Healthy Fats, Unhealthy Fats, and the Power of Omega-3

If you ask folks what type of food one should avoid, most will answer fats. This is true because when taken in large quantities, some fats are bad for your waistline and they increase the risk of developing heart diseases. However, not all types of fat are bad. In fact, there are several healthy fats that we cannot live without because they are needed for proper brain and heart functioning. Among these is Omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods such as cold-water fish, walnuts, sturgeon, mackerel, herrings, and anchovies.

But Why Are People Afraid of Fatty Foods?

A visit to any grocery confirms how bad people are obsessed with no and low-fat diet. You will be bombarded by the labeled ‘guilt-free or fat-free’ options ranging from low-fat cakes, frozen meals, cookies, fat-free cheese, yogurt, milk, and more. But just as the number of low-fat foods has exploded, so has obesity rates. Clearly, the low-fat diets have not delivered on their healthy or slender waistline promise. The reason behind the failure of ‘guilt-free’ diet is simple; not all fatty foods are bad. Good or healthy fats are needed for proper brain functioning, to boost mood, to control weight, and to fight fatigue. In addition, healthy fats are essential during infancy where they play a vital role in brain function and neurological development (1). The solution is not avoiding fat in entirety, it is mastering how to make healthy fatty food choices and substituting bad fats with healthy fats.

Facts and Myths about Fat-Free Diets

Myth #1: All fats are the same and equally bad for your waistline and health.

• Fact: Some fats, termed good fats or healthy fats, reduce the risk of getting heart diseases, and lower your blood cholesterol level. Another category, dubbed bad or unhealthy fats, raise your cholesterol level and increase the risk of getting heart diseases and developing obesity.

Myth #2: Fat-free diets are healthy.

• Fact: “Fat-free” labels on packed foods do not mean you can don on them as much as you want without adverse consequences. Most fat-free diets are high in refined carbohydrates, calories, and refined sugars.

Myth #3: A fat-free diet boosts weight loss

• Fact: The only solid weight loss strategy is to cut calories and avoiding overeating. As a matter of fact, since 1980, the obesity rate for children (2-19 years) has increased by 300% (2) and this corresponds to the emergence of the low-fat diets.

There are 4 major types of fats found in food and animal foods:

• Bad fats: trans fats.
• Healthy fats: Polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats (includes omega-3s).
• Currently under debate: Saturated fats.

Note that classification of food as either healthy or unhealthy involves more than the quantity of fat and/or type of fat in it. Other factors such as how food is grown or raised, how it is prepared, and preservatives or additives used make a big difference as to whether a particular type of food is unhealthy or okay to consume. For example, although some types of fish are rich in the much-needed Omega-3 fatty acids, deep frying them in refined vegetable oil may add unhealthy trans-fat, making the fish a health hazard. Also, while polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated are generally considered good fats, those from commercially manufactured oils are universally considered dangerous. The Saturated Fat Debate There is a heated debate in the healthy eating world about the dangers and merits of saturated fats, and there is no conclusive evidence on where it lies on the spectrum of bad and good fats. Most large organizations hold that intake of saturated fats increases one’s risk of developing stroke and cardiovascular diseases, but a growing number of recent studies argue that saturated fats from certain sources contribute to overall healthy and weight control (3, 4). Tips for incorporating good unsaturated fat to your meals Healthy unsaturated fats decrease your risk of developing stroke and heart diseases and lowers blood cholesterol levels. In addition, they benefit blood sugar and insulin levels. However, omega-3 fatty acids are especially beneficial to one’s mood and brain. The best sources of unsaturated fats are seeds, nuts, and fish. Good Sources of Monounsaturated Fats

• Olives
• Avocados
• Nuts (Peanuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews).
• Natural peanut butter with salt and peanuts only.

Healthy Sources of Polyunsaturated fat

• Tofu and Soymilk
• Walnuts
• Pumpkin seeds, flax, sesame, and sunflower.
• Fatty fish (herrings, trout, mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna)

Beware of Modern Unsaturated Oils There are two main categories of unsaturated oils:

1. Cold-pressed/traditional oils such as peanut oil, sesame oil, and extra virgin olive are rich in monounsaturated fats and are made without heat or chemicals.
2. Modern oils such as soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil and soybean oil which are commercial produced – mainly from genetically raised crops using heat and chemicals.

Most nutritionists argue that commercially manufactured oils should not be classified as good sources of fat because their manufacturing process can convert the fatty acid into the hazardous trans fats. When Healthy Fat Goes Bad Healthy fats can go bad if light, heat, or oxygen damages them.

• Polyunsaturated oils should be refrigerated
• Discard nuts, oils, or seeds if they taste bitter or smell bad.
• Cooking foods with unsaturated fat at high temperatures can deform the fat.

