Podcast Summary
Understanding Healthy vs Unhealthy Fats: Learn about healthy fats like Omega-3s, Omega-6s, and Omega-9s, and be aware of differences between saturated and unsaturated fats, such as coconut oil and canola oil, for informed choices.
It's essential to understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy fats. Commercials can be misleading, and it's crucial to read the fine print and educate yourself on the topic. Healthy fats include Omega-3s, Omega-6s, and Omega-9s, and it's important to know that EPA is a derivative of Omega-3s but not actual Omega-3s. Saturated and unsaturated fats, such as coconut oil and canola oil, also differ in their health benefits. Being informed about these differences can help you make better choices for your health. Additionally, take advantage of promotions like Instacart's free delivery offer and Ashley's anniversary sale while learning about healthy fats.
The Misconception of Fats and Heart Disease: Understand the difference between beneficial and harmful fats, and consume a diet rich in healthy fats to improve overall health and potentially curb sugar cravings.
Not all fats are created equal. Contrary to popular belief, our bodies prefer to burn fat as fuel, and certain fats are essential for proper brain function and healing. The misconception that fats cause heart disease stems from outdated information and misrepresentations by Ansel Keys. Fats should not be lumped into one category, as some are beneficial while others can be harmful. The human body is designed to burn fat, but in some cases, such as diabetes, the body may switch to burning sugar instead. In these cases, a diet rich in healthy fats can help curb sugar cravings and improve overall health. It's important to understand the differences between various types of fats and their effects on the body.
Understanding Different Types of Fats and Their Sources: Learn about saturated and unsaturated fats, their sources, and the importance of consuming slow-burning carbs while limiting fast-burning ones and avoiding trans fats.
All foods can be categorized as protein, fat, or carbohydrate. Fats are a type of macronutrient made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and they can be saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fats have no double bonds between carbon atoms and are solid at room temperature, making them ideal for cooking. Unsaturated fats, on the other hand, have one or more double bonds and are liquid at room temperature. It's essential to understand the different types of fats and their sources to make informed food choices. Additionally, it's important to note that not all carbs are created equal. Focus on consuming slow-burning carbs, such as vegetables, while limiting fast-burning carbs like sugar and white flour. Lastly, trans fats, both natural and artificial, should be avoided as much as possible due to their negative health effects.
Saturated Fats: Misunderstood Nutrients: Saturated fats, contrary to popular belief, don't cause harm when cooked at high temperatures and are categorized into long chain, medium chain, and short chain types. They're primarily found in milk and meat from ruminant animals. Self-care is crucial, Instacart can help with essentials, and explore therapy with BetterHelp for joyful activities.
Saturated fats, which are solid at room temperature due to their carbon molecules being saturated with hydrogen atoms, have been unfairly blamed for heart disease. Saturated fats are further categorized into long chain, medium chain, and short chain saturated fats, primarily found in milk and meat from ruminant animals. Contrary to popular belief, saturated fats don't cause harm when cooked at high temperatures due to their stability. Stay tuned for more discussions on mono unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Remember, self-care is essential, even when work demands are high. Instacart can help you get essentials delivered quickly, allowing you to prioritize your wellbeing. Take advantage of sales and offers from Ashley, and make time for activities that bring you joy through online therapy with BetterHelp.
Types of Dietary Fats and Their Functions: Long-chain saturated fats store energy, medium-chain saturated fats provide quick energy and have antimicrobial properties, short-chain saturated fats promote gut health and cell communication
Our bodies store and use different types of dietary fats for various purposes. Long-chain saturated fats, such as steric acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, are the primary form of energy storage in the body and are mostly found in animal products and some plant-based oils. Medium-chain saturated fats, like capric acid, caprylic acid, and loric acid, are found in foods like coconut milk and breast milk. They are easily digestible and provide quick energy, and some, like loric acid, have antimicrobial properties. MCT oil is a popular source of medium-chain saturated fats. Lastly, short-chain saturated fats, such as butyric acid, are produced by the good bacteria in our gut when they ferment fiber and are essential for gut health and cell communication. Understanding the differences between these types of fats can help us make informed dietary choices for optimal health.
The Importance of Butyric Acid and Monounsaturated Fats for Gut Health: Butyric acid, found in stool tests, is crucial for gut health and impacts neurotransmitter production and immune system function. Monounsaturated fats, found in foods like olives, avocados, and nuts, are essential for gut health and are agreed upon by both fat-phobic and fat-friendly organizations.
Butyric acid, a substance found in stool tests, plays a crucial role in gut health. Low levels of butyric acid can lead to gut dysfunction and issues with cell communication, which can impact neurotransmitter production and immune system function. While butyric acid may have an unpleasant smell, it's essential for gut health and can be found in foods like butter and ghee. Monounsaturated fats, which have one double bond in their structure, are another important type of fat. They are liquid at room temperature but susceptible to oxidation. Foods rich in monounsaturated fats include olives, avocados, and some nuts like macadamias. Both fat-phobic and fat-friendly organizations agree that monounsaturated fats are healthy.
