Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are stable fats because there are no double bonds between the carbon and hydrogen atoms.  These fats resist rancidity and are solid or semi-solid at room temperature.  These fats are great to cook with because they can stand the stress of high heat without going rancid.  Examples of saturated fats are butter, beef tallow, coconut oil and palm oil.

Monounsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated fats contain one double bond between the carbon atoms.  They are relatively stable- more stable than polyunsaturated fats, but less stable than saturated fats.  They are liquid at room temperature and solid if put in the refrigerator.  They can be used to cook with at low to moderate heats.  Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil and high oleic safflower oil are examples of monounsaturated fats.

Polyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated fats are unstable and highly reactive because they have multiple double bonds between their carbon atoms.  They are liquid at room temperature and in the refrigerator.  Due to their unstable nature, they should never be used to cook with.  They easily go rancid when exposed to heat and light.  Most vegetable oils are classified as polyunsaturated oils; examples are corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean and sunflower oil.

Damaged Fats

A damaged fat is any fat that is rancid, refined or hydrogenated (trans fat).  Saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats can all be damaged.  Damaged fats have been altered from their true form in nature and transformed into fats that the body cannot effectively utilize.  Saturated fats are least likely to be damaged because of their stable nature, unless they have been hydrogenated.  Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the ones we really have to watch out for.  These fats can easily go rancid (oxidize) when exposed to light or heat because they are more unstable.  Oils sold in clear bottles are often already rancid.  Any oil that is refined is rancid and thus damaged.  Hydrogenated oils, or trans fats, are rancid and refined, definitely damaged fats.

The Process of Refining Oils

Ever wonder how we get corn oil?  It is difficult to imagine squeezing oil out of a corn kernel, but not so hard to imagine squeezing oil out of an olive. To make corn oil, corn kernels are heated and squeezed under high pressure, treated with chemical solvents to get every drop of oil out, then refined further through the processes of degumming, neutralizing, bleaching and deodorizing.  What’s left after the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants have been destroyed?  A rancid oil with damaging free radicals and harmful preservatives, devoid of any nutritional value.  Definitely not a health food.

In contrast, organic extra virgin olive oil that is expeller or cold pressed is an unrefined oil.  The olives are cleaned and then sent through a mechanical press without exposure to light or heat.  The oil is not processed any further and is packaged in opaque bottles.  The valuable nutrients in the oil remain intact and are not destroyed through processing.  Organic expeller pressed olive oil should be green in color and smell fruity.

The Process of Hydrogenation

The process of hydrogenation creates damaged fats.  For example, to make margarine, an already rancid vegetable oil is heated under pressure in the presence of hydrogen gas and a catalyst, usually nickel oxide.  This saturates the double bonds in the vegetable oil with hydrogen.  Because this process causes the oil to smell quite foul, it has to be deodorized.  The oil is gray at this point and has to be bleached.  Dyes and flavorings are then added so that the margarine looks and tastes like butter.

Hydrogenated fats are solid at room temperature, have a long shelf life and are cheap.  There is no nutritional value left in the oil.  In fact, hydrogenated fats are harmful and have been linked to all sorts of health issues.  They negatively affect your metabolism, increase cholesterol levels by causing damage to blood vessels and disrupt your immune system.  Hydrogenated fats have been associated with many diseases, including cancer, diabetes and obesity.

Foods with Damaged Fats

Many boxed and packaged foods contain damaged fats.  Manufacturers strive for long shelf lives with far off expiration dates so that foods stay “fresh” during transportation and storage.  We used to see a lot of hydrogenated oils in boxed and packaged foods; however, with the recently unveiled health concerns of trans fats, food manufacturers are trying to steer clear of trans fats and find alternatives. Buyers beware though; many foods labeled as “trans fat free” actually contain trans fats. You must learn to read labels carefully and look at the fine print.  Anytime you see “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” on a food ingredient label, that means the food contains trans fat. Manufacturers can legally get away with labeling a food “trans fat free” if it contains less than 0.5 grams trans fat per serving.

Preserved, refined oils are replacing trans fats in many boxed and packaged foods.  These refined fats are damaged fats and must be avoided as well. Again, we must learn to read ingredient labels.  If an oil in the ingredient label does not say unrefined, expeller or cold pressed you should assume it is a refined oil.  If an oil lists a preservative with it, that is a sure sign it is refined.

Foods that may contain damaged fats:

These foods should be avoided or carefully evaluated

• refined vegetable oils
• shortening
• margarine
• non-dairy creamer
• crackers
• boxed cereals
• breads
• tortillas
• muffins
• pancakes
• pastries
• cookies
• cake
• pie crust
• candy
• ice cream
• peanut butter
• chips

Healthy Fats

Chose stable saturated fats and unrefined vegetable oils for eating and cooking.  Saturated fats such as butter and unrefined coconut oil are great choices.  Butter is made simply by churning heavy cream.  You can make your own butter by shaking heavy cream at room temperature in a jar until it becomes solid.  Salt is often added to butter as a preservative to increase its shelf life; purchase unsalted organic butter for the most nutritious and freshest option.