Olive Oil Fraud Most of the imported olive oils are mostly a mixture of organic olive oil, low-value refined oils. To make sure you don’t get scammed:

• Settle for Olive oil brands with California Olive Oil Council Logo on the bottle.
• For brands from France: check for AOC logo, from Spain: check for a DO seal, from Italy: check for DOP logo.

Choosing Good Fat Tip: Eat Omega-3s Often Although all types of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good, omega-s fatty acids have shown to be more beneficial. They can:

• Reduce or prevent symptoms of ADHD, depression, and bipolar disorder.
• Lower the risk of developing cancer, stroke, and heart diseases.
• Lower the risk of developing dementia and memory loss.
• Ease joint pain, arthritis, and inflammatory skin disorders.
• Support healthy pregnancy.
• Sharpen your memory, balance your mood, and help you fight fatigue.

Types of Omega-3s DHA and EPA found in algae and fish have the highest health benefits. ALA is derived from plants and isn’t as potent as DHA and EPA, although the body has limited ability to convert ALA to DHA and EPA.

Good Sources of Omega-3 fatty acid

Although the body can obtain enough omega-6 fatty acids from the diet, you should supplement your consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids to boost your overall health.

1. Fish is the Best Sources of Omega-3:

• Herring
• Salmon particularly sockeye and wild-caught king
• Anchovies
• Mackerel
• Oysters
• Line-caught tuna and pole
• Sardines
• Lake trout

2. Plant sources of Omega-3 fatty acids:

• Algae, for example, seaweed are high in DHA and EPA.
• Algae and fish oil supplements
• Flaxseed
• Walnuts
• Kale
• Brussels sprouts
• Spinach
• Parsley
• Kale

Mercury in fish Their health benefits aside, almost all sources of seafood have traces of toxins including toxic metals such as mercury. The concentration of these toxins increase with the size of the fish, so avoid donning on swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and shark. An adult can safely don on two 6-ounces (12 ounces) of well-cooked seafood per week. For pregnant women, nursing mothers, and kids below 12, select foods low in mercury such as salmon, catfish, tuna, shrimp, and Pollock. Don’t take more than 2 average meal (6 ounces) of albacore tuna in a week (5). Fish fraud In a 2013 testing, 33 percent of fish sold in the U.S market were mislabeled (6). Similar scams have been uncovered in nearly all parts of the world. In most of the cases, the fraudulent labels had been put on fish dubbed grouper, cod, wild salmon, and red snapper. Protect yourself by:

• Purchasing whole fish whenever possible.
• Buy from a reputable fishmonger.

If you rarely don on fish, consider omega-3 supplements Although it’s best to obtain Omega-3s from dietary sources, there are numerous fish oil and omega-3 supplements available.

• Avoid supplements that don’t disclose the sources of the Omega-3s: The best sources are algae, krill oil, or fish oil.
• Settle for Mercury Free Supplements, molecularly distilled and pharmaceutical grade omega-3s: Supplements obtained through molecularly distillation of fish oil are naturally the richest in DHA and EPA and have the lowest levels of contaminants. Settle for supplements that have been independently tested and declared toxin free.
• Consider the quantity of DHA and EPA listed on the label: Although the bottle may read 1,000 mg of fish oil, it’s the amount of omega-3s that matters.

What’s the recommended dosage of omega 3s?

• For an average adult, two 6 ounce servings of fatty fish combined with occasional servings of ALA-rich plant sources offers a healthy amount.
• If you opt for fish oil supplements, go for 200 to 500 milligrams of DHA and 700-1,000 milligrams of EPA daily. Most algae have lower daily intake dosage due to their high concentration of mercury.

Remove trans fats from your food Daily and meat products may contain little amounts of naturally occurring trans-fat, but it’s artificially consumed trans fats that are considered hazardous. These harmful trans fats are regular fat molecules that have been altered during hydrogenation; a process through which conventional vegetable oil is heated and chemically combined with hydrogen. Partially hydrogenation of vegetable oils makes them less likely to spoil. Note that no amount of trans fat is considered healthy. Artificial trans fats increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and stroke. Common sources of bad trans-fats include:

• Packaged snacks: microwave popcorn, crackers, candy, and chips.
• Commercially baked foods: crackers, muffins, cookies, pizza dough, pie crusts, hamburger buns, and cookies.
• Solid fats: vegetable shortening, stick margarine
• Fried foods: fried chicken, French fries, breaded fish, chicken nuggets, hard taco shells.
• All foods with partially hydrogenated oils as one of the ingredients.
• Pre-mixed products: chocolate milk, cake mix, pancakes and more.

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