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Right behind white carbohydrates
in the battle to destroy our health is processed oils. These “white”
fats are a major contributing factor to heart disease, chronic
inflammation, dementia and other diseases involving nervous system
problems and diabetes.
Like white flour and sugar, processed vegetable oils have been
stripped of most of their nutritional value. Natural oils contain
vitamins, minerals and other nutritional factors that help the body
process the fat. The process of extracting the oils destroys this
nutritive value.
Processed oils are usually extracted using heat, then degummed (a
process which removes phospholipids like lecithin and minerals like
iron, copper, calcium and magnesium). They are usually partially
hydrogenated, a process which involves adding hydrogen to the oil in the
presence of nickel.
Like the process of making refined sugar and white flour, the final
stage of making “white” oil is to bleach it. Sodium hydroxide (found in
Drano®) is added to remove free fatty acids and the bleaching process
also removes beta-carotene and the essential oils that give natural
vegetable oils an aroma.
Processed oils are often heated to high temperatures, a process which
causes the formation of trans-fats. Heating oils to just 300 degrees
starts the process of causing fatty acids to become mutagenic (cancer
causing). Trans-fatty acids start forming at 320 degrees and at 392
degrees significant quantities of trans-fats are formed. The more you
reuse an oil for frying, the more trans-fats you’ll create.
Like the plan for defeating white carbohydrates, the primary way to
defeat the white fats is by substituting them for good fats. Again, we
need fats, just like we need carbohydrates, so the best way to avoid bad
fats is by crowding them out of our diet with good ones.
Deep ocean fish (mackerel, sardines, anchovies, albacore tuna, etc.)
and fish oils (cod liver oil and Omega-3 supplements) are a great way to
get good fats. Avocados,
nuts (especially walnuts and Brazil nuts) and seeds (like flax, chia,
hemp, pumpkin, sesame) are also good sources of natural, healthy fat.
For frying, use coconut oil. This medium-chain saturated fat is very
heat stable and is also good for you. You can even eat some straight
from the jar. Another good oil for frying is safflower oil or a mixture
of safflower and olive oil.
Finally, organic butter from grass fed cows is better than margarine,
which is basically shortening with artificial flavor and color. I make a
soft spread butter by mixing one pound (2 cups) of butter which has
softened to room temperature with one cup of flax seed oil using a hand
blender. You can also make this with hemp seed oil (which makes a
slightly green butter) or cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
The resulting spread will stay soft in the fridge. It is more
nutritious than plain butter and has a nice “nutty” flavor that I
actually prefer to plain butter.
It may also be helpful to take supplements to help you break down and
process fats properly. Lipase enzymes are a good choice, especially if
you have trouble digesting fats or have had your gall bladder removed. I
also find fringetree bark to be a good single herb for stimulating bile
flow from the gallbladder to help digest fats.
SF and Chickweed help the liver metabolize fats properly. They are
especially helpful if you have fatty congestion in your liver.
About Steven Horne, RH (AHG)
Steven Horne is a Registered Herbalist with and a past president of
the American Herbalist Guild (AHG). He is the author of numerous books
and courses on herbs and natural healing and has lectured on this
subject all over the world. He is the father of five children, who were
all raised on natural remedies. Because he’s learned how to provide
primary health care to his children in the home, he’s only had to make
three visits to a medical doctor for illnesses with his five children.
Source: organic authority.com
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