However, the science shows that saturated fats play many important roles in our body chemistry. Children in particular need traditional saturated fats. The low-fat diet widely promoted by the conventional medical and food industries starves them of vital nutrients during their formative years.
Some of the vital roles of saturated fats include:
• Cell Membrane Function – 50 percent of the fats in cell membranes must be saturated for the cells to function properly.
• Lung Function – The lungs cannot function without saturated fats, which explains why children fed butter and whole milk have much less asthma than children fed margarine and low-fat milk.
• Kidney Function – The kidneys operate through a process that requires saturated fat.
• Brain and Nervous System – The normal brain is especially rich in saturated fat (and also cholesterol).
• Immune System – Saturated fats are needed for healthy immune function.
• Protection Against Infection – Some kinds of saturated fats (found in coconut oil and butter) help fight pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites. Children fed skim milk suffer from infection five times more frequently than children fed whole milk.
• Heart Function – Saturated fats are the preferred food for the heart. Children on low-fat diets actually develop blood markers indicating proneness to heart disease.
• Vitamin Carriers – Saturated animal fats serve as unique sources of important nutrients such as vitamins A and D, and CLA.
Eat Fat, Lose Fat
Many people avoid saturated animal fats for fear of gaining weight. Yet fats from healthy animals will provide the vital nutrients needed to satisfy the body and curb hunger while eliminating common cravings for sugar or fried food. When the body continually gives hunger signals, it is often a cry for the vital nutrients it is missing. In other words, if you keep feeding yourself processed foods that lack nutrients, you may continually experience hunger and cravings. For example, one may eat bag after bag of chips without experiencing satiety. However, a breakfast consisting of traditional fats will satisfy your hunger for hours. A key to maintaining optimal weight is to give your body essential nutrients, many of which are found in traditional fat.
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The Basic Types of Fat
Saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature. Sources include butter, the fat on meat, coconut oil and palm oil. The fat from chicken, goose, duck and pig (lard) also contains high levels of saturated fat. Monounsaturated oils tend to be liquid at room temperature but solid in the refrigerator. The healthiest monounsaturated oil is olive oil, which can be used on salads and for light cooking. However, olive oil lacks many important nutrients found in animal fats and should not be used as the exclusive fat in the diet. Canola oil is promoted as a healthy monounsaturated oil; however, it contains fragile omega-3 fatty acids that are transformed into dangerous free radicals and even trans fats during processing. Polyunsaturated oils are liquid even when chilled. These include all commercial oils from corn, soy, sunflower and safflower. Use of these oils is associated with many modern diseases, including cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, sterility, digestive disorders, learning disabilities, growth problems and osteoporosis. Flax oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have health benefits; however, flax oil should only be used in small amounts in salad dressings and homemade spreads. Because omega-3 fatty acids are very fragile, flax oil should be stored in the refrigerator and never heated. Trans fats are formed by an industrial process called partial hydrogenation that turns liquid polyunsaturated oils into a hard fat. They are associated with a host of modern diseases, including cancer, heart disease, growth problems, weight gain and sterility. Trans fats interfere with enzymes needed to fight toxins and also to make important hormones, including sex hormones. The U.S. government has concluded that industrial trans fats are unsafe at any level in the diet. Yet, they are found in most processed foods, including cookies, crackers, bread, chips, snack foods, salad dressings and fried foods. Consumers who mistakenly try to avoid saturated fat usually end up eating a lot of dangerous trans fats instead. |