12 Steps to Whole Foods
Avoiding Bad Fats, Enjoying Good Fats Fortunately, my vain desire to have healthy skin, hair, and nails usually wins out, and I put that avocado on my salad after all. It feels like a guilty pleasure, and it shouldn’t be! I wish I could undo the damage to my health of that decade of my 20s I spent buying artificial foods to avoid the natural, good ones: butter, olive oil, nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, and—gasp!—even saturated fats like coconut oil. I know a number of people, and you probably do as well, who still embrace eating “low-fat” as being synonymous with “healthy.” They are thin, but they don’t look good. That’s because we need fats to protect every cell membrane to keep it hydrated, elastic, and youthful. People who avoid all fats look dry, prematurely aged, leathery, and unhealthy. The first year I began using coconut oil and flax seed oil in my diet regularly, my longtime problem with wintertime dry skin and eczema disappeared completely. Further, my lifelong circulation problems (cold hands and feet) stopped that winter as well. Now, of course, we’ve been enduring a decade of silliness about how carbohydrates are going to kill us. It’s pure marketing genius, of course, to decide every 10 years to tell the American public that one-third of the nutrition in natural foods is bad for them (fats, carbs, and protein making up the three parts). I wonder if an anti-protein fad is next. Still, most of the fats used regularly by Americans are destructive rather than nourishing. These include all refined and processed oils, which are often heated above 400°, deodorized, and purified. They are also sometimes made into “trans fats” by bombarding them with extra hydrogen atoms to make them solid at room temperature. They are already rancid and, therefore, carcinogenic (full of free radicals) when they arrive on the store shelf. Additionally, they are heavy in Omega-6 fatty acids and deficient in Omega-3s), leading to extreme imbalances in our Essential Fatty Acid stores. In particular, avoid processed canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oils. Canola oil has some linoleic acid (which is good) but, unlike flaxseed and olive oils, it doesn’t have a venerable history of being used for centuries by healthy populations. It was discovered in Canada and derived from the rape seed, and many negative health effects have been linked to it. In particular, store-brand peanut butters often have rapeseed oil added to stabilize the natural oils in the peanuts that would otherwise separate and cause people to spend a minute stirring. The hydrogenated version of this oil is the worst of the bad, and you would do well to avoid processed canola oil completely. So, eat nuts, avocado, flaxseed oil, coconut oil, and olive oil daily—not necessarily all of those every day, but some of them every day! That said, a word to the wise is in order: excess fats are stored as fat deposits on the body—so, as a guideline, 1 Tbsp. daily of each of these oils, or 1-2 oz. of nuts, is plenty for an adult or a child. If this month you continue to eat all the bad fats from your “former life” and add only some good fats, you may not see weight loss. Let the good stuff bump out the bad! 96 12 Steps to Whole Foods © Copyright Robyn Openshaw
Avoiding Bad Fats, Enjoying Good Fats Why Should I Eat Flaxseed Oil? Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are the unsaturated Omega-3 (alpha-linoleic acid) and Omega-6 (linoleic acid) fatty acids called “essential” because the body cannot manufacture them and therefore must be supplied by diet. (Your body can produce adequate Omega-9s if enough essential fats are available.) These fats support many of the body’s systems, including the nervous, immune, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. EFAs are used by the body to make and repair cell membranes and eliminate waste from cells. They also produce prostaglandins, which regulate blood pressure, clotting, heart rate, and fertility. EFAs are particularly critical for babies, pregnant women, and children for neural development. Americans are Omega-3 deficient. We need a ratio of between 1:1 and 4:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids, but most Americans get between 10:1 and 25:1. Deficiencies in Omega-3, as well as inappropriate Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratios, have been linked to many of the diseases the U.S. leads the world in: depression, cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, lupus, diabetes, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s. Americans get too much Omega-6 partly because of our reliance on processed vegetable oils, which are high in damaged, lowgrade versions of that nutrient. If anyone experiences symptoms of depression or anxiety, the first thing I recommend trying is flax seed or flaxseed oil in the diet every day, which can create dramatic improvement by addressing Omega-3 deficiency. Yet another reason to enjoy foods rich in EFAs is that they have the effect of combating damage done by the “bad fats.” The phytoestrogens in flax have a documented result of balancing hormones for women: too-high estrogen counts tend to come down and too-low estrogen counts tend to come up when eating flax seed. And compounds in this power food are well established tumor inhibitors, so anyone with a history or risk for cancer should take note. The American Cancer Institute acknowledges 27 different compounds in flax seed that are anti-carcinogenic. In particular, a diet containing flax inhibits breast and colon cancers. In recent years, a hot topic of research is the lignan compounds, a special carbohydrate known to prevent both cancer and heart disease, as well as other inflammatory conditions. Virtually all of our modern diseases are inflammatory diseases. Flax has the highest known concentration of these lignans, 75 times higher than