For the Love of Saturated Fat

I realized that I've never spelled out my thoughts on fats based on the research I've done. I'll admit I'm a subscriber to the Weston A. Price Foundation and Sally Fallon's perspective, and if you are a vegetarian there are still some great options for you.

Saturated Fat

When it comes to fat, mainstream science is focused on the kind, which is sort of important, instead of the quality, which is very important. Studies on saturated fat do not focus on the quality of meat consumed or its level of processing, nor do they take into account the amount of sugar and processed oils also consumed, both of which have been linked to high cholesterol and clogged arteries.

While everyone needs different levels of saturated fat, it is by far the most beneficial fat you can consume from high quality sources. Despite popular belief, saturated fat is not only heart-healthy, it is essential to good digestion, a strong immune system, strong bones, and even prevention of cancer. Studies showing that saturated fat is bad for us don't take into account the quality of the saturated fat or the amount of sugar or other kinds of fats consumed at the same time.

Saturated fat enables the absorption of vitamins A, E, D, and K, and minerals such as calcium. It is also absorbed directly into the bloodstream, reducing stress on the liver and other organs. The brain is primarily nourished by saturated fat, which also influences optimal nerve communication regarding hormones and metabolism. And saturated fat contains microbial agents that protect our digestive tract and therefore boost immune function.

While you might be concerned about the calorie content of saturated fat, both studies I've read and my own experience teaches that consumption of high quality fat actually aids in weight loss. This is largely because saturated fat enables the body to absorb more nutrients, which means it becomes satiated much sooner, which means cravings and usually portion sizes naturally reduce without much effort on the part of the eater.

Saturated fat is highly stable at high temperatures, meaning that will not go rancid with exposure to heat, light, and oxygen. Therefore it is ideal for cooking. Our ancestors cooked with butter and lard for thousands of years without the health issues we have today.

Saturated fat to increase: Organic chicken (whole or with skin and bone are the best options), organic grass-fed beef (again, on the bone is good), wild caught fish, extra virgin coconut oil (a great option for vegetarians!).

Saturated fat to reduce: Non-organic meat of all kinds, bacon, sausage, lunchmeat, pork and ham, and other highly processed meats or meats with nitrates/nitrites. Obviously if you can find these items organic and minimally processed, they don't have to be completely eliminated.

Vegetable Oil and Trans Fat

The fat that actually deserves saturated fat's reputation is vegetable oil. These polyunsaturated fats are not much better than trans fats, or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which have been conclusively linked to heart disease and cancer. They clog arteries, provide an overload of omega-6, confuse the body, and turn rancid with exposure to heat, air, and/or light—which often happens before we even purchase them—creating an abundance of free radicals.

Vegetable oils are cheaply produced in mass quantities, often from genetically modified corn and soybeans (GMO foods have been linked to reproductive issues and sterility in lab tests.)

Vegetable oil to increase: Extra virgin organic olive oil, a relatively stable monounsaturated fat that can be used to cook with at medium temperatures and is great for salad dressings. Be sure to store in a cool, dark place and use up quickly to prevent rancidity. Peanut oil is also stable at high temperatures, though it is high in omega-6, which we get plenty of from other sources. Small amounts of sesame oil, hemp oil, and flax oil can be used raw but should not be used to cook with, as they break down and turn rancid very easily.

Vegetable oil to reduce: Soybean, corn, canola, safflower, cottonseed, and generic vegetable oils; all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, including margarine and shortening (Crisco).

If you have a question about a particular fat I haven't mentioned here, send your inquiries my way!

What's Your Food Philosophy?

In blogging about nutrition and food there is a temptation, I think, to make every post "marketable" in easily accessible formats like lists. This isn't to say lists are bad. One of my favorite bloggers, Danielle LaPorte of White Hot Truth, frequently posts lists of books or steps or things she's learned, and I love her stuff—she's authentic and inspiring.

But every now and then I really want to indulge my penchant for the philosophy of food and health. In pursuit of my goal to officially launch my food therapy business Jan 3, 2010, I've been examining some marketing angles to communicate how important this program is and to make it appealing, since nobody's ever heard of "food therapy" (because I made it up).

A good friend and marketing guru asked me today what my mission statement was. Normally when people ask me what I do, I say, "I counsel people to help them resolve their food and lifestyle issues."

Which is true. But kinda vague. So as I was thinking about "what is the problem I'm trying to solve?" it came to me that two kinds of people would most benefit from food therapy:

• people who basically know how and want to be healthy but can't make themselves implement what they know into their lives

Darn it! I failed again!

• people who want to be healthy but don't know what to do because there is so much conflicting information

Enough already! I'm overwhelmed and confused!

I think everyone on the quest for health has fallen into both of these categories at some point. When I started out at Integrative Nutrition, I fell into the second category. Since then I've been empowered to examine conflicting information and make decisions for myself. I still fall into the first category in some areas, and I think I always will, because implementation of good information is a lifelong process.

But recently, in my love of "facts," I've overlooked the beauty of this program, which is that everyone gets to develop their own philosophy—AND action plan. You get to decide what works for you and what doesn't, you become empowered to learn about what you're eating and how you're living and make an informed decision.

