Before we get into the formal introduction of how to pick healthy fats, let's first introduce a little bit about fat classification:
Fats can be divided into different molecular structures according to:Saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fatsFour different types.
To learn how to pick healthy fats, it's important to remember the following four sentences:
Be bold and eat saturated fats
Eat more monounsaturated fats
Pick the right polyunsaturated fats
Rejection of trans fats
Be bold and eat saturated fats
Saturated fats have been misunderstood for decades and are considered to be bad fats that cause obesity, hyperlipidemia, heart disease, and other diseases. Actually, it's notA growing body of cutting-edge research tells us that saturated fat is not only not associated with the ailments mentioned above, but also has many positive benefits for the body
Saturated fats not only provide energy for the body; It also protects blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, it also plays a role in lowering cholesterol levels. Studies have also shown that people who consume more saturated fat live longer than those who consume less saturated fat.
From the point of view of chemical structure, saturated fats are very stable and do not easily oxidize and deteriorate, so they are comparedSuitable for high-temperature cooking
Saturated fats are generally abundant in animal fats, such as lard, butter, and animal meat. In addition, coconut oil and palm oil are also relatively high. These fats are healthy fats that we can boldly consume in our daily diet.
For example, it is very popular nowCoconut oilIt's very powerful.
Coconut oil is highly nutritious and very friendly to people with indigestion; Coconut oil acts like a permeation essence that enhances the body's ability to utilize other fats and phospholipids, as well as absorb fat-soluble vitamins and amino acids; It also has a strong antioxidant capacity, can stabilize blood sugar levels, enhance intestinal immunity, and inhibit the growth of gram-negative bacteria (such as Helicobacter pylori) and fungi; In addition, the antiviral ability of coconut oil can also enter breast milk, so that the baby can strengthen the immunity.
Coconut oil also has a miraculous effect when used externally, it can be absorbed quickly and will not feel sticky, especially suitable for people who are prone to redness and inflammation, and it is also very suitable for eczema, psoriasis vulgaris patients and people with sunburn; It also has a protective effect on the hair and scalp, and can reduce dandruff; In addition, coconut oil is also good at protecting the oral cavity and maintaining the balance of oral flora.
In addition to this, medium-chain fatty acids can also be extracted from coconut oilMCT oil, taken separately as an oil.
MCT oil not only has most of the miraculous effects of coconut oil, but also has a positive effect on weight loss, prevention and alleviation of insulin resistance; Not only that, but MCT has been shown to significantly improve memory and concentration in people with Alzheimer's disease.
But you should also be careful when consuming it, because MCT can directly reach the liver without the breakdown of bile and lipase, and be converted into ketone bodies, which efficiently provide energy for the brain, heart and other organs. But some people's livers struggle to tolerate this fast-absorbing fat, which can return the MCT to the intestines, causing loose stools and diarrhea. To avoid physical discomfort, yesSlowly increase the amount of MCT oil consumed and gradually improve the tolerance to MCT oil.
Eat more monounsaturated fats
There are many types of monounsaturated fats, and the main ones that are common in our lives are omega-9, that is, oleic acid. Monounsaturated fats are good for brain development, and adequate intake of monounsaturated fats also has great benefits for the cardiovascular system.
Oleic acid is abundantly found in vegetable oils such as olive oil, avocados, nuts (such as macadamias, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds), as well as animal fats and fats such as meat and bone marrow of grass-fed animals.
In particularExtra virgin olive oil, the content of oleic acid is even as high as 75%.
Because the olive fruit can be cold-pressed directly, olive oil is one of the few truly natural vegetable oils on the market that requires little to no chemical extraction. Not only is it rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, but it also contains a variety of phytonutrients, polyphenols, and vitamin E. These antioxidants make olive oil less susceptible to spoilage, and it also protects fatty acids in the blood from oxidation, which is beneficial to health.
The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities of high-quality olive oil are very strong, and because of this, it not only calms the stimulated immune system; It also has excellent cancer prevention capabilities, and studies have shown that olive oil can activate genes that inhibit cancer cells and cause apoptosis; Olive oil can also protect, reduce the damage of ultraviolet rays, and effectively resist aging; It can even make bones stronger; For this reason, olive oil is also known as a cancer inhibitor and an anti-aging drug.
But all the benefits of olive oil mentioned above are based on the fact that it is a high-quality olive oil. Not all olive oils are good quality olive oils, and we need to pick carefully:
One way is to taste. There are two flavor-unique polyphenols that are found only in the olive fruit: oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol. These two are polyphenols, one is bitter and the other is spicy like pepper, which makes a good olive oil feel slightly spicy in the throat. So before buying olive oil, you can taste it (if conditions permit), if there is a scratching sensation in the throat or cough that is irritated, it means that it is a high-quality and reliable olive oil, if there is no peculiar spicy taste of olive fruit, or the taste is strange, spoiled, and the taste is not good, then try not to choose this olive oil.
Another way is to look at the food labelEach country has formulated a set of strict quality standards for olive oil, which is divided into different types, and we can choose and judge according to the following words:
Extra virgin olive oil:Olive oil of the highest quality, which has not been processed or mixed with other cooking oils during the extraction process;
Extra virgin olive oilThe taste of olive oil declared by this standard may not be universally acceptable to the general public;
A blend of refined and virgin olive oilsThis olive oil is processed to improve the taste in order to remove the bitter substances. The taste has improved, but some nutrients have also been lost, so processors will mix delicate olive oil with virgin olive oil that has lost nutrients, but because there is no explicit rule, the mixing ratio is not clear;
Olive pomace oil:Olive oil, which is of very poor quality, is obtained from olive pomace by chemical extraction, which is heated during the extraction process and may contain chemical solvent residues.
