Good Foods for Great Health

[koiguy1969]

The ugly truth about vegetable oils (and why they should be avoided)

I get a lot of questions about what fats and oils I use for cooking. It makes sense; after all there is a lot of confusion about fat in general. And with the increasing hype over “heart healthy” vegetable oils and their sky-rocketed consumption level, it’s no wonder people have questions about these highly over-recommended products. So let’s talk vegetable oils today: What are they? Why do I avoid them? And what are the best fats for cooking?
Ready? Let’s do this.

Vegetable Oils: What are they really?
Vegetable oils are oils that have been extracted from various seeds. The most common include rapeseed (canola oil), soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, peanut, etc. Unlike coconut oil or olive oil that can be extracted by pressing, these new-fangled oils have to be extracted in very unnatural ways.

A non-traditional food with a questionable short history
Unlike traditional fats (butter, tallow, lard, olive oil, etc.) our industrial vegetable oils are a very new addition to the “food” world. In fact, they were practically non-existent until the early 1900s. But with the invention of certain chemical processes and a need for “cheap” fat substitutions, the world of fat hasn’t been the same since.
Consider that at the turn of the 20th century that amount of vegetable oils consumed was practically zero. Today the average consumption is 70 lbs a year. Per person. (And since I know plenty of people who don’t touch the stuff, that means lots of people are consuming even more!)

Of course that number jumped dramatically once the campaign against saturated fats and cholesterol took its public rampage. (Hint: Cholesterol and Saturated Fat are essential to good health.)
Even today, despite the fact that heart disease and cancer continue to rise at an alarming rate while butter consumption is down (and vegetable oil consumption is at an all-time high), people are still believing the hype and buying this very non-traditional, non-healthy food-like product.
(Want to see more disturbing charts? Check this article out.)

Vegetable oils: an unnatural process from the start.
Before we talk about the process by which vegetable oils are made, let’s first look at one of my favorite traditional fats: Butter.
Butter is a simple process that comes when cream separates from milk. This is a natural process that only takes a little patience. Once the cream and milk have separated, all you need to do is skim off the cream and shake it until it becomes butter. (And it really is as easy as it sounds, I’ve made butter lots of times. Takes about 5 minutes.)
Now let’s compare that to the production of canola oil. Here’s an overly simplified version of the process:
Step 1: Find some “canola seeds.” Oh wait, they don’t exist. Canola oil is actually made from a hybrid version of the rapeseed… most likely genetically modified and heavily treated with pesticides.
Step 2: Heat the rapeseeds at unnaturally high temperatures so that they oxidize and are rancid before you ever buy them.
Step 3: Process with a petroleum solvent to extract the oils.
Step 4: Heat some more and add some acid to remove any nasty wax solids that formed during the first processing.
Step 5: Treat the oil with more chemicals to improve the color.
Step 6: Deodorize the oil to mask the horrific smell from the chemical processing.
Of course, if you want to take your vegetable oils one step further, just hydrogenated it until it becomes a solid. Now you have margarine and all its trans-fatty wonder.


What’s Wrong with Vegetable Oils?
Hopefully at this point you can see how NOT real these oils are. And in my book, “not real” is reason enough to avoid them. So how can they continue to be marketed as “heart healthy”?
Along with the continued myth about saturated fats and cholesterol, these oils are promoted as healthy because they contain monounsaturated fats and Omega 3 fatty acids. And that’s what advertisers focus on to draw you into the fake health claims. But it definitely doesn’t paint the whole picture.
Without going into extreme detail (although I’ll link up to more reading if you want all the gruesome details), here are the many problems with vegetable oils:

The polyunsaturated fat issue
Vegetable oils contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). But did you know that the fat content of the human body is about 97% saturated and monounsaturated fat? Our body needs fat for rebuilding cells and hormone production. And it can only use what we give it.
Polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable. They oxidize easily. These oxidized fats cause inflammation and mutation in cells. That oxidation is linked to all sorts of issues from cancer, heart disease, endrometriosis, PCOS, etc. PUFAs are bad news.
Read more about PUFAS here.

