Fats are important to brain & nerve development especially in infants & children (vitally important up to 2 years old). Essential fats are necessary for healthy nerve function, healthy skin, & proper wound healing. Healthy fats also help to manage cholesterol & control blood pressure.

Fat molecules are composed of a fatty acid or acids plus glycerol. Fatty acids are basically chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

Saturated fats –Contain the maximum possible amount of hydrogen. Primarily found in animal products including dairy. Saturated fats can cause a rise in blood cholesterol levels. Has been implicated in many of the degenerative diseases seen in affluent countries today.

Unsaturated fats have less than the maximum possible amount of hydrogen

•Polyunsaturated fatty acids (more than one pair of hydrogen atoms missing) corn soybean, safflower, & sunflower.

•Monounsaturated (one pair of hydrogen atoms missing) vegetables & nuts. Olive oil, avocado, almonds & other nuts & seeds.

Trans-fatty acids – when polyunsaturated oils are altered through hydrogenation (a process used to harden liquid vegetable oils into solid like margarine & shortening). Trans-fats have been linked to many disease conditions including cardiovascular disease & cancer. Partially hydrogenated oil (found in most packaged foods today) is also a source of Trans-fatty acids.

Hydrogenation process - placing polyunsaturated oils under extreme pressure at temperatures of up to 410 degrees in the presence of a metal catalyst (nickel, platinum, copper) for as long as 8 hours. This process destroys the nutritional value of the oil which now contains chemically altered substances plus traces of metal catalyst. Numerous studies are implicating these Trans-fats with increase disease rates.

Essential Fatty Acids – help lower blood fat levels, prevent the development of blood clots, decreases the risk of heart disease, (3) play a role in nerve function, growth, skin health, & wound healing. (6)

•Omega 3 oils (Alpha-Linolenic Acid – LNA)

Flaxseeds, pumpkinseeds, walnuts, whole-wheat (raw, sprouted), fresh dulse, kelp, leafy green vegetables. Anti-inflammatory action.

•Omega 6 (polyunsaturated) Linoleic Acid (LA) Safflower, sunflower, corn, sesame, raw nuts, pumpkin seeds, legumes, leafy green vegetables.

•Omega 9 (monounsaturated)

Oleic Acid (OA) almonds, avocados, pecan, cashew, filbert, macadamia

The ratio of omega 3 / Omega 6 fat intake is generally around 20:1 and should be around 5:1.

Considerations

Look for unprocessed plant sources of fats. Limit free-fats (from oils) to 1 – 2 TB per day. Omit Trans-fats & processed (refined) oils from the diet. Add freshly ground flaxseed meal to the daily diet to improve the Omega 3 /Omega 6 ratio. Reduce Omega 6 intake if needed (especially in “free form”).

All oils are a concentrated source fat in the form of a “free oil” (no longer attached to the whole-food source). There are additional benefits to consuming the whole food that would not be available in the extracted oil alone. For example, whole flax  seeds contain a component of fiber called lignans. Lignans have been shown to have anticancer effects and are associated with a significant reduced risk of breast cancer. Additionally, flax seeds are a good source of iron, zinc, calcium, protein, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and foliate. These important nutrients play many beneficial roles in health maintenance and disease prevention. With flax seed oil, much of these additional nutrients has been lost. Although health benefits have been seen by taking flax seed oil (Barlean's, Flora and Omega Nutrition brands are the best due to the care taken in processing & delivery) there are even more benefits to eating the whole flax seed, freshly ground into a fine meal. In most cases it is best to get our beneficial fats from food sources (always eaten raw). In certain cases taking an essential fatty acid supplement may be advisable. Taking Flax Seed Oil [Barlean's, Flora or Omega - each company uses optimal no heat processing methods] should be considered when 1) the diet is otherwise limited in beneficial essential fatty acids (which of course is not advisable), 2) there appears to be an essential fatty acid deficiency that has shown no improvement after consistently adding flax seed meal and/or other healthy forms of EFA to the diet for at least 3 months, 3) dealing with inflammatory disease (Omega 3 has been shown to reduce inflammatory conditions) 4) as a replacement for “bad fat” oils in making dressings etc. 5) as an assurance of getting adequate Omega 3 fats in the diet.