Monounsaturates – Omega-9
Vegetable sources include almonds, avocados, coconuts, extra virgin olive oil, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts and other raw nuts, peanuts, seeds, and seed oils.
Monounsaturated/oleic acid lowers heart attack risk and arteriosclerosis and aids in weight loss if balanced with omega-3. Unlike what many believe, olive oil does not contain omega-3 fatty acids. Olive oil is mostly a monounsaturated fat (MUFA) with some omega-6. Therefore, it should be used moderately, in balance, with omega-3 and only the extra virgin olive oil, packaged in a light-protected container. BEWARE: Some cheap olive oil brands are blended with canola oil, which comes from a GMO seed, is highly refined, and a damaged fat.
Polyunsaturates – Omega-6
Animal sources include mother’s milk, organs, and lean meats.
Vegetable sources: Pumpkin (pepitas) seed, borage, macadamia, safflower, sunflower, olive, sesame, hemp seed oils, raw nuts, seeds: traces in legumes, algae, and leafy greens.
Super Polyunsaturates – Omega-3
Animal sources include mother’s milk, krill oil, marine oils, cold water fish (e.g., salmon, mackerel, herring, carp, sardines, shrimp, oysters, halibut, tuna, sablefish, bluefish, catfish, anchovies), and freshwater fish (e.g., trout and crappie).
Vegetable sources include linseed/flaxseed oil and perilla: traces in walnuts, pecans, kiwi fruit, fresh sea vegetables, algae, and leafy greens.
Fresh, organic, cold-pressed flaxseed oil is rich in ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). Flaxseed oil contains approximately 70 to 80 percent EFAs and is especially high in omega- 3. Select only quality, organic oil packaged in light-protected containers from a reputable company such as Omega Nutrition.
CHOLESTEROL IS ESSENTIAL FOR NERVE TISSUE, HORMONES, BILE, AND VITAMIN D
Cholesterol is one of a group of fats found in the bloodstream. It travels through the bloodstream bound to two types of lipoproteins, which are molecules containing both fats and protein. Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), the richest in cholesterol, rebuild and repair damaged tissue. High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) clear fat away from artery walls and return it to the liver for excretion. When arteries are healthy and well-nourished, their linings remain smooth and clear. As cells wear out, HDLs remove them. These cells are replaced with new cells when LDLs bring in more cholesterol in a natural continuous maintenance process. Cholesterol is the perfect lubricant. Well-nourished, elastic arteries allow a steady blood flow to nourish the various organs.
Cholesterol is vital for many important functions of the body and is in all body tissues. It is essential for nerve tissue production, many hormones, including sex hormones, bile for fat digestion, and vitamin D production. Lower than normal cholesterol levels contribute to anemia, acute infection, depression, dementia, autoimmune disorders, and excess thyroid function.
The liver and brain make about 1.5 gm of this waxy fat-like substance every day to help ensure the body has enough of it. About 10 percent of the brain’s dry weight is cholesterol. Reduced consumption of cholesterol spurs the body to increase production of it.
Heart disease often implicates cholesterol. However, cholesterol consumption has remained constant during the past 114 years, while the increase in cardiovascular disease is up some 350 percent. Therefore, cholesterol itself is not the villain but rather a symptom of heart disease when it builds up in trying to repair damaged arteries.
Several factors are involved in the development of cardiovascular disease. Through nutritional deficiencies and the ingestion of damaged fats/oils (trans fatty acids), vessels lose their elasticity, form lesions, and start to fragment. Cholesterol, in the form of LDLs, is dispatched to the damaged area to protect the tissue in the same way a scab forms while a cut heals.
If necessary nourishment with vitamin C, bioflavonoids, and silica is deficient, healing does not take place, and HDLs will not remove cholesterol deposits. Instead, scarring takes place, and plaque builds up like glue.
Stress, damaged fats/oils, sugar, cigarette smoking, GMOs, coffee (even decaffeinated), diabetes, fluoride, low thyroid function, iodine deficiency, liver dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease all hinder natural processes and contribute to higher than normal cholesterol levels.
TRIGLYCERIDE LEVELS MAY INDICATE PLAQUE OR LIVER DYSFUNCTION
Various fatty acids from fats and oils combine with glycerol and form triacylglycerols. More commonly known as triglycerides, they are the main constituent of body fat and another group of fats implicated in plaque formation. In excess, triglycerides develop into a fatty stomach, backside, or thighs (signs of inflammation and liver damage). Medication, refined flour, sugar, damaged oils, soda, alcohol, and coffee elevate triglycerides in the blood. Higher or Lower than normal triglyceride levels may indicate liver dysfunction and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Thus, a balance with a healthy liver is vital for good health.
NOT ALL FATS ARE BENEFICIAL
Over the past 70 years, there have been dramatic changes in our agriculture, food
processing, and dietary habits contributing to essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiencies and the consumption of Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs).
Hydrogenation is a commercial process that solidifies oils by saturating the double bonds in fatty acids with hydrogen. Hydrogenation changes the beneficial cis form of polyunsaturated fatty acids to the damaged trans fat (TFA) not intended for human use.
TFAs derived from vegetable oils interfere with the normal enzymatic metabolism of natural fats and impede every function of the human body, right down to the cellular level. The smallest changes in the molecular structure of natural fats have devastating effects on body chemistry and produce inflammation, an early sign of heart disease. A C-Reactive Protein (CRP) blood test can measure the inflammation.
The shape of a molecule is important because enzymes and their substrates - the molecules enzymes act upon - must fit together like a key in a lock. TFAs remain unmetabolized in the human body and weaken the cell walls, leaving cells vulnerable to viral invasion.
This, in turn, causes swelling and impairment of the mitochondria. TFAs, cannot be used by the body to make beneficial prostaglandins.