Recent Comments

The right fats for your body

Written By UNDER MAINTENANCE on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 | 2:31 AM

You want most of your fat intake to come from whole-food, unheated, unsaturated sources.

These fats are the ones that consistently show up as cardio-protective because they either lower cholesterol or they come with other gifts like antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Just remember that they are best for you in their natural, unheated, unsalted state, particularly hemp seeds, the only commonly used seed that contains GLA, a crucial, hormone-regulating fat that is rare in other foods.


OILS (extra virgin olive oil for salads and grapeseed for higher temperature cooking): Grapeseed oil’s temperature can be raised quite high before it begins to smoke so it is less damaged by the heat. It also may help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. This oxidation is what does the damage to the cardiovascular system, and there is some evidence that the antioxidants in grape seeds help protect blood vessel damage that occurs with high blood pressure.

But there is one caveat: your brand must be minimally processed and you must heat it in a specific manner. You want to heat your pan first to medium or high heat without any oil in it. Have your ingredients ready to go in before you add the oil and add the food as quickly as you can after you add the oil. This will prevent sticking, preserve the oil, and give a better colour and texture to your food.What’s not to like? Extra virgin olive oil is an excellent source of unsaturated fats. However, you only get the benefit if it is cold pressed and served raw and unheated.


AVOCADOS: Avocados are loaded with good (monounsaturated) fat. Again, during the fatphobic1980s, people were scared off avocados by the fact that they have loads of calories, but with these you get loads of super-nutrients. Avocados are normally eaten raw so you are getting the good fat at its peak. They also contain potassium to regulate blood pressure and the nutrient folate for heart health. Adding some avocado to your salad makes the fat-soluble vitamins more available to your body.

0 comments:

Post a Comment