Omega 6 issue
There’s a lot of hype about Omega-3’s and how healthy they are. But what often gets neglected is the fact that it’s more about the ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats that are critical to good health.
Vegetable oils contain a very high concentration of Omega 6 fatty acids. These fatty acids oxidize easily. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce inflammation and protect against cancer. Unbalanced levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats have been linked to many types of cancers and a host of other problems. And, as you’ve probably guessed, most Americans are high in Omega-6 fatty acids and low in Omega-3’s. But people keeping buying into labels on vegetables oils that say “a good source of Omega-3s” without realizing that they are really just making the imbalance even worse.
Read more about Omega-3/Omega-6 imbalances here and here.

All the other bad “stuff”
Beyond the unnatural levels of polyunsaturated fats and Omega-6 fatty acids, there are all the additives, pesticides, and chemicals involved in processing. Many vegetable oils contain BHA and BHT (Butylated Hydroxyanisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene). These artificial antioxidants keep the food from spoiling too quickly, but they have also been shown to produce potential cancer compounds in the body. And they have been linked to things like immune system issues, infertility, behavioral problems, and liver and kidney damage.
Oh yeah, and many vegetable oils come from genetically modified sources. Not sure why that’s bad? Check this out.
In a nutshell, these oils are extremely unhealthy. They’ve been linked to reproductive problems, low birth rate, hormonal issues, obesity, mental decline, liver problems, and the big problems of our day: cancer and heart disease.

So what is safe to use?
In a world that seems overrun with these highly unnatural and toxic fats, it can seem overwhelming when looking for better solutions. And if you try to keep up on the latest “scientific” findings you may be even more confused. Luckily, you don’t have to be a nutritionist to know the best fats to use. Look to your ancestors. Look to what food was before the chemical and industrial age came in and made a mega-mart of imposters.
To help you, here are some guidelines when it comes to fats and oil.


Good fats for cooking
When it comes to any food, keep in mind that where it comes from and how you store it can matter greatly. Traditional oils should be cold-pressed. Organic when possible (especially when dealing with animal fats as the fat is where toxins/pesticides are stored). Do the best you can, and don’t get overwhelmed by all the choices.

• Coconut Oil (Use expeller-pressed to avoid a coconut flavor)
• Tallow
• Lard
• Butter
• Palm Oil (Although, please find from a sustainable source as so much palm oil today is being harvested in horrific ways. When in doubt just stick with coconut oil.)
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (Great for non-heat dishes like salad dressings, humus, mayo, etc. Can be used in cooking at lower temperatures or when combined with another saturated fat like butter or coconut oil.)
• Avocado Oil (Great for non-heat dishes)
• Other fats (not necessarily for cooking, but essential to good health) include meats, eggs, dairy, and fish (nuts are also good in moderation as they have a high level of polyunsaturated fats).

Looking for quality fats and oils? You can find them here.

Oils to be used sparingly
The following oils are okay in moderations. Most contain high levels of Omega-6 fatty acids, so they shouldn’t be consumed freely. But they are considered natural fats, and do have health benefits. They are not great for high heat cooking, but acceptable in dressings, mayos, and other non-heat foods.

• Walnut Oil
• Flaxseed Oil
• Macadamia Nut Oil

Oils to avoid completely
Here’s the big list I avoid as much as possible:

• Canola Oil
• Corn Oil
• Soybean Oil
• “Vegetable” oil
• Peanut Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Margarine
• Shortening
• Any fake butter substitutes

Simply skipping these oils in the grocery story isn’t too hard. But keep in mind that most processed foods contain these oils, too. Salad dressing, condiments, crackers, chips… check your ingredients. Don’t buy them. In fact, just skip processed foods and you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble.
It’s hard to avoid rancid vegetable oils completely if you are eating out, and I personally try not to stress about the occasional night at a restaurant. By keeping these bad boys out of my house, I feel okay consuming these oils when out with family or friends. But if I find a restaurant that uses quality fats, you better believe they’ll be getting my business!

 

[callingcolleen1]

That is so right!!! I don't have any of those bad fats, and I gave up eating crackers long time ago cause they make me fat and have hidden bad oils and stuff. I eat mostly organic and instead of bread or wheat, I have good old fashion potatoes, served in many different ways, and only the fresh potatoes, no frozen or that instant garbage crap either!!

Did I mention that the butter section was completely empty again for several days now, and we are the largest grocery store in town!!! Trouble is now it is on back order cause everybody is going back to butter!!. So I got two more pounds of butter and I am now actively HOARDING the BUTTER cause at this rate there will not be enough for everybody!!!!!!!

