% omega–3. The newest oil on the market, canola oil was developed from the rape seed, a member of the mustard family. Rape seed is unsuited to human consumption because it contains a very-long-chain fatty acid called erucic acid, which under some circumstances is associated with fibrotic heart lesions.

Canola oil was bred to contain little if any erucic acid and has drawn the attention of nutritionists because of its high oleic acid content.

But there are some indications that canola oil presents dangers of its own. It has a high sulphur content and goes rancid easily. Baked goods made with canola oil develop mold very quickly. During the deodorizing process, the omega–3 fatty acids of processed canola oil are transformed into trans fatty acids, similar to those in margarine and possibly more dangerous.

A recent study indicates that "heart healthy" canola oil actually creates a deficiency of vitamin E, a vitamin required for a healthy cardiovascular system. Other studies indicate that even low–erucic–acid canola oil causes heart lesions, particularly when the diet is low in saturated fat.

Flax Seed Oil contains 9% saturated fatty acids, 18% oleic acid, 16% omega–6 and 57% omega–3. With its extremely high omega–3 content, flax seed oil provides a remedy for the omega–6/omega–3 imbalance so prevalent in America today. Not surprisingly, Scandinavian folk lore values flax seed oil as a health food. New extraction and bottling methods have minimized rancidity problems. It should always be kept refrigerated, never heated, and consumed only in small amounts, in salad dressings and spreads.

Fish Oils are superior to flax seed oil: Flax seed oil is not recommended as good source of omega–6 and omega–3 because it requires conversion by the body to a form that is useable. Fish oils, including cod liver oil, are a much more superior source of these EFAs which do not require conversion by the body.

Summary

The saturated fat scare has forced manufacturers to abandon safe healthy oils in favor of hydrogenated soybean, corn, canola and cottonseed oils.

In summary, our choice of fats and oils is one of extreme importance. Most people, especially infants and growing children, benefit from more fat in the diet rather than less. But the fats we eat must be chosen with care, as follows:

1. Avoid all processed foods containing newfangled hydrogenated fats and polyunsaturated oils.
2. Instead, use traditional vegetable oils like extra virgin olive oil and small amounts of unrefined flax seed oil.
3. Acquaint yourself with the merits of [unrefined] coconut oil and animal fats for baking and cooking.
4. Eat egg yolks and other animal fats with the proteins to which they are attached.
5. And, finally, use as much good quality butter as you like, with the happy assurance that it is a wholesome—indeed, an essential—food for you and your whole family.