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Find Out What Do Good Fats And Bad Fats Do For Our Body?

The topic what do good fats and bad fats do for our body has had a lot of bad press through the last couple of decades. The fact is the right kind of fat is absolutely essential for optimal health. We need fat for building the brain1, maintaining the health of the veins and arteries, decreasing inflammation, decreasing cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, maintaining proper nerve function, improving the immune function and helping insulin to work.

Have you ever wondered how the body can be composed of over 80% water? Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) are the main components of all cellular membranes, where they hold water in the cells, and protect against viruses, bacteria and allergens. EFA’s also help muscles recover, retain moisture in the skin, and are necessary for growth, tissue repair and reproduction. They touch, in one way or another, virtually every life process.

The correct type of dietary fat reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, dry skin and eczema, arthritis, depression, fatigue, allergies, dry eyes, PMS, infections and Alzheimer’s disease (low levels of omega-3 oils in the diet from a very young age have now been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and, while not reversible, the addition of EFA’s at any age will reduce the chances of contraction, or slow the rate of the spread of the disease). Many inflammatory illnesses can be aided by the addition of the right type of fat to the diet, as they act as anti-inflammatories in the body.

Why Being Fat is NOT Healthy!

The fat carried by overweight people living on a diet of junk food is composed largely of unnaturally altered and toxic, free radical-generating compounds. These altered fats are incorporated into membranes and fat stores throughout the body and have the potential to cause a variety of diseases. The more toxic fat our bodies contain, the greater the risk of disease. It is these altered fats that are now being linked to diseases like atherosclerosis. A natural fat, such as cholesterol, is unlikely to harm and may even enhance health. However, after cholesterol (or any other fat) becomes oxidized by processing, it can become integrated into the endothelial lining of coronary blood vessels, cause free-radical damage to the vessel, and begin the formation of plaque. This may eventually restrict the vessel, causing clot formation, reducing blood flow to the heart muscle, and resulting in angina or a heart attack. So it is not eggs (as long as they are organic) or meat (as long as it is organic or grass-fed) that cause high cholesterol, but fried and processed fast or junk foods! Quite a few reasons why the study of what do good fats and bad fats do for our body was conducted and came up with this information on this article, when engaging on weight loss programs you must know that there are some bad fats, we don't need and there are some good fats we need in our bodies, because you might end up chucking all the good fat away with a wrong eating pattern.

Saturated fat

Saturated and monounsaturated fats are not essential nutrients – you do not need them, but they can be used by the body to create energy. These good fats may be beneficial to certain metabolic types, and to people who live in cold climates as they help keep the body warm. Sources of saturated fats are animal fat from meat (both visible and marbled through the meat) and the fat in dairy products.

As with all foods, however, the source of these good and bad fats is vital. Fats from grass-fed cattle, organic meat and free-range chicken contain a high percentage of omega-3 oil and a healthy fat called Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA2. CLA is a fatty acid found in beef and dairy fats. CLA may be one of the most potent cancer-fighting substances in our diet3. It cannot be produced by the human body, but it can be obtained through foods such as raw whole milk, butter, beef, and lamb. Pasture-grazed cattle have up to 500% more CLA in their fat and milk than grain-fed cattle.

Surprisingly, societies who consume saturated fats from grass-fed, organic and unpasteurized sources show no detrimental health effects and in fact often demonstrate a very low incidence of illness and disease. This seems to be one of the keys to optimal health – the source of our dietary saturated fat, not how much or how little we consume (although as with everything, balance is important). Another key is the method used to cook the fats, as modern cooking methods are highly detrimental to saturated fats. Overcooking (frying, microwaving, crisping) converts them into dangerous and unhealthy trans-fats, which are unrecognizable to the human digestive system.

In modern times there has been a great increase in people’s intake of saturated fat from grain-fed cattle and pasteurized dairy. This has led to a number of health problems, such as hair loss, lack of energy, skin problems, heart and circulatory problems, all of the immune disorders (including arthritis) and obesity. Consuming pasteurized and homogenized dairy products is one of the worst things you can do for your health. Changing to raw dairy is a far better option, but may not eliminate all allergic responses (some blood typessimply don’t handle dairy very well).

Meat must be from organic, grass-fed and free-range sources. Animal organs are also greatly beneficial to health – liver, kidneys, brain etc.

