Page 36 - MSN_363_FebruaryMarch

PAGE 36
FOOD•HOLISTIC•WELLNESS•LONGEVITY•PREVENTION
Mythbusting: Fatphobia
BY WENDELL FOWLER
(SENIOR WIRE) Did you ever consider you
might be a Jack Sprat and not be eating
enough fat, asked no one ever? Always
hungry, depressed, anxious, frequently
fatigued, joints ache, skin is dry, finger
nails brittle, and a confused and foggy
brain? Take a look at what you’re eating
to see if the culprit may be eating too little
“good fat” suggests Gbhealthwatch.com.
Dietary fat is an enigmatic concept;
hence Americans have had a confusing
relationship with fat throughout the years.
Since the ‘30s, scientists have suspected
that fat and cholesterol (a fat) could cause
atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke.
However, later research has shown that
judging all fats together—even all saturated
fats—is a mistaken generalization.
The war on fat began with the rise of
heart disease during the ‘50s as all fats
took the rap for this attack–and trusting,
obedient consumers were discouraged to
eat fats that provide get-up-and-go and
energy-dense macronutrients.
Remember the fat-scare craze of the
‘70s and ‘80s: all fats are bad for our health!
Americans reacted–and for decades many
needlessly avoided all “evil” fats. Wildly
unhealthy considering good fats support
cognitive health, provide energy, assist
absorption of vitamins, aid skin health and
SERVING
THOSE
WHO
HAVE
SERVED
FOOD • MEDICAL • CLOTHING • FURNITURE
We are incredibly thankful for all of our volunteers
and donating members who have have helped make
a measurable impact on our veterans community
here in NW Montana.
STORE HOURS: Veteran’s Food Pantry &
Veteran’s Thrift Store DME Medical Loans
MON–FRI: 10AM–4:30PM MON–FRI: 10AM–3PM
1349 HWY 2 East Kalispell
406-756-7304 | veteransfoodpantry.com
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS • FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020
Nutrition
FAT IS NOT THE ENEMY
balances hormones. Our body’s cells are held
together by fat, need it to function properly.
Gentle readers, there are good fats and
there are bad fats. Some whole, unprocessed
fats are vital for overall nutrition, others
cause diseases of modern society. It’s quite
simple: good fats are found in nature’s
Every single cell in your body needs cholesterol to
survive. Some MDs and scientists are now saying
that levels of 150 and below can cause psychological
side effects. The brain needs cholesterol to grow
new nerve cells and for these nerve cells to work
properly. © somegirl, Bigstock.com
plant and animal foods, and are minimally
processed. Bad fats are man-made, high-
heat treated, processed and refined. DOA.
Fat can be divided into three major groups:
saturated, unsaturated, and trans. Saturated
fats are solid at room temperature, with the
exception of unrefined coconut oil. Good unsat-
urated fats are liquid at room temperature, and
trans fats (a.k.a. partially hydrogenated oils) are
primarily artificial fats.
It’s important to distinguish unsaturated
fats and trans fats found in highly processed
foods such as: margarine, vegetable, corn
oil, canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean,
grape seed oils, shortening made from any
of the above, as well as hydrogenated or
partially hydrogenated anything. Unless
they’re hydrogenated, all coconut oils have
medium chain fatty acids that are healthy
and do not break down quickly when heated.
PubMed shares that several populations
around the world have thrived for multiple
generations eating massive amounts of
unrefined coconut.
Cholesterol, a good fat, is not necessarily
our enemy, but we’re not necessarily sug-
gesting anyone stop taking their statins.
Although, it is misleading to call cholesterol
an evil, artery-clogging fat because it’s a
useful fatty substance with many important
jobs in our body.
Every single cell in your body needs
cholesterol to survive. Some MDs and sci-
entists are now saying that levels of 150 and
below can cause psychological side effects.
The brain needs cholesterol to grow new
nerve cells and for these nerve cells to work
properly. So, when their brain is deprived
of cholesterol, things don’t go so well up
there. In fact, without enough cholesterol,
you may even develop serious brain diseases
like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. AARP.
org reports if our cholesterol is too low,
we can experience depression, violent and
aggressive behavior, fatigue and lethargy.
Mayo clinic says the omega-3 fatty acids
in fish are good for your heart. Just ask the
Eskimos. Fatty fish such as wild-caught
salmon, mackerel, sardines, and plant foods
such as walnuts, chia, flax, and hemp seeds, and
Brussels sprouts all have abundant omega-3
and omega-6 essential fatty acids proven to
improve health in a wide variety of ways.
Harvard Medical School advises omega-6
fatty acids have also been linked to pro-
tection against heart disease. Fats rich in
linoleic acid and other omega-6 fatty acids
include: cold-extracted vegetable oils such
as safflower, grape seed, soybean, sunflower,
walnut, and corn oils. However, our American
diet is very omega-6 heavy as it is used in
many popular heavily processed snack foods
and contained in the afforementioned cheap
vegetable oils. The ratio of omega 3 to 6
should be 1:1. In the highly processed standard
American diet, it’s more like 25:1 and this
disproportionate ratio causes disease-gen-
erating inflammation.
These good essential fats boost energy
levels, mental clarity, curb cravings, and
support immune response. Evidence also
suggests omega-3 may help reduce the need
CONtINUED ON PAGE 37