Relatively speaking, we recommend that you choose to choose the marked withExtra virginFor olive oil, learn as much as possible about the product and its ** before buying, and pick a brand that you can trust.
Pick the right polyunsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated fats, unlike saturated and monounsaturated fats, are chemically unstableNot suitable for high-temperature cooking, otherwise it is easy to produce harmful substances.
Polyunsaturated fats are mainly divided into omega-3 and omega-6, both of which are essential substances and both have health benefits:
omega-6Helps maintain hormone balance in the body, a healthy body needs omega-6 because omega-6 promotes inflammation, helps blood clotting, makes blood vessels constrict, and helps heal when we have wounds.
omega-3It can fight inflammation in the human body, help relieve pain, can help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke, and can also enhance the body's immunity and suppress overactive immune responses (alleviate autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma, etc.). Studies have also shown that omega-3 has anti-cancer effects, it can block the signaling pathways of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, and alleviate insulin resistance.
But there is one point that needs to be very noted:Two types of polyunsaturated fats that need to be well balanced to achieve good health. Dr. Fleck, author of "The Miraculous Power of Cellulite Healing", recommends keeping the ratio of the two intakePreferably.
However, most of the fats consumed by our modern people are mainly omega-6, and the proportion is far exceeded. If you consume too much omega-6, it will inhibit the positive effects of omega-3, and will also lead and promote inflammation, significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and bring great harm to the body.
This means that we need to:Eat less or try not to eat at allOils and fats such as cereals (including grain-fed animal meat), refined vegetable oils (sunflower oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, corn germ oil).
Yes, we canConsume foods that contain omega-3sIn modern industrial countries, more than 90% of people are deficient in omega-3, and we can get healthy omega-3 from vegetable oils such as flaxseed oil, hemp oil, walnut oil, and algal oil, as well as animal fats and fats such as grass-fed animal meat, marine fish, fish oil, and krill oil.
Among them,Sea fishThe quality of omega-3 is far superior to that of other foods, which can delay aging to a large extent, prevent cancer, memory loss and cardiovascular disease. It can also be chosen for many people who don't like or can't afford to eat a lot of fishFish oil, which can help the body to balance nutrition.
Unfortunately, the ocean, the environment in which marine fish grow, has become a garbage dump for human beings, polluted by more and more harmful substances, and marine fish are not immune. Although toxins are removed through chemical extraction during fish oil production, it is inevitable that some nutrients will be lost and some toxins will remain. What's more, fish oil is not a natural product, it needs to go through many steps of processing to produce, and omega-3 is a substance that is very easy to oxidize, so many fish oils on the market have oxidized omega-3 when they are sold.
Therefore, Shanshi suggests that when buying fish oil, you need to pay special attention to the quality of fish oil, focusing on the following points:
1. Read food labelsHigh-quality and pure fish oil should not contain artificial flavors at the very least;
2. Check the food instructionsReliable fish oil producers regularly measure the levels of harmful substances and fat-soluble toxins (e.g. PCBs, i.e. polychlorinated biphenyls) in fish oil and make this information public;
3. Judge quality by smell and taste. If the oil in the capsule smells unpleasant, has a rancid or rancid taste, it means that the omega-3 fatty acids in it may have oxidized, so do not consume it.
There are also good alternatives to fish oil, such as krill oil and algae oil.
Unlike sea fish,KrillIt inhabits the clean sea water of Antarctica, grows in a clean environment, and because it is at the bottom of the food chain (it is always eaten by others), it only eats phytoplankton and algae, so krill will not accumulate a large number of harmful substances in the body, and because krill can reproduce quickly, even if it is caught in large quantities, the ecosystem will not be too easy to lose balance.
Krill oilIt not only provides omega-3 fatty acids, but also contains rich antioxidant astaxanthin.
Algae oilIt also contains no harmful substances, in addition to omega-3, it can also provide a large amount of DHA and EPA, which helps to keep blood vessels open, protect eyesight, and maintain brain function.
Rejection of trans fats
Not all fats are needed by the body. In the fat family, there is a real health killer, which is from the food processing industryTrans fats
Trans fatty acids promote inflammation and prevent good omega-3 fatty acids from functioning, causing arteriosclerosis and leading to insulin resistance; Trans fatty acids have a catastrophic effect on blood lipid levels; It also increases triglyceride (TG) levels and LDL-C levels, and decreases levels of HDL-C, which has a protective effect on the heart; Trans fatty acids can also enter breast milk, affecting the development of infants and young children, leading to obesity in children.
As early as 1981, some scientists pointed out that trans fatty acids can induce cardiovascular diseases; There are also studies that show a clear correlation between trans fatty acids and cancer.
Trans fatty acids are really dangerous, and we certainly refuse to talk about toxicity regardless of dosage, but studies have shown thatTrans fatty acids only need a very small dose and can be toxic to the human body! Therefore, Shanshi recommends that everyone try to avoid trans fats.
Especially when we eat processed foods, we need to look at the food label very carefully to see if it contains trans fatty acids. Avoid buying food labels** Foods that present these words:Non-dairy creamer, margarine, margarineWait.
If you find this article helpful, you can focus on good health, and of course you can also pass on health to more people.