 The health of a food is correlated to how much it is processed. The more any food is processed, the more it causes inflammation and damage in the body. When foods are processed, they go from a natural to an unnatural form. My philosophy is simple, if the food didn’t exist in its current form, 5,000 years ago, then it’s probably not something that belongs in my body. The Creator made food in the form it was meant to be eaten to keep your bodies strong and vibrant! It is seriously this simple. As soon as man began altering food, the rate of disease sky-rocketed. The father of medicine, Hippocrates, said it best himself, ‘Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine they food.' Nothing was more detrimental to our health than the idea of making food last a long time and creating ways to make food preparation convenient. In fact, before the convenience food epidemic, heart disease was not even an issue. For example, in 1910, the heart disease rate was less than ten percent. It is now 45%. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) it is the leading cause of death in men and women. Someone has a heart attack in the US every thirty four seconds. (CDC) In fact, before 1920, coronary heart disease was so rare in America that when Paul Dudley White introduced his invention, the electrocardiogram to Harvard University, they told him to go focus on something more profitable because there was little use for this machine! In a recent report in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease., Mayo Clinic researchers showed that individuals favoring carbohydrates in their diets had a remarkable 89% increased risk for developing dementia as contrasted to those whose diets contained the most fat. Having the highest levels of fat consumption was actually found to be associated with an incredible 44% reduction in risk for developing dementia (PsychologyToday.com). Friends, it’s time to educate ourselves! If we continue to listen to the recommendations of our government, chances are good we’ll become one of their statistics. In fact, chances are almost 50% for heart attacks alone. That’s one out of every two people. In my opinion, learning the truth about fat is a great place to begin. In 1910, when the rate of heart disease was much lower in the US than it is now, people were eating an average of 18 pounds of butter per person each year. That number has now gone down to four pounds per year. Also in 1910, lard made from the fat of farm raised pigs was the number one cooking fat. This fat is high in Vitamin D, the nutrient now many of us are deficient in. In 1911, Proctor and Gamble introduced Crisco. To the unsuspecting American, it was a dream. We didn’t have to make it ourselves, it lasted longer than lard and at the same time, we unknowingly began eating trans fats. By 1930, margarine consumption surpassed butter consumption. By 1948, obesity and diabetes became public health problems. (By this time, sugar consumption had also increased dramatically.) In 1953, a major study put out by Ancel Keys, convinces America to eat less fat and more carbohydrates. And now, here we are, disease rates and obesity out of control and how many millions of dollars have been spent on ‘research.’ Where are the answers? One thing we can now be sure of is that artificial trans- fats and hydrogenated oils are damaging to our health and any food with these on the labels should always be avoided. Artificial trans-fats come from man-made fats such as hydrogenated oil and are not to be confused with the small amounts of trans-fats in beef and dairy, etc… It is the artificial trans-fats and other processed foods that we can thank the rise in heart disease for. Hydrogenation is a process that creates a solid, shelf-stable fat that looks nothing like the vegetable fat it originated from. To make a hydrogenated oil, the oil is washed, bleached, deodorized and then heated to very high temperatures. Then hydrogen gas is bubbled through the mixture. Hydrogenation totally alters the molecular make-up of the original fat. It ends up being molecularly closer to plastic than fat and is a dangerous free-radical in the body. The way I understand this, this means that these free radicals are missing electrons and when they enter the body, they damage heart cells by ‘stealing’ electrons from them. The body has no use for these trans-fats and so it stores them away in fat cells and arteries to protect the rest of the body from them. Then the body waits for the healthy fat to come, causing us to crave more fat so the body can get the essential fatty acids it’s looking for. Can you see what we are putting the body through when we eat hydrogenated oils and artificial trans- fats? There are three types of fats: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats are found in animal fats and tropical oils. They are the most stable under high heat. They give cells stiffness and integrity and constitute 50% of the cell membranes (ie, necessary for cellular health). They are necessary for calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal system because the fat carries the minerals into the bones. I actually became totally mineral deficient when I was a raw-foodist and did not eat animal fats! Coconut oil is saturated and is therefore good for cooking. It is also rich in lauric acid which is known to be anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. According to Dr. Al Sears, M.D., ‘the saturated fat found in coconut oil is a unique fat that helps prevent heart disease, helps to build up the immune system and does not turn into fat in your body.’ According to Dr. Al Sears, MD, we need fat to transport nutrients, build a faster brain, maintain body temperature and give us energy. The next type of fats are polyunsaturated fats. They are very fragile and most processed oils in this class are damaged before you even open the bottle they come in. The extraction process alone, which involves high heat, causes these fats to go rancid. These include soy, corn, cottonseed, canola and peanut oil. All are best kept out of your diet. Most of them are from genetically modified sources, which can cause damage to your digestive tract. Processed vegetable oils such as these cause inflammation and heart disease (Mercola). Other sources include fish oil, eggs and walnuts which are rich sources of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. These fats should not be heated, so eat your walnuts raw and your egg yolks runny! If you choose to use fish oil, the only non-heated variety I am aware of is from ww.greenpasture.org and I highly recommend it. The third type of fat is monounsaturated. These do not go rancid as easily as long as you purchase the cold pressed variety. My favorite source for all oils is www.omeganutrition.com because they patented their own processing system to make sure the oil is never exposed to heat, light or oxygen before you open the opaque bottle. Monounsaturated oils should not be heated above 325ᵒ to prevent rancidity and should be bottled in opaque bottles to prevent light exposure. Remember to always avoid the smoke point with oils. This means, if you are cooking with the oil and it begins to smoke, turn the heat down right away or this oil will become a free radical, causing damage to your heart cells and organs. Olive oil and avocados fall into this category as do almonds, pecans, cashews, and peanuts. The best fats to eat are butter from grass-fed cows. I use Kerrygold or Strauss brand. If you can get it straight from the farmer, even better, or make it yourself. I also use grass-fed ghee. I have found a source for leaf lard at my farmer’s market. I also use coconut oil. We use cold-pressed olive oil. We drink whole raw milk and raw milk cheese. I eat whole milk yogurt. Avocados and raw nuts and seeds are good fats also. One of my favorites is olives. Just remember, the soil you food grows in and the food, your food eats, makes all the difference in the quality of the fat! Next time I will discuss Omega 3 vs. Omega 6 fatty acids, so stay tuned! You might also be interested in these articles: Fat is Not the F-Word and It Just Might Be What you Need to Stay Slim & Trim Fatman: The Forgotten Hero in the Battle of the Bulge Fat: What's the Right Amount for Me?
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 So, what’s the perfect balance between just enough fat, and not too much? We don’t want all that fat to sit in the storehouse making us flabby, we want it to be used up and then replenished—a perfect balance. But how? Three steps. First, we must do everything to keep our blood sugar in check. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, fat and protein, and reduce the carbohydrates—actually eliminating the processed ones that turn right into sugar. When our insulin levels are high, which results from eating processed carbohydrates and sugar, our body must hold onto fat to store all the excess sugar in order to keep it out of our blood stream. I have personally witnessed clients going off of diabetes medication in ten days or less simply by eating properly. When this step is followed, I have seen the body come into balance within a few months: a speedy metabolism, hormonal harmony and fat burning efficiency. If we are willing to eat the foods in the form created by the Creator of our bodies, meaning, eating REAL food in its original form, we can experience harmony in a body shape we’re comfortable in. To do this, we MUST eat enough of that hero called fat. One study found that when we eat enough healthy fat we release abdominal fat. Alternatively, when we over-consume carbohydrates, we gain abdominal fat. (NIH) Second, make sure we’re eating enough of our hero. If we have too much fat, we grow sluggish, maybe nauseated. We become sleepy and dull. We gain a heavy gut and possibly feel full, but hungry. We may crave sweets or caffeine. If we take in just enough fat, we feel energized, awake, satiated. We’re able to go four or so hours between meals and even if we get hungry, it won’t feel like an emergency because our blood sugar will be balanced. Are you the type that needs more protein and fat (say 20-30% of each meal)? You’ll know if:
We are all biochemically unique, so no one amount of fat works for every person. The key is learning to listen to our own inner wisdom, to the cues of our body. It will tell us how, when, and how much to eat. When we eat the right amount of healthy fat, and our hormones are regulated because we are getting enough sleep; when we go to bed a little on the hungry side, enjoy life, hydrate our bodies, relax, fulfill our life purpose, breathe, move, and generally live a balanced lifestyle, then our body begins to trust that our hero, Fat, is good to go. So it will USE the fat we eat as an ENERGY SOURCE. Our body will begin to release excess fat on its own, while keeping our hero healthy and happy. All this without ever counting a fat gram or stepping on the scale! Maybe the idea of our getting rid of our little-known hero was a very bad idea indeed! Stay tuned for my next article on what kinds of fats are heroes and which types are foes. There is a big difference, and lack of understanding can cost you your health. You might also like to read: Fatman: the Forgotten Hero in the Battle of the Bulge Fat is Not the F-Word and it Just Might Be What you Need to Stay Slim & Trim  The challenge with eating fat to stay thin, is excess fat consumption can actually cause us to gain more weight, but we need enough of it to allow our body to use fat for energy instead of storing it. How do we do this? Here’s a little story to illustrate: There once was a kingdom called Body. A wise messenger (hormone) named Leptin, who resides in the great kingdom, hangs out, while he’s on call, with some friends near their kingdom’s storage facility. Leptin’s crucial role is to keep the kingdom (body) from starving to death by bringing news to King Hypothalymus (our master gland in the brain) about the state of the fat stores in the kingdom. The storage facility holds a hero named Fatman (the body's fat). Now, this hero is not