fats

Fats: essential for health

Fats have had a bad name for years. Yet natural fats are indispensable for a healthy body. Every cell in the body is made up of fats. Hormones, brains, nerves and the immune system also depend on good fats.

The problem is usually not in natural fats, but in highly processed and chemically modified fats.

Why fats are important

Fats play a role in:

  • energy supply

  • hormone production

  • brain function

  • nerve conduction

  • absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K

  • protection of cells

  • inflammation regulation

  • satiety after eating

Without sufficient healthy fats, the body cannot recover or function properly.

Natural fats

Natural fats are fats that have been little processed and remain recognizable as food.

Examples:

  • butter

  • olive oil

  • coconut oil

  • avocado

  • nuts and seeds

  • eggs

  • oily fish

  • animal fats from unprocessed foods

These fats contain natural building materials that the body recognizes and can use for recovery, hormones and cell building.

Chemically processed fats

Many modern vegetable oils are produced industrially. High temperatures, pressure, solvents and chemical processes are used.

Examples:

  • sunflower oil

  • soybean oil

  • corn oil

  • margarine

  • frying fats

  • many processed baking and roasting products

These fats contain large amounts of omega 6 fatty acids and are sensitive to damage by heat, light and oxygen.

Omega-6: natural and chemical variants

Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fats. The body needs them for, among other things:

  • immune responses

  • recovery processes

  • hormone-like signaling substances

  • cell membranes

Omega-6 is therefore not “unhealthy”. The problem mainly arises because many people nowadays consume extremely high levels of omega-6 from processed food and industrial oils.

Omega-6 from natural food is therefore not the problem. Consider:

  • notes

  • seeds

  • eggs

  • unprocessed animal food

The problem mainly arises with industrially produced vegetable oils such as:

  • sunflower oil

  • soybean oil

  • corn oil

  • margarine

  • frying fats

These oils are chemically processed, heated and refined. This makes the fatty acids unstable and more sensitive to oxidation (compare with rust, which is also an oxidation process).

When heated, fats and breakdown products are more easily oxidized, which can increase oxidative stress and strengthen inflammatory processes.

Especially because these oils are now found in large quantities in:

  • fried food

  • snacks

  • sauces

  • ready-made products

  • fast food

  • restaurant food

As a result, the body constantly ingests damaged fats.

The problem is therefore usually not natural omega-6 from food, but the large amount of chemically processed and oxidized oils in modern food.

Oxidative stress

When fats are damaged by heating or processing, oxidized fats are formed. This increases oxidative stress in the body.

Oxidative stress means that more damage occurs to:

  • cell membranes

  • blood vessels

  • Proteins

  • brain

  • LDL particles

This can increase inflammatory processes.

Oils such as sunflower oil are particularly sensitive to this, because they are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids that become unstable when heated.

Fats and metabolism

Natural fats usually provide:

  • more stable blood sugar

  • more saturation

  • less urge to eat

  • better hormone production

  • more stable energy

A diet with many refined carbohydrates and processed fats more often produces:

  • insulin spikes

  • fat storage

  • ignition activity

  • energy complaints

  • disruption of cholesterol levels

Which fats are suitable?

Usually better suited for daily use:

  • butter

  • ghee

  • olive oil

  • coconut oil

  • avocado

  • notes

  • eggs

  • oily fish

Stable fats in particular are more resistant to heating.

Important to remember

The body needs fats to function properly. It is not fats themselves that are usually the problem, but their quality.

The more natural and less processed a fat is, the better the body can usually use it. Highly processed oils and chemically modified fats are more likely to increase oxidative stress and metabolic disruption.