#43: Fats To Consume VS Fats To Avoid
You may have been told that dietary fat - like oil - is bad for you. They are richer in calories, after all. Two problems with that notion:
calories don’t tell the whole story
not all dietary fat is created equal
No matter how you slice it, fat is an essential part of the human diet. Not consuming certain types of fat long-term can even kill you (that’s why there are ‘essential fats’).
The modern human diet happens to be quite high in fat. The problem? It’s often quantity over quality.
The Omega-6 And Omega-3 ‘Tug Of War’
The essential fats we mentioned earlier are Omega-3s and Omega-6s. And although the statement implies that we have free reign to guzzle them down at liberty, it is not the case.
Nowadays, westernized diets have a profile characterized by high omega-6, at least when compared to omega-3. The dietary trend changed dramatically since the human Paleolithic era (ending 12,000 years ago). Sadly, this trend has also been correlated with increased incidences of heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and various other auto-immune and neurodegenerative diseases.
Both Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats can influence gene expression. But zoning in on the correct ratio has been shown to make all the difference.
An Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio of 2:1 or less has been shown to influence health by preventing heart disease and a host of other chronic diseases.
Eating Our Way To The Perfect Omega-6 To Omega-3 Ratio
Want to level your Omega-3 intake with your Omega-6? Well… then you have to eat more of the former, and less of the latter.
Eat fish 2-3 times per week (ideally in the form of salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring).
Regularly consume plant-based fats (in the form of walnuts, avocado, olives, extra virgin olive oil, hemp seeds and flaxseeds).
When consuming meat, dairy and poultry, be sure to consume from grass-fed, grass-finished sources, or pasture-raised in the case of poultry and eggs.
Avoid dietary sources of Omega-6, with the worst offenders listed in the next section.
‘Good’ fats will help your body produce prostaglandins (hormones that fight inflammation). They will also help keep your cell walls healthy.
Consuming low-quality fats will mean our cell walls will be low-quality too. This means cells will be less able to maintain proper communication amongst themselves.
Foods High In Omega-6 (Foods To Avoid)
Aside from the ‘obvious sources’ (fast foods, sweets, processed foods and snacks), some of the most notorious Omega-6-containing foods are refined oils (and they often feature as an ingredient in the ‘obvious choices’). These are:
canola oil
corn oil
margarine
peanut oil
safflower oil
soybean oil
sunflour oil
vegetable oil
vegetable shortening
In an ideal world, humans would get their Omega-6 fill from seeds and nuts (which also contain Omega-3). But they would consume the latter from fish, more nuts and vegetable sources to equalize the ratio.
Advancements in food technology have made us reliant on refined oils from plants, skewing appropriate dietary fat ratio and thus, contributing to ill health. As a consequence, we have become more susceptible to disease.
The more omega-3 fats you eat, the better you can ‘fight off’ inflammation: the root of nearly every chronic disease.