Polyunsaturated fat

Polyunsaturated fat or oil is essential. Polyunsaturated oils, also called essential fatty acids (essential because our bodies cannot manufacture them, so they have to come from our food; and because they are so essential to good health) consist of 2 types of fats, linoleic acids, known as omega-6, and alpha-linolenic acids, known as omega-3.

Most people are deficient in omega-3 fats and some in omega-6. Though these EFA’s are found in some processed foods, they have been damaged by heat, light, oxygen or chemical processes, which turn them into ‘trans’ fats, also known as hydrogenated fats (‘trans’ because its nature has been changed). Any damage to these sensitive fats causes them to become unrecognizable to the body.

The body is not only unable to use them, but they actually prevent the absorption of any EFA’s we may eat. Margarine is a perfect example. Foisted on the public as a health food, the processes that the polyunsaturated oils are put through to create a spreadable product from liquid oils turn them into trans-fatty acids, which are literally poison to the body. The oils are also put through a number of other processes, including heat treatment, which damage the sensitive omega-3 and 6 oils and render them useless to the body.

The base of the product is still technically polyunsaturated oil, but the body cannot make use of it. After this, a few synthetic vitamins and perhaps some folic acid are added to make the product sound healthy; as well as preservatives like sodium benzoate. This unnatural product is then superbly marketed and sold as a health product! 

For optimal health, ALL products containing hydrogenated oils are best avoided. Refined oils found on supermarket shelves should also be avoided (unless they are stored in dark glass bottles). They are damaged by weeks on the shelves and exposure to light. When used for frying, they increase the destruction of the antioxidant vitamins like A, C and E in food – and also directly in the body. Altered oils are also highly acidic and are one of the 3 most acid-forming foods we eat, as we saw in chapter 7. An overly-acidic body is far more susceptible to illness and disease, and by avoiding acid-producing foods, we can protect ourselves against both minor illnesses and serious disease.

Omega 6 fats

The ideal ratio of omega-3 to -6 fats in our diet is 1:1. Because of our modern diet, we consume far more omega-6 than omega-3 (even as much as 20:1 to 50:1) and this imbalance and excess of omega-6 is now being implicated in long-term health risks. Disease starts appearing when the Omega-6 to -3 ratio exceeds 4:1 in our diet. In the past 100 years there has been a rapid and unprecedented change in our diet. The modern vegetable oil industry was developed, and it is based on oil from seeds rich in Omega-6 fats. The primary sources of omega-6 in the average Western diet are corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower oil. If you eat fast or processed foods, avoid these oils as they are abundant in these foods. If you are eating a diet low in omega-6 oils, you may need to supplement (Evening Primrose oil seems to ease symptoms of endometriosis at dosages of around 1000mg a day and is being used in post-operation patients to discourage the return of the condition4). Omega-6 seed oils are composed of linoleic acid. These have to be processed in the body to form GLA (gamma linolenic acid) in order to be utilized. Either supplement with linoleic acid, or GLA – both are not necessary.

Another important fatty acid that is essential for building the brain is arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid is only obtained from animal fats: meat, milk, egg yolks and fish. Make sure the meat you eat is organic and grass-fed and the milk is raw.

Sources: Of linoleic acid: seeds and their oils – hemp, pumpkin, sunflower,

safflower, sesame, corn, walnut, and wheat germ oil.

Of GLA: evening primrose and borage oil.

Of arachidonic acid: meat, dairy, eggs, squid.

Functions in the body: keeps blood thin, relaxes blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, decreases inflammation and pain, improves nerve and immune function, helps insulin to work (good for blood sugar balance), builds the brain (along with omega-3 fats) and helps maintain water balance in the body.

Optimal intake:

Only supplement if your diet is low in omega-6 oils (see above).

1-2 tablespoons of seed oil a day (must be cold-pressed, preferably organic and kept refrigerated before you buy it –available from health stores);

or 2-3 tablespoons ground seeds or nuts

or capsules of GLA: 1000mg evening primrose oil, or 500mg high-potency borage oil a day.

Omega 3 fats

Omega-3 fats are far more deficient in the modern diet than omega-6 fats. This is primarily because they are so sensitive and unstable, and very prone to damage in cooking and food processing, and so are purposely excluded from convenience foods. When Omega-3 oils like sunflower oil are used for frying French fries, they are subjected to heat, light and oxygen. This forms toxic free radicals that are poisonous to our bodies. The effect is even worse when these oils are used and re-used over a few days!

