The American public is starting to recognize that the entire argument for eating a low-fat diet is fundamentally flawed. For decades we have been told to replace natural fat-containing foods with processed and artificial ones, all in the name of reducing calories, and it has been a disaster for health. The truth is that we don’t need to eliminate fats, we need to eat the right ones.
To regain our health we need to return to eating fat in the form nature created, instead of the highly mutated, processed forms used in restaurants, processed food, and sold on the grocery store shelves. When we look at all the options, how do we know which oils to buy?
How oils are processed
First, we need to understand how oils are typically processed. The vegetable, fruit, or seed is usually expeller pressed under heat or processed with solvents to extract the oil. The solvent usually used is hexane, which is produced from crude oil. Next the oil goes through degumming, refining, and bleaching processes, which remove all the nutrients from the oil. These processes use soap, sodium hydroxide, and bleaches at temperatures between 200-300°. At this point in processing, the oil is literally rancid from all the oxidation, so it is put through a deodorizing process at 500°. This doesn’t undo the damage, it just hides it. And finally, chemical preservatives such as BHT are added to the oil since the natural preservative, vitamin E, has been destroyed.
All of these chemicals and heat processes literally change the chemical structure of the oil so it can no longer function properly in our body. Fat is what forms the protective membrane around every one of our cells and nerves. If our membranes are made of mutated fats, our cells can’t work right.
What does expeller pressed mean?
For years we have been told to buy expeller pressed oils instead of hexane-extracted oils. Avoiding hexane is a great idea, but the loop hole in this term is that expeller pressed oils can still be heated during extraction AND put through all the nasty chemical processes after being pressed. So expeller pressed oils are usually still mutated oils.
Instead, buy “extra virgin” or “unrefined” oils
The key to buying healthy oils is to look for the terms “extra virgin” (which technically only applies to olive oil) or “unrefined.” Both of these terms mean that no chemical processes were used in any stage of extraction. Polyunsaturated fats are the most vulnerable to damage from processing, so for this and many other reasons, always avoid all vegetable oils. When buying healthy polyunsaturated fats, like flax and hemp, make sure they are completely unrefined and stored in dark colored bottles and refrigerated to prevent oxidation. This way you can feed your body the healthy, chemically stable fats that it can use to build the healthy body you deserve.
For much more information on how to buy and eat healthy fat, you can instantly download classes at www.SimplyDivineEating.com
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