largely recognized as such just yet, and he gets dissed because he’s very jiggly, slimy, and chunky. People tend to look up to the firm, muscly types as heroes. Even though Fatman’s job is crucial to the kingdom’s survival, usually the princesses strive to banish Fatman because they believe the bad stories they hear about him from the town criers. So, Fatman’s down these days. He’s feeling rejected and misunderstood, but he takes his job very seriously anyway because that’s just what real heroes do. Leptin, however, understands Fatman’s crucial role for the survival of the kingdom, so he hangs out right outside Fatman’s storage facility keeping tabs on Fatman, making sure his stores don’t get too low. As long as the princesses don’t try to get rid of too much Fatman, and no one attacks him, Leptin tells King Hypothalymus, “Hey, everything’s okay. Keep that metabolism humming. No need to bring additional fat into storage, our hero is healthy and strong.” But, if the enemy of Fatman (Diet/Famine) comes in to destroy him, Leptin runs to King Hypothalamus with the mayday signal. “Fatman is weak and dying. Bring more Fat before he dies!” So, King Hypothalymus alerts Queen Thyroid to slow down the entire Kingdom (metabolism) and to convert everything that comes in (all food ingested) to fat, until our true hero is back. AND Since Fatman is our hero, King Hypothalamus greatly increases the greediness of the peasants (appetite) so they’ll be really motivated to find food and eat LOTS of it to replenish the storehouse. Once food starts entering the kingdom (your body), it is ALL stored as fat, to be ready for the next famine (diet). But there’s more trouble ahead. Just like chronic carbohydrate and sugar consumption cause insulin resistance, it also causes Leptin resistance. So when Leptin runs a message to King Hypothalymus, he’s thwarted by the Resistance, so the king doesn’t receive the message! So, even though the fat stores are full, the kingdom keeps working to build up more fat stores, and the peasants never feel full so they keep on eating. Are you getting the picture? We need our Hero Fatman! But how do we know how much to consume? Does this mean I can scarf those McDonald’s burgers and fries? Tune in next time to find out! Click here to go to Fat: What's the Right Amount for Me? You might also like: Fat is Not the F-Word and it Just Might Be What You Need to Stay Slim & Trim  freedigitalphotos.net Many grotesque traditions have been practiced in the name of beauty, but when in the course of human history has the total absence of body fat been seen as beautiful until now? We are a fat-fearing nation, and this could possibly be the single greatest contributor to the current obesity epidemic. Do you remember back in the 80s and 90s, all that fat-free food we thought would make us thin? I just couldn’t figure out why I had to work so HARD to stay thin. Staying thin was like a full-time job back then. In those early days of 'trying to stay slim craziness', I tried everything from plastering my bagels with only fat-free cream cheese, to munching processed, low-fat, crackers and breads, to cutting my chocolate craving with large amounts of Snackwells cookies (remember those?). I craved carbs enormously. This was when my food obsessions really took hold, and it would be many years before I realized why I felt like I was starving! When I started eating healthy, processed foods naturally disappeared out of my diet. Avocados, virgin cold-pressed olive oil, and nuts and seeds—all fats—filled my menus. (We didn’t know about coconut oil yet, and I hadn’t learned about the health benefits of quality butter.) With all this fat in my diet, I just couldn’t figure out how I could be thinner than ever. I was so confused! It wasn’t until years later that the research caught up to my experience. It is now known that healthy fat is necessary for keeping slim and vibrantly healthy! In a Harvard study of 101 men and women, researchers put half the group on a low-fat diet and half on a diet that included about 20 percent of calories from healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs. Great sources include nuts, avocados, olives, and safflower oil. Eighteen months later, the MUFA-eating group dropped 11 pounds, compared to their low-fat eating peers, who shed only six pounds – despite similar calorie consumption. Did you know that your fat is actually a hormone-producing organ just like the thyroid, adrenal, and pancreas? It deserves a little love just like your heart, your brain, and those other vital organs we’re so careful about. What if our entire culture thought hearts were bad and served no purpose? And what if it did everything to get rid of them? Well, that’s how we treat our fat. Maybe it’s time to start seeing fat in a new light. Our beloved fat protects us from the perils of famine and starvation. It has a purpose, and maybe that’s why it’s trying so hard to get us to notice it through an epidemic called obesity. Maybe obesity is here to wake us up to the truth about fat. After all, there is a time and season for everything under the sun. Once we stop madly trying to rid ourselves of fat, we can become curious about the message of its excess. You see, our bodies are set up for survival, and our bodies’ intelligence causes us to hold onto fat. So, the next time you walk past that mirror, instead of giving in to the thoughts of disgust about the extra fat you see, consider thanking your body. It’s doing the amazingly intelligent job of storing fat for your survival! And then, think about thanking that hormone-producing fat for working so hard. To understand more about how the body uses fat and why it keeps you thin, check out my article: Fatman: The Forgotten Hero in the Battle of the Bulge You might also enjoy: Fat: What's the Right Amount for Me? References: http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/eat-healthy-fats-to-lose-weight/ |
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Chichen Itza, Mexico 2015
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