Food, Naturally: Vegetable Oils and Bad Fats

In case you are new to the series, you can start at the beginning or the introduction.

Almost all vegetable oils today are recent foods. They are not found in traditional diets, and for good reason. What are these industrial fats? Soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and any oil or fat (including lard) that is hydrogenated. These fats can cause major problems when eaten in large or small amounts as stated below.

Both omega-6 fats (found mostly in vegetable oils) and omega-3 fats (found in fish) are essential to good health, but the problem is that we should be eating equal amounts of these two types. Instead our grocery stores are bombarded with “low-fat” vegetable oils in every processed food available and we are told to use vegetable oils in cooking instead of saturated fats so we end up eating too much of them.

Because of their properties, too many omega-6 fats cause inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, premature labor, infertility, blood clots, and depression. They also constrict blood vessels and encourage platelet stickiness and clotting leading to heart disease.

On the other side, our diets are also lacking omega-3 fats found in seafood and fish. Not enough omega-3 fats can cause major problems such as dyslexia, poor motor skills, ADHD, even depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Because of the amount of vegetable oils we consume, consequences of imbalance can affect even breastfed babies as shown here in the quality of breast milk:

• Ideal ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats = 1 to 1
• 2 studies done in the US show ratios of 67.4 to 1 and 175.0 to 1

Another problem with vegetable oils is their fault with heating. Unsaturated fats are easily oxidized during cooking. Oxidized fats contribute to cancer and heart disease. They can also cause diarrhea, poor growth, loss of hair, skin lesions, anorexia, emaciation, and intestinal hemorrhages. The best fats to fry in are beef fat, butter, or coconut oil because they are highly saturated and therefore stable during heating.

We all know trans fats cause health problems. We should avoid them at all costs as they have no health benefits and are dangerous in any amount; even the government health agencies will admit that point, but have you ever looked at the processed food you buy from the store? You will quickly see how they are nowhere near eliminated from our diets as they should be. All hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated oils ARE trans fats. (I will talk more about food labels later.) Most pretzels, tortillas, crackers, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods are full of hydrogenated oils. Go ahead, look at your labels. I’ll wait.

The problems with trans fats:

• Lower HDL
• Raise LDL
• Raise Lp(a), which promotes atherosclerosis and clotting
• Reduce blood vessel function
• Promote obesity, diabetes, and hypertension
• Alter fat cell size and number
• Reduce fat content of breast milk (a necessary nutrient for babies’ growth and brain development)
• Reduce fertility and correlate with low birth weight
• Increase asthma
• Reduce immune response
• Interfere with conversion and use of DHA and EPA (omega-3 fats)
• Disrupt enzymes that metabolize carcinogens and drugs
• Damage cell membranes
• Create free radicals

When we eat the foods we are supposed to, and avoid all these new man-made concoctions, we will avoid many of these debilitating diseases that now plague our society. It is only when other countries start incorporating the “American way” of eating that they begin to see problems in their health. So what do we do? Eat real food, naturally!

For more information on vegetable oils and other fats, please read the books listed here.