The best vegetarian sources of alpha-linolenic acid (the simplest form of omega-3 fat) are flax seeds (linseed), hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds. However, in order to be utilized by the body, they have to be converted into EPA5 and DHA6, and only around 5% of the oils are converted from the food we eat. Fish, however, contain both EPA and DHA oils (plankton is rich in alpha-linolenic acid; small fish eat this and convert some of it into EPA and DHA; larger fish eat these fish and further conversion takes place; seals eat fish and are one of the richest sources of EPA and DHA7.). So unless you are vegetarian, the best source of omega-3 oil is fresh fish or fish oil supplements. (However because of the increase of mercury concentration now being found in all large salt-water fish, the best source is fish oil supplements)

Sources: Of alpha-linolenic acid – flax, pumpkin, sunflower, safflower and sesame

seeds, and walnuts, and wheat germ oil.

Of EPA and DHA – oily fish, especially cold-water fish: mackerel, herring,

trout, salmon, tuna, sardines, swordfish, and white fish.

Functions in the body: essential for proper brain function, which affects learning ability, co-ordination, mood and vision. Keeps blood thin, controls blood cholesterol and fat levels, improves immune function and metabolism, reduces inflammation, and maintains body water balance.

Optimal intake:

1-2 tablespoons of Omega-3 seed oil a day (must be cold-pressed, preferably organic and kept refrigerated before you buy it – readily available from health stores);

• or 2-3 tablespoons ground seeds. You can combine these with Omega-6 seeds. The ground seeds are more beneficial than the oil..
• In addition, 100g of oily fish twice a week or more often.
• or capsules: 1000mg of salmon oil a day. In winter, supplementing with cod liver oil is best, as it contains high levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is becoming more common, so if you cannot get some sunshine on your bare skin every day, you may want to consider supplementing. See chapter 15 for more information.
• Check your EFA supplement for vitamin E, which prevents the EFA’s from going rancid before they can be utilized by your body. If the supplement doesn’t contain vitamin E, add this to your supplement regime.
• Fat that Fights Cancer, Aids Weight Loss!

CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a fatty acid found in animal protein. It is one of the most powerful cancer-fighting agents recently discovered. Only 0.5% of CLA in the diet has been shown to reduce tumor size by 50%. Animal studies have shown it could reduce the risk of numerous types of cancers including breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, skin and stomach.

Another major effect of CLA is its role in body in good and bad fat. A study published in the June 2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said animal studies have shown that CLA inhibits the formation of building fat. Not only does it appear to reduce body fat, it does so while preserving muscle tissue. This is why it is so widely sold as a dietary supplement to body builders and dieters alike, but the only safe way to increase CLA in your diet is from grass-fed animal products – not from supplements. Research the availability of the fats you put in your body helps you know what do good fats and bad fats do for our body!

Studies suggest that CLA also:

• Increases metabolic rate
• Decreases abdominal fat
• Enhances muscle growth
• Lowers cholesterol and triglycerides
• Lowers insulin resistance
• Reduces food-induced allergic reactions
• Enhances immune system

CLA is rich in products from animals that are grass-fed, not grain-fed. In the US where grain-fed cattle are consumed, CLA deficiency is widespread, even in people who eat a lot of meat. Make sure your sources of animal products such as meat, eggs and dairy are from grass-fed sources.

CLA is now sold as a nutritional supplement, but unless you are vegetarian, by far the most superior (and cheaper) source is from grass-fed cattle.

Cooking with oil

As seen above, heat and light damages oils, causing them to alter their state and become toxic to the body. The more refined an oil is, the more sensitive it is to heat. Refined sunflower oil is very prone to damage by heat and so should not be used for frying. It is best not to use any polyunsaturated oils to fry with. If you do fry or saut your food, the best fats to use are saturated fat like butter or lard; or monounsaturated oil like olive oil. These don’t generate harmful free radicals when heated. Best of all is coconut butter, though this is only suitable to blood type A2. Another oil that is not easily damaged by high heat is grapeseed oil, although the cost may be prohibitive for many people. We would like to conclude by saying what do good fats and bad fats do for our body is vital in everyone's lifestyle, all you have to do is eat the right fats and stay away from the bad fats.

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