We have different types of fat available to eat and cook with but which ones are the best to use? Most fats are a combination but referred to the primary type of fat.
Saturated fats:
- The most stable to cook with
- Animal fats and tropical oils
- Solid at room temperature
- Non-essential fat as body can make these fats
- Does not go as rancid as easily
- Source: coconut oil, lard
Monounsaturated fats:
- Relatively stable- cooking at low temperature as a saute
- Liquid at room temperature
- Non-essential fat as body can make these fats
- Sources: olive oil, almonds, cashews and avocados
Polysunsaturated fats:
- Relatively unstable- not to cook with and very fragile – never heat them or else you take a healthful oil and rob of healthful properties and then convert into unhealthy oil (leading to forming trans-fatty acids and oxidized fats- turn rancid).
- These fats go rancid easily
- Chemically altered if used in prepared foods (hydrogenatization) – not good oil
- Liquid form
- *Essential Fatty Acids from Alpha Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) and Linoleic Acid (Omega 6)
- Sources of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats
- Sources: flax, nuts, seeds and fish oils (make sure to soak raw nuts and seeds before eating)
*Essential Fatty Acids: if can not live without it and the body can not internally manufactured these types of fats so must be consumed by an outside source.
- Linoleic Acid (LA) found in Omega 6 fatty acids- precursor to all other omega 6 fatty acids
- Alpha Linoleic Acid (ALA) found in Omega 3 fatty acids- precursor to all the other omega 3 fatty acids including DHA and EPA.
Healthy Fats of real butter, Olives and MCT and Coconut oil for a Ketogenic Diet on a wood plank board
Plus we have four other types of fatty acids that are known to be “conditionally essential”:
- GLA: gamma-linolenic acid
- AA: arachidonic acid
- EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid
- DHA: docosahexaenoic acid
Remember! Be aware of where you food came from especially animal sources… it is wild caught fish? Grass-fed beef? Or is it factory produced grain fed animal source or fed lots? Fish do not have the high source of omega 3 fatty acids if farm raised as well as other animal products. Go wild!
As I talked about in another blog on fats… we need fat for energy, fat soluble vitamins, use for proteins, protective lining of our organs, help slow our absorption rate of foods, makes food taste better and keeps us full for hours! I always like to think of fat as burning logs versus burning kindling (carbohydrate based diet).
What are sources of Omega 3 fats? Fish, walnut, flax oil, hemp and pumpkin
What are sources of Omega 6 fats? Good sources of unadulterated (not processed) sunflower, seasame, safflower, peanut, primrose oil (Omega 6 Essential Oil)
What are sources of Omega 9 fats? olive oil and avocado
What are sources of Saturated fats? Animal sources (grass fed, pasture raised) and tropical sources as palm, coconut, eggs, butter, animal fats
What are bad fats? Highly processed oils- changed formation as corn, safflower, peanut… so highly processed so the formation and not viable for source of energy or use for cell formation. Toxic
Goal: To balance out our intake of Omega 6 fatty acids with Omega 3 fatty acids to have a ratio of 1:1. We are all unique individuals- biochemical individuals with different ancesterol backgrounds.
Critical factors for essential fatty acids: ability to breakdown and digest healthy fats – if we don’t have the proper digestion process, pancreatic enzymes (lipase), liver and gallbladder function then we can’t even absorb the fats. We need to be able to convert the essential fatty acids in the body – and form prostagladins which aid in the inflammatory process.