Good nutritional fats: The wonders of saturated fats!
There is still quite a bit of confusion when people come in for nutritional workshops and healing sessions, so I thought I would re-post just as a friendly reminder of the incredible benefits of consuming these oils and fats…especially for growing bodies and brains.
Lets start with unsaturated oils – Omega-3 fatty acids or alpha linolenic acid, this is great for use on salads or drizzled onto your smoothies or juices once in the glass, but not good for heating.So ground flax seeds or soaked flax seeds mixed into your muesli or fruit bowl. Once an oil has been exposed to heat, it becomes rancid, and flax oil and seed is one of the most unsaturated oils/seed & therefore is the most sensitive to heat. Not only do these oils go rancid when heated, but also when they are exposed to light and oxygen. Fish oil is one of these very sensitive oils and is best kept in the fridge as is flax oil. On the opposite end of the scale is the good ol Coconut oil, highly saturated, so it has a high smoke point and is not easily oxidised. Test have been done on coconut oil and when left on the counter for long periods of time show no sign of rancidity. The saturated part of this oil seems to be what protects the small amount of unsaturated oil in it. Great oil for cooking with. Animal fats are usually the saturated and unsaturated oils are from plant origin. The fats from animals are long-chain fatty acids whereas the oils from plants are short or medium-chain fatty acids which the body uses differently. The medium chain fatty acids are used quickly by the body for energy.
Butter is next best to cook with as is lard from grass fed animals. If the butter is cultured then the active enzymes will be destroyed if heated – best to use as Flax oils are used, over salads with the exception of lathered onto steamed veggies or sourdough toast. So hope this helps and clears up the mystery of oils. Bon apetite!