I have to admit that, when it comes to this topic, I have gone through quite a process of education, re-education and re-re-education (my spell check just went a little nuts on that one!) When I went through chiropractic school, some xxxxxx years ago, we were taught that mono and poly unsaturated fats were "healthy" and saturated fats were "bad."
Over the years, that opinion has been changed by valid research contained within refereed journals. Those in the medical profession who choose to keep current with research findings, no longer teach their patients those old, inaccurate notions. Unfortunately, it appears that not many doctors read their own research.
The March 2014 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine published an article entitled, "Current Association of Dietary, Circulating and Supplemental Fatty Acids with Coronary Risk." This was a scientific meta-analysis of 76 studies on the effects of various fats (including saturated fats) on our bodies. This was the conclusion:
"Current evidence does not support cardiovascular guidelines that encourage high consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (processed foods, oils, margarine's, etc.) and low consumption of saturated fats (meats, fish, eggs, whole dairy, butter, cheese, coconut, etc.)."
If I were a betting woman, I would bet that none of you have been told this by your medical doctors. The idea that cutting out all saturated fats from the diet will decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease just hasn't proven to be true. In reality, after 30 years of this dietary advice, heart disease rates and mortality as well as diabetes have skyrocketed. The truth is that our bodies truly need saturated fats because they carry critical fat-soluble vitamins that are lacking from the all-American diet: A,D,E,F and K....all vital for proper heart function and healthy hormones, and so much more.
What's really sad is that the medical establishment continues to support this wrong-thinking. So much so that Connecticut law makers are considering a proposed law to ban whole and even 2% milk in day care centers. Anyone who reads my blogs on a regular basis knows I'm not a fan of dairy, but not because of the fat content but because of the inflammatory response that it causes in our GI tracts. But, if one is going to drink milk, it should be understood that the fat contained in the milk is necessary to absorb and utilize the calcium that it contains. (Adele Davis talked about this over 60 years ago!) Without the fat, the child receives no calcium. My father used to call low and non-fat milk, "grade D whitewash." That was over 50 years ago...I still think he was a pretty smart guy.
Here's an acronym for eating fats that I recommend: BACON
B= Butter (also, eggs, fish, meats etc.)
A= Avocado and Avocado oil (my favorite)
C= Coconut Oil and Milk
O= Olive oil
N= Nuts (only very small amounts of peanuts, please)
And, once in a while, if you actually like bacon, turkey bacon is fine.
You can see that "BACON" allows for both saturated and mono-unsaturated oils. Additionally, we love sunflower, grape seed and safflower oil...organic, when possible.
The next time your cardiologist or GP starts talking about the evils of saturated fats, you could tell him/her all about the article published in one of the medical profession's most distinguished journals. Should make for a fascinating conversation (if they have time for one).
www.fixdhealthcare.com
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