Coconut oil is a very protective fat from the tropics where there is a high prevalence of bacteria and fungus in the food supply.  Coconut oil kept at room temperature for two years shows no signs of rancidity!  It is one of the most stable oils, as it is slow to oxidize, a healthy alternative to the many unstable vegetable oils.

Even unrefined (versus refined) vegetable oils should be used sparingly.  Purchase vegetable oils in opaque bottles that are labeled as unrefined, expeller or cold pressed and store them away from light and heat.  Many people like to keep their oils next to the stove because they are handy to cook with; however, heat damages the oil, causing rancidity.  Store oils in a cool, dark place.  Use unrefined olive oil as your main liquid oil in place of other vegetable oils.  Olive oil is  monounsaturated, a more stable fat than polyunsaturated oils, and it is easy to find in an unrefined state.

Cooking with Fats

Only certain fats should be used to cook with.  When sautéing under high heat, use butter, coconut oil, palm oil or tallow.  These fats are classified as saturated fats and can withstand higher heats without becoming rancid.  Olive oil should only be used for sautéing with light heat.  When baking, I recommend using butter in place of vegetable oils.

Healthy fats to include as part of your daily diet:

• organic butter
• organic ghee (clarified butter)
• organic cream
• coconut oil, unrefined expeller pressed
• coconut milk
• palm oil, unrefined expeller pressed
• olive oil, unrefined expeller pressed
• avocados
• olives
• nuts and seeds
• nut butters
• flax oil
• wheat germ oil
• salmon oil
• organic chicken fat
• organic lard
• organic tallow
• *unrefined expeller pressed vegetable oils such as avocado, canola, peanut, safflower, sesame, or sunflower

*use sparingly

Damaged fats are plentiful in our food supply and destructive to our health.  Knowing which fats to chose and which ones to avoid is key.  If you follow the recommendations above, you will be on the right track to making healthful choices about fats.

Definitions and health implications

Organic vs conventional

The term “0rganic” describes foods and fibers that are grown without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers.  This is in contrast to the term “conventional”, in which farmers and growers apply synthetic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers to their crops and soils.  There are four categories of organic.  Think of these categories as a range or a spectrum where some things are “more organic” than others.  Here’s the break down.

Certified organic

“Certified organic” is the top of the spectrum- the most organic, if you will- and is used interchangeably with the term “100% organic”.  Foods or materials categorized this way adhere to strict standards set by the US Department of Agriculture, as verified by independent state or private organizations.  Farmers of certified organic crops do not use synthetic chemicals to boost their yield or minimize pests, but instead use methods of prevention for disease, weed and insect control.  Achieving 100% organic status is fairly difficult because very few additives, no matter how “safe”, can be used in 100% organic foods.  Many foods that fall into this category are whole foods like fruits, vegetables and grains.  Foods in this category may display the USDA’s organic seal.

Organic

“Organic” is the category that a majority of organic foods fall under.  This category stipulates that the food contains 95-99% organic ingredients.  The foods classified as “organic” may not be considered “100%” or “certified” organic due to the use of processing aids, flavorings or natural preservatives.  Foods or fibers in this category may display the USDA’s organic seal.

Less than 70% organic

The final category doesn’t have a name, per se, but rather applies to a product in which some of the ingredients are listed as organic.  This category has less than 70% organic ingredients, and cannot make an organic claim on the main face of the package.  Foods or fibers in this category are not allowed to display the USDA’s organic seal.

Are organic foods better for you?

This is a highly disputed topic; but what is undoubtedly true is that organic foods are free of toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers.  Many of these chemical inputs are being applied to crops with the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval, which was granted long before research linked these chemicals to diseases such as cancer.

In the last fifty years, vitamin and mineral content of American-grown fruits and vegetables has declined significantly.  Nitrogen fertilizers are often used in conventional farming, and while they increase yield, they simultaneously deplete the mineral content of the soil.  Over time, the soils become deficient in minerals and so, subsequently, are the foods grown in these soils.  Natural, organic fertilizers, on the other hand, are rich in minerals and trace minerals, and pass these nutrients onto the foods that thrive in the soils to which they are applied.  Many studies conclusively show that organic foods are up to 40% higher in cancer fighting antioxidants than their conventional counterparts.

Free-range, grass-fed, pasture-raised, cage-free

These categories are usually applied to meat, such as beef or chicken, or animal products, such as eggs or milk.  The term free-range means that the animals were allowed to roam a prairie or ample-sized pen rather than be confined in a feedlot or henhouse.  This practice is not only used to improve the happiness (and arguably health) of the animals, but to produce a more nutritious product.  Generally speaking, these terms are all used to show that the animal has been allowed to live a more traditional life and consume its natural diet- grass in the case of cattle and insects and plants for chickens.

