The Right Fat Won't Kill You. It Will Only Make You Stronger

Our ears are full of negative thoughts on food these days.  We hear about how obese and disease ridden our nation is.  We hear about weird dieting tricks and intense weight loss programs.  One guy comes out with a book that says eat all the fat you want, but don't eat any carbs.  Then another guy writes a book that suggests you eat all the carbs you want, but leave out fat.  Some people say to eat only or mostly protein.  My opinion is that all of this is mumbo jumbo.  Our bodies are designed for us to be omnivores and omnivores only thrive when they consume a wide variety of foods.  We need the carbs, the fats, the proteins, the vitamins, enzymes, and minerals.  We need all of it.  Maybe we should stop blaming certain groups of foods and look at the bigger picture.  Though there is an insanely vast availability of food in this country, the quality of the food leaves much to be desired.

Do you ever wonder why portion control at meals is so difficult?  I believe it can be attributed to the lack of nutrients found in the most common foods at the market.  We consume more of everything because our bodies need us too in order to get the proper amount of nutrients.  If we were to eat more nutrient dense foods that were grown organically and cooked properly, we might just naturally adjust our food portions to a more appropriate size.

Healthy fats come in many forms.  Avacados, conconuts, olives, nuts, and seeds all contain fats that our bodies need to thrive.  Most of us who do get these fats likely get them from oils pressed from these foods.  While olive oil is always a healthier choice than vegetable, canola, or corn oils, it may not be as healthy as you think.  There are two ways of extracting oil from fruits and seeds-heat pressing and expeller (or cold) pressing.  Heat pressing is the more common form used because this process produces more oil.  But, it also kills the nutrients in the oil and can even convert those nutrients to toxins.  Cold pressed oil retains those nutrients, specifically powerful antioxidants that keep the oil fresh and help our bodies to clear toxins out.

While olive oil is a fine choice to have on hand, the best oil you can use is cold pressed cocount oil.  This oil is so good for you that it is among the top ten superfoods worldwide.  First off, coconut oil has the least amount of calories compared to any other known fat source.  Coconut oil improves digestion, contains fatty acids that help fight off fungi, bacteria, and viruses, aids in absorption of the right kinds of calcium and magnesium, helps regulate the thyroid gland, regulates hormone production, helps your body properly use essential fatty acids, and increases metabolism thereby aiding in weightloss.  The effects of this oil are best felt if it isn't cooked.  While it can still make an excellent marinade, it is best used as an ingredient for salad dressing or drizzled on other foods toward the end of their cooking time.

An easy use would be to add it to a tuna or salmon salad as it will help you absorb and use the omega-3's in those foods.