 

[koiguy1969]

Are you a Mountain Dew addict? Then know what you're drinking! BVO is a toxic chemical that is banned in many countries because it competes with iodine for receptor sites in the body, which can lead to hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease, and cancer. The main ingredient, bromine, ...is a poisonous, corrosive chemical, linked to major organ system damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss.

"There’s flame retardant in your Mountain Dew. That soda with the lime-green hue (and other citrus-flavored bubbly pops) won’t keep your insides fireproof, but it does contain brominated vegetable oil, a patented flame retardant for plastics that has been banned in foods throughout Europe and in Japan.

Brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, which acts as an emulsifier in citrus-flavored soda drinks, is found in about 10 percent of sodas sold in the U.S.

“After a few extreme soda binges — not too far from what many [video] gamers regularly consume – a few patients have needed medical attention for skin lesions, memory loss and nerve disorders, all symptoms of overexposure to bromine,” according to a recent article in Environmental News."

People need to be educated

 

[koiguy1969]

DECEMBER 11, 2013

This New Study Found More Drugs in Our Drinking Water Than Anybody Knew And no one's doing anything about it

BY DAWN FALLIK








Doctors prescribe hydrocodone for pain. They recommend ranitidine for acid reflux, a diuretic called hydrochlorothiazide for congestive heart failure.
But you don’t need a prescription to get these drugs in tiny doses. They're found already in our nation's water supply—and, according to an upcoming national study, the largest done so far, in higher amounts than drug companies anticipated.



We know how the drugs get there: Our bodies release them when we urinate or flush old drugs down the toilet. And it’s well known by now that pharmaceuticals are affecting fish, frogs and lobsters­—small amounts of estrogen cause male fish to develop eggs, for instance. But the impact on human health is unclear. Although research on pharmaceuticals in the water supply began almost a decade ago, no one seems to know which compounds need to be removed or how to remove them from the water safely. And no one seems to know which government agency should step forward and take action.


“All of these drugs out there on the market are going to be discharged into the environment and we don’t know what the effects are, because there’s no requirement to do an assessment on the front end,” said Nick Schroeck, executive director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center in Detroit.
“We’re not trying to scare anyone, but we need to know what these chemical compounds will do to the environment and what are the long-term effects for humans. No one seems to know.”
The new study, which will be released in January in the journal Environmental Pollution, was obtained by The New Republic. Conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, it is the largest study of water coming out of wastewater treatment plants.



It looked at samples from 50 large-size wastewater treatment plants nationwide and tested for 56 drugs including oxycodone, high-blood pressure medications, and over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol and ibuprofen. More than half the samples tested positive for at least 25 of the drugs monitored, the study said. High blood pressure medications appeared in the highest concentrations and most frequently.
“We were surprised to find that many drugs occurring across all the wastewater plants,” said Mitchell Kostich, the EPA research biologist who led the study. “We were also surprised to see so many drugs of a particular class—the high blood pressure medications—appear at those levels across the board.”




One reason for the higher numbers is better technology, which can trace drugs at smaller amounts. But it’s also because we’re taking more drugs than ever, from over-the-counter medications for headaches to prescription medications for depression, acid reflux, and high blood pressure. According to a Mayo Clinic study released in June, nearly 70 percent of Americans take one prescription drug, up from 48 percent in 2007-2008.


Health officials say these compounds in water pose a low risk to humans. But they also said that there are no good models to predict the effect this cocktail of low-level medications would have on human or aquatic life. Right now, there are no federal or state regulations requiring drinking water or wastewater plants to monitor pharmaceutical compounds in water.
“Who would have thought that those trace amounts would be having that impact on fish?” said Raanan Bloom, senior environmental officer for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the FDA division that oversees most medications and reviews new applications. “We didn’t expect that to happen at those concentrations.”
When a pharmaceutical company applies for new drug approval, it has to submit an estimate of how much that drug will end up in the environment. They use a model based on how many people they estimate will take the drug, how it will pass through the body, and how it degrades in water. If the estimate is over 1 part per billion (ppb) the FDA can ask for a more thorough evaluation of how that drug will affect aquatic life.
On July 7, 2010, two environmental groups—the National Resources Defense Council and the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center—filed a citizen’s petition asking the FDA to ask for a more thorough evaluation for all new drug applications, no matter what the estimate.
Last February, the FDA denied the petition. In its reply, the agency said the groups did not account for the significant dilution that occurs after compounds leave a wastewater treatment plant. The agency also said it could ask for more complete assessments for certain classes of drugs that present “extraordinary circumstances” to do serious harm to the environment.