Raising animals in highly confined spaces is a substandard arrangement and usually calls for frequent doses of antibiotics and growth hormones to help them survive into adulthood.  Feedlot cattle are raised on grains laden with pesticides or on soy feed (which is too high in protein for them and therefore toxic to their livers) and injected with steroids to make their meat more tender.  Between the hormones and the fat-inducing high-grain diets, feedlot cattle are sent to slaughter at a much younger age than their grass-fed, free-range counterparts.  These systems ultimately lower the cost to the consumer, but at what price to the animals’ and your own health?

Providing animals with a proper diet has a direct effect on the nutrient content of the meat you consume.    Grass-fed beef has higher levels of CLA, an antioxidant compound that has been shown to offer protection from cancer and reduce the deposition of body fat while increasing the ratio of lean body muscle.  Pasture-fed chicken eggs are the most complete and nutritious form of animal protein available.  Eggs from these chickens have an ideal omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of approximately 1:1, whereas those chickens fed only grains have almost 19 times more omega-6 than omega-3.  Clearly this further perpetuates the American overconsumption of omega-6 fatty acids (also found in vegetable oils).  Remember, omega-3 fatty acids help protect us against heart disease, cancer, strokes, high blood pressure, arthritis, eczema and psoriasis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.  Unfortunately, only a small percentage of hens are pasture-fed and given ample space.  The overwhelming majority of hens live their lives in tiny wire cages with their beaks trimmed to prevent them from harming themselves or others.

Wild-caught vs farm-raised

Due to being forced into confines that are inappropriate for them, farm-raised fish often receive antibiotics and inappropriate feed, like soy meal (containing toxic pesticide residue).  Due to this improper diet, the fatty acid profile, or omega-3 content, of farm-raised fish will not be as good as that of wild-caught fish.  This is physically apparent in salmon, as farm-raised salmon are pale cream in color and are therefore dyed pink, giving grocers and restaurateurs the expected appearance of salmon without the price tag.

So you want me to spend more money on food?

With organic foods, just as with conventional foods, consumers pay for the steps of growing, harvesting, transportation and storage.  Organic foods see additional costs because they must meet stricter government regulations throughout all of these steps, making the process more labor and management-intensive.  Because of this, you pay more up front for organic products.  However, there is mounting evidence that the indirect costs of conventional food production (such as cleanup of polluted water and replacement of eroded soils) actually cause organic foods to be cheaper or the same price as their conventional counterparts.  Just like any “new” technology, the prices for organic products will likely fall as more consumers demand these products and support organic farmers.

There are a several rules of thumb to make the most of the organic label while maintaining your budget.  Sign up for the Environmental Working Group’s shopper’s guide to pesticides at http://foodnews.org.  This guide will show you which types of produce are most and least exposed to pesticides and thus help you decide which you’d like to purchase as organic.  As another method to reduce your potential pesticide exposure, consider purchasing the organic versions of the items that you consume most often.  Purchase organic meats and dairy products whenever possible, because any chemicals that an animal has been exposed to will be concentrated in the animals’ fat.  Purchasing organic dairy and meat products is more expensive, but those are the real and fair prices for an animal to be properly raised and cared for.  These practices produce a nutrient profile that properly cares for your body as well.

Considering the environment

You don’t have to fancy yourself an environmentalist nor consider yourself part of the green movement to recognize the differences in the effects of conventional versus organic farming.  Conventional agriculture pollutes our air, water and soil and harms our wildlife.  This topic is another article in itself, so let’s just focus on how soil health eventually impacts our drinking water.  Organic farming maintains and replenishes soil fertility without using toxic and long-lasting pesticides and fertilizers.  Conventional agricultural methods, on the other hand, deplete and contaminate the soils, eventually leaching their chemicals into the water supply.  Tap water testing across the Corn Belt and in parts of the Pacific Northwest revealed widespread contamination via pesticides from farming, at levels high enough to present serious health risks.  In some cities, herbicides in tap water exceed federal lifetime health standards for weeks or months at a time.  The organic farmer eliminates these polluting chemicals while rebuilding healthy soils.  These healthy soils help grow healthy foods which in turn nourish healthy bodies.

Quality counts

It’s been said that you vote with your dollar.  We can choose to spend our dollars on quality food that nourishes us, voting for healthier selves now and in the future.  These choices also suggest improved health for animals and the environment, but that’s not necessarily why we make them.  We make them for ourselves and our loved ones.  We may pay more for these choices now, but we will be supporting practices that produce food the way it was meant to be: rich in nutrients, free of damaging chemicals and from a place where the land and animals were treated with respect.