the next-highest food! Possibly the best way to get EFAs is in the form of flax or hemp seeds. However, two cautions are in order. First, smell them when you purchase them (and look at the expiration date to make sure that they are fresh). You can usually tell if they smell rancid. Grind them in your high-powered blender only just before using them, as they oxidize quickly once ground. Second, whole flax seeds that aren't broken down pass through the intestine doing little other than absorbing liquid—so chew flax very well if you eat it whole, or grind it instead. You can get your EFAs easily from high-quality flaxseed oil, which must be purchased refrigerated in dark bottles at health food stores. Barlean’s and Udo’s are excellent brands that use organic flax and refrigerate it from production to point of sale. One tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily provides an adequate quantity of EFAs with the ideal Omega 3:6 ratio. Including the whole seed in your diet, however, will be less expensive and will add dietary fiber. Use about 2 Tbsp. a day of flax seeds. If you eat flax crackers, eat a few small crackers, not a cup of them. We will focus more on flax seeds again in Chapter 7 (page 199). © Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 97
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Avoiding Bad Fats, Enjoying Good Fats<br />
Why Should I Eat Flaxseed Oil?<br />
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are the unsaturated Omega-3 (alpha-linoleic acid)<br />
and Omega-6 (linoleic acid) fatty acids called “essential” because the body<br />
cannot manufacture them and therefore must be supplied by diet. (Your body<br />
can produce adequate Omega-9s if enough essential fats are available.) These<br />
fats support many of the body’s systems, including the nervous, immune,<br />
cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. EFAs are used by the body <strong>to</strong> make<br />
and repair cell membranes and eliminate waste from cells. They also produce<br />
prostaglandins, which regulate blood pressure, clotting, heart rate, and fertility.<br />
EFAs are particularly critical for babies, pregnant women, and children for<br />
neural development.<br />
Americans are Omega-3 deficient. We need a ratio of between 1:1 and 4:1<br />
Omega-6 <strong>to</strong> Omega-3 fatty acids, but most Americans get between 10:1 and<br />
25:1. Deficiencies in Omega-3, as well as inappropriate Omega-6 <strong>to</strong> Omega-3<br />
ratios, have been linked <strong>to</strong> many of the diseases the U.S. leads the world in:<br />
depression, cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, lupus, diabetes, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s. Americans get <strong>to</strong>o<br />
much Omega-6 partly because of our reliance on processed vegetable oils, which are high in damaged, lowgrade<br />
versions of that nutrient.<br />
If anyone experiences symp<strong>to</strong>ms of depression or anxiety, the first thing I recommend trying is flax seed or<br />
flaxseed oil in the diet every day, which can create dramatic improvement by addressing Omega-3 deficiency.<br />
Yet another reason <strong>to</strong> enjoy foods rich in EFAs is that they have the effect of combating damage done by the<br />
“bad fats.” The phy<strong>to</strong>estrogens in flax have a documented result of balancing hormones for women: <strong>to</strong>o-high<br />
estrogen counts tend <strong>to</strong> come down and <strong>to</strong>o-low estrogen counts tend <strong>to</strong> come up when eating flax seed. And<br />
compounds in this power food are well established tumor inhibi<strong>to</strong>rs, so anyone with a his<strong>to</strong>ry or risk for cancer<br />
should take note.<br />
The American Cancer Institute acknowledges 27 different compounds in flax seed that are anti-carcinogenic.<br />
In particular, a diet containing flax inhibits breast and colon cancers. In recent years, a hot <strong>to</strong>pic of research is<br />
the lignan compounds, a special carbohydrate known <strong>to</strong> prevent both cancer and heart disease, as well as other<br />
inflamma<strong>to</strong>ry conditions. Virtually all of our modern diseases are inflamma<strong>to</strong>ry diseases. Flax has the highest<br />
known concentration of these lignans, 75 times higher than the next-highest food!<br />
Possibly the best way <strong>to</strong> get EFAs is in the form of flax or hemp seeds. However, two cautions are in order.<br />
First, smell them when you purchase them (and look at the expiration date <strong>to</strong> make sure that they are fresh).<br />
You can usually tell if they smell rancid. Grind them in your high-powered blender only just before using them,<br />
as they oxidize quickly once ground. Second, whole flax seeds that aren't broken down pass through the<br />
intestine doing little other than absorbing liquid—so chew flax very well if you eat it whole, or grind it instead.<br />
You can get your EFAs easily from high-quality flaxseed oil, which must be purchased refrigerated in dark<br />
bottles at health food s<strong>to</strong>res. Barlean’s and Udo’s are excellent brands that use organic flax and refrigerate it<br />
from production <strong>to</strong> point of sale. One tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily provides an adequate quantity of EFAs<br />
with the ideal Omega 3:6 ratio. Including the whole seed in your diet, however, will be less expensive and will<br />
add dietary fiber. Use about 2 Tbsp. a day of flax seeds. If you eat flax crackers, eat a few small crackers, not a<br />
cup of them. We will focus more on flax seeds again in Chapter 7 (page 199).<br />
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw <strong>12</strong> <strong>Steps</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Whole</strong> <strong>Foods</strong> 97