Although eight of the drugs in the EPA study came in at maximum levels above that 1 ppb “brightline,” FDA officials said it would be a challenge to go back and ask the pharmaceutical companies to re-evaluate.


Shane Snyder is co-director at the Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants at the University of Arizona and has been working on pharmaceuticals in the water supply for more than a decade.
So far, there have not been any studies showing effects on human health. It is particularly difficult to study the effects on the most vulnerable populations: pregnant women and the elderly. But Snyder is frustrated that nothing has been done about the drugs that have already been found to be definitely problematic for aquatic life.
“Look at estrogen and endocrine disruptors—here’s a case where there is compelling evidence that it has an effect on aquatic life and still nothing has been done,” said Snyder.
Snyder said it would not be that difficult to figure out how to remove the compounds from the water, but it might be costly and the byproducts might be worse than the original contaminants.



“If you put in ozone or advance oxidization to take out a compound, when you oxidize chemicals it becomes something different,” he said. “So while it’s no longer a statin it’s now some byproduct. It’s now very common to make water more toxic after treatment than it was before treatment.”


Andrew Sawyers, the current EPA administrator for water, declined to be interviewed for this article. An EPA spokesman said the Office of Water was not yet prepared to comment on the report.
So what’s next? More studies. The FDA says it is working on human health studies. And Kostich, the head of the EPA's study, said he planned to focus next on the impact of the hypertension medication on aquatic life.
"It’s hard to know where to start,” he said. “How do you take the blood pressure of a fish?"
Schroeck, of the Great Lakes Environmental Center, said he’d like to see future studies focus on that low-level mixture.



“The scary thing for me is not one particular drug, although do I want to be drinking Viagra in my water? No,” said Shroeck. “It’s potentially hundreds or thousands of compounds interacting with each other and how that affects aquatic life and human health.”


“It’s great that we keep coming up with new and interesting drugs, but we have to look at what the potential impacts are,” he continued. “It’s almost too late to try and put the genie back in the bottle.”
Dawn Fallik is a science and medical reporter who has written for The Wall Street Journal and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She is a visiting professor at the University of Kansas.

 

[MitchM]

One thing with buying organic produce is that I'm getting used to finding bugs on things. I keep thinking of the movie Papillon where Steve McQueen is happy to find a bug.
Next thing you know I'll be buying crickets to fry up.


In a healthy oil of course.

 

[koiguy1969]

there ya go Mitch...protein!

 

[MitchM]

I'm not kidding...I'm not worried that I probably didn't wash ALL the aphids off our kale tonight......

http://www.the-scientist.com/?artic...172/title/Why-Insects-Should-Be-in-Your-Diet/

 

[MitchM]

It's just the "ick factor" until we all get used to it.

 

[j.w]

Think I'm so close to having some of that lovely leaf lard. Found a farm not too awful far away where you can buy it for $3. a lb and render it yourself. Stupid stores around here should wake up and smell the bacon :biggrin:

 

[MitchM]

mmmmm...bacon......

 

[callingcolleen1]

I got a big bucket of fresh rendered leaf lard from this Mennonite that my hubby works with in Brooks. They save everything and waste very little those people.

I never ever drink pop, not even as a kid cause my mom told me one time that the kids across the street all had rotten teeth from drinking pop and I am deadly afraid of the dentist!! Even today the dentist scares me bad!!

I have only been drinking bottled delivered water for the last 20 odd years too.

 

[addy1]

I just drink out of our well, taste darn good, what is a little dirt lol, we filter out the big rocks

 

[callingcolleen1]

I am just making the happy hubby a nice home cooked meal, organic grass fed beef Shepard's pie with a side dish of baked organic brussel sprouts baked in sweet smelling Gee butter!

 

[j.w]

I just ate a nice big bowl of my hubby's home made turkey soup w/ 2 nice pieces of Panne' Artesian bread w/ plenty of real butter,yuuuuuuuuuuum,yummmmmmmmmm,yuuuuuuuuuuum! Then a few pieces of the nice dark chocolate for dessert :biggrinangelA:

 

[JohnHuff]

I am just making the happy hubby a nice home cooked meal, organic grass fed beef Shepard's pie with a side dish of baked organic brussel sprouts baked in sweet smelling Gee butter!

Do you have a good recipe for Shepard's pie? I love it!