For me this means that I'm anti vegetable oil, pro saturated fat, pro soaking grains and relatively anti dairy, though I eat cheese and love half-and-half in my coffee. Other people might be more anti-wheat. Some may do better as vegetarians. There is an answer for everybody and until you discover it and own it, you'll be dissatisfied.

This goes for your life, too. Not everybody wants to be a food therapist, and not everybody should be. But it's my passion and purpose—what makes me most satisfied, happy, fulfilled, and whole. I also truly believe I wouldn't have discovered this career if it weren't for my relationship with God and an almost daily spiritual practice. I rely on Him every day to guide my decisions, my inspiration, and my attitude. If I had to do this on my own strength, I would have given up long before now.

So some people will decide to quit their jobs. Others will need to discover the purpose in them. Most everybody will need to delve more deeply into a spiritual practice, which as a nation we've lost touch with that side of ourselves and our deep need to rely on something bigger and more powerful than us. Some might find they are exercising too much, or relying too much on a romantic relationship to make them happy.

All this starts to become clear with food therapy. And as a result, more than just what we eat changes. Our whole lives change.

What's your food philosophy? What's your nutrition lifestyle?

Come find out.

How Long Does a Hamburger Last?

The latest attack on McDonald's involves photographer and blogger Sally Davies's experiment with a Happy Meal, which she left to sit out for sixty days, apparently with no effect on the food.

McDonald's spokespeople seem very offended and insist that their hamburgers are made with "100% USDA-inspected ground beef" and cooked with "salt, pepper and nothing else -- no preservatives, no fillers" and that their buns are made with "common government-approved ingredients" (which basically means nothing considering that the government has approved trans fats and artificial sweeteners). Notice they say nothing about what the fries are made with.

But let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Let's say that this is true. What it means is actually scarier than if McDonald's was using preservatives.

First, it says that "USDA-inspected ground beef" is already so full of preservatives and chemicals that it is not a food. If I didn't have neighbors, I would cook a pound of the USDA beef and a pound of organic, grass-fed beef and let them sit out and see which went bad faster.

Second, what McDonald's doesn't mention is that both hamburger and fries are cooked in some kind of vegetable oil, which is itself "preserved" at high temperatures, making it rancid without any symptoms. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that cooking food in rancid vegetable oil will "preserve" it into a state of plasticity.

McDonald's deserves props for switching to trans-fat-free cooking in 2008, though this was a delayed reaction. However, under their "Nutrition" web page, the motto reads "It's all about delicious choices."

Really?

Of course people want their food to taste good. And those who eat McDonald's say that it does. But that is not what "nutrition" is about. I'm treading on thin ice here, because nutritious food should also taste good. However, this seems to indicate that taste is more important than nutrition; that it really doesn't matter what you're putting in your body as long as it tastes good and you get a variety.

How about "It's all about not getting heart disease" or "It's all about putting things into your body that benefit and nourish it"?

If I haven't convinced you, maybe this will.

So what are you supposed to do with this? Just be aware. You don't have to stop eating McDonald's. I'm not trying to make a point to ruin anybody's good mood. But you deserve to know what you're putting in your body and to make an informed decision. And if you get sick, you deserve to know that what you ate probably contributed to it, because knowing this empowers you to heal yourself by making changes.

Ignorance is killing Americans. It's not McDonald's fault, though they share some of the blame. It's the fault of deliberate and innocent deception and unawareness. And it's my passion and my goal to change that.

Celebrate Non-GMO Month!

In addition to being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is also Non-GMO Month. GMOs are genetically modified foods. You may have heard a lot about them in the news lately, especially with regard to the "Frankensalmon." I remember when the issue of GMO first came up around the turn of the millennium. I thought, No big deal. It's just science.
And that's exactly what Psychology Today wants us to think. According to writer David Ropeik, fear of GMOs is nothing more than a psychological perception of risk. We fear what we can't control. And because the government won't tell us the details of genetic modification (for the financial safety of the companies making money off of it), we fear GMO corn, soy, and now salmon. By this argument, genetic modification is just a "secret recipe" like the combination of ingredients for Heinz or Coke.
By contrast, there are arguments made based on a history of irresponsible governmental decisions when it comes to food. After all, high fructose corn syrup is made from corn and is therefore "natural," yet it still wreaks havoc on the body. As for trans fats, they are made from vegetables, and what could be better for you? However, now even the infamously mainstream Mayo Clinic is now calling "double trouble for your heart health." (The USDA's replacement for the Food Pyramid, now called MyPlate, still recommends vegetable oils, which are not much better than trans fats; in one study of several thousand men, men asked to reduce saturated fat by consuming vegetable oils had 100% more deaths than those who ate "bad" diets containing saturated fat and cholesterol).
So we have a reason to be suspicious of the government's blanket approval of a new way to mess with our food. Other concerns are animal and environmental health, moral and ethical concerns, and the fact that nobody wants to label GMOs, just like they want to rename high-fructose corn syrup.
What do you think about GMO? A blessing or a curse? Is technology like this safe when it comes to food? Should we trust multinational food corporations and the ever-compliant FDA?