Understanding Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats: Monounsaturated fats have one unsaturated bond, benefit heart health by reducing bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and inflammation. Polyunsaturated fats have multiple unsaturated bonds, help form cell membranes, regulate gene expression, and support cellular functions, but are more susceptible to oxidative damage during cooking.
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are two essential types of healthy fats that play crucial roles in the body. Monounsaturated fats, as the name suggests, have one unsaturated bond, making them beneficial for heart health by reducing bad cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides, and inflammation, while increasing good cholesterol (HDL). On the other hand, polyunsaturated fats have multiple unsaturated bonds, making them more susceptible to oxidative damage during high heat cooking. They have structural and regulatory roles in the body, helping form cell membranes, regulate gene expression, and support cellular functions. Polyunsaturated fats can be further classified based on the position of the first carbon-carbon double bond, which can be at the third or sixth carbon. It's important to note that both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are essential for good health, and they are agreed upon by various health professionals.
Understanding Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids: Maintain a healthy balance of omega-3 and omega-6 intake to avoid excessive consumption of omega-6s, which can lead to health issues.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are named based on the location of the first double bond in their structural chain. Omega-3s have their first double bond at the third carbon, while omega-6s have theirs at the sixth carbon. The body cannot produce these essential fatty acids, so we must obtain them through our diet. However, most people in the US consume excessive amounts of omega-6s, particularly from industrially processed refined oils like soybean, cottonseed, corn, safflower, sunflower, and even in some liposomal vitamins and foods like poultry and nuts. Consuming too much linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, can lead to vitamin E depletion, gut dysfunction, inflammation, and contribute to various health issues such as weight gain, liver disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Therefore, it's crucial to maintain a healthy balance of omega-3 and omega-6 intake.
Imbalance of Omega-3 and Omega-6: Excess omega-6s can lead to health issues due to the conversion into arachidonic acid, while ideal ratio is less than 5, but many have ratios as high as 60 to 1.
While omega-6 fatty acids, specifically arachidonic acid, have important functions in the body, an excess of omega-6s can lead to health issues. This is because our bodies convert omega-6s into arachidonic acid using the same enzymes as for omega-3s. When we consume too many omega-6s, we produce excessive amounts of arachidonic acid. Although it functions as a vasodilator and is essential for muscle growth and repair, in high amounts, it can cause problems, particularly when not balanced by sufficient omega-3s. Ideally, the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s should be less than 5, but many people have ratios as high as 20 to 1 or even 60 to 1, which can lead to serious health issues. On the other hand, alpha linoleic acid (ALA), the shortest omega-3 fatty acid, is found in plants and converts into EPA and DHA. While EPA and DHA are the omega-3s most people are familiar with, ALA is the omega-3 itself. When supplementing with omega-3s, one should look for high amounts of EPA, but it's essential to understand the distinction between omega-3s (ALA) and their derivatives (EPA and DHA).
Essential Omega-3s: EPA and DHA from Fish: Consume EPA and DHA directly from fish for optimal health benefits, as our bodies have limited ability to convert other Omega-3s into these essential nutrients. Prioritize these nutrient-dense foods in your daily meals due to modern diets' deficiency.
Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, are essential nutrients responsible for numerous health benefits. These fatty acids are primarily found in cold water, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and some shellfish. The benefits of EPA and DHA include reducing heart disease deaths by up to 35% and improving brain function, especially for children participating in contact sports. However, our bodies have a limited ability to convert other types of Omega-3s, like ALA from flax oil or plants, into EPA and DHA. Therefore, it's recommended to consume these essential fatty acids directly from dietary sources to ensure adequate intake. With modern diets providing significantly less Omega-3s than our ancestors did, it's crucial to prioritize incorporating these nutrient-dense foods into our daily meals.
The Importance of Balancing Omega-3 and Omega-6 Levels: Maintain optimal health by balancing your omega-3 and omega-6 intake. Invest in high-quality fish oil supplements and avoid large, low-quality ones. Focus on natural sources of omega-3s and trans fats, and avoid artificial trans fats.
The quality and quantity of omega-3 supplements needed depends on the individual's omega-6 levels. If omega-6 levels are high, more omega-3 supplements are required. It's crucial to invest in high-quality fish oil supplements with a pure triglyceride backbone and avoid large, low-quality supplements from retailers like Sam's Club. Additionally, there are two types of trans fats: natural and artificial. Naturally occurring trans fats, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), have potential health benefits, but artificial trans fats increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, and inflammatory conditions, even in small doses. It's essential to avoid artificial trans fats and focus on consuming natural sources of omega-3s and trans fats.
Prioritizing what matters can make a difference in daily life: Making time for important activities like therapy, reading, or connecting with loved ones can significantly improve daily life. BetterHelp offers affordable online therapy and Institute of Natural Health provides functional medicine resources.
Prioritizing what's important to us can help us make the most of our time. Whether it's through therapy, reading, or connecting with loved ones, knowing what truly matters can make a significant difference in our daily lives. For those seeking professional help, BetterHelp offers affordable online therapy that fits into your schedule. Visit BetterHelp.com/grow today and get 10% off your first month. For more information on functional medicine and wellness, check out the Institute of Natural Health's website or call 314-293-8123. Remember, your well-being is worth making time for.
