Fat in Your Fare - How to Cook In Good Health

The great fat debate has been brewing and boiling for 3 decades now. Consumers were left in the dark about whether or not any dietary fat was healthy and now that we have delineated which fats we need to keep us healthy, the debate about how to use them is at hand. Research has found that our diets are deficient in the Omega 3 essential fatty acids that are so critical to brain and heart function. Now while these fats are an essential part of our diet, since our bodies do not manufacture them, their natural form must be maintained to be of benefit. Herein lies the key to how all healthy fats remain just that...healthy.

The essential fatty acids that our bodies need for proper function are polyunsaturated which means that these fats are less stable when subjected to heat. So while we need Omega 3's and Omega 6's in our diet, we do not want to denature them in the cooking process. These oils should be consumed at lower temperatures and stored in the refrigerator to prevent them from going rancid. When it comes to cooking, one of the best pics of the list is unrefined coconut oil. It is a saturated fat which means it is a stable molecule, but is a medium chain fatty acid which is easier on the digestive and lymphatic system. Other oils that are suitable for cooking are those that contain more monounsaturated fat such as almond, avocado and olive oil. However, they are still not invincible and an understanding of what point they break down is a good thing for a body to know. When these oils are unrefined, their breakdown point is between 300 and 350 degrees. When they are refined, the upper limit of heat exposure is between 400 and 500. This removes the impurities that are susceptible to breakdown, however, there is a tremendous loss of nutrient density in the refining process.

So what's the answer to all this controversy? One of the simplest ways to keep it healthy is to get in the habit of cooking food at a lower temperature whenever possible. Keep an organic, monounsaturated refined oil or coconut oil around when high temperatures are a must. When sauteing, try cooking in vegetable broth and then adding a little oil for flavor after the food is removed from the heat source. And as always, reducing your daily fat intake to keep your hormone levels in check.