We are told that fat or oil in our diet is bad, that western diets have too much oil. This is not strictly correct. We are not so much eating too much oil or fat (ie. solid oil) but rather:
1. Eating too much - too many calories
2. Not getting enough exercise because of our sedentary lives sitting in offices or at TV and computer screens.
3. We are eating the wrong types of fats
Our bodies actually need fat. You can simply argue that changing to other forms of nutrition will help you. If you eat too many calories they will be converted into fat regardless of the source. But there is good and bad fats (or oils). The table at this Wikipedia page "Fatty acids in dietary fats" shows that virgin olive oil is the best form of dietary or edible oil. The reason is the high proportion of mono-saturated fats. Interesting the next best oil is canola (rapeseed) oil. You will readily note that canola oil is much cheaper than olive oil. Given that its only 10% less beneficial in terms of monosaturated fats, you might want to consider it. Olive oil does have other benefits though. For cooking purposes I understand that olive oil is more stable as a cooking oil than say canola oil, so you might not want to use canola oil to many times, as it might turn carcinogenic. The flipside is that olive oil is very expensive, so better to change canola oil regularly for health reasons.
Palm oil comes in distant 3rd place, but other oils are mostly saturated fats. The problem with saturated fats is that they will be converted low density lipid (LDL) triglycerides which clog up your arteries. A high ratio of low density lipid (LDL) triglycerides to high density lipid (HDL) triglycerides is linked to cardiovascular disease and pancreatitis, but you should also avoid excess total cholesterol numbers as well. These scales are age related, so consult a doctor. I find when I dont exercise enough and eat well that my blood circulation gets a bit restricted. Your body is telling you things if you listen to it. I miss the wide range of vegetables in Australia!
I miss the freshness and variety of foods in Australia. You can find nice vegetables in the PhilippinesPhilippines in the countryside - say Laguna or Baguio - but if you buyy from an SM grocery store in Metro Manila the quality is shocking - nevermind the price. I saw lovely green beans in Laguna for P190 for 10 kilograms ($US0.40/kg). If I ate them for a month, thats 3 months supply. I dare say those Manila-bound vegetables lack refrigeration, so after the 7-8hour truck trip to Manila in a tropical climate, they are not looking the best.
-----------------------------------------------1. Eating too much - too many calories
2. Not getting enough exercise because of our sedentary lives sitting in offices or at TV and computer screens.
3. We are eating the wrong types of fats
Our bodies actually need fat. You can simply argue that changing to other forms of nutrition will help you. If you eat too many calories they will be converted into fat regardless of the source. But there is good and bad fats (or oils). The table at this Wikipedia page "Fatty acids in dietary fats" shows that virgin olive oil is the best form of dietary or edible oil. The reason is the high proportion of mono-saturated fats. Interesting the next best oil is canola (rapeseed) oil. You will readily note that canola oil is much cheaper than olive oil. Given that its only 10% less beneficial in terms of monosaturated fats, you might want to consider it. Olive oil does have other benefits though. For cooking purposes I understand that olive oil is more stable as a cooking oil than say canola oil, so you might not want to use canola oil to many times, as it might turn carcinogenic. The flipside is that olive oil is very expensive, so better to change canola oil regularly for health reasons.
Palm oil comes in distant 3rd place, but other oils are mostly saturated fats. The problem with saturated fats is that they will be converted low density lipid (LDL) triglycerides which clog up your arteries. A high ratio of low density lipid (LDL) triglycerides to high density lipid (HDL) triglycerides is linked to cardiovascular disease and pancreatitis, but you should also avoid excess total cholesterol numbers as well. These scales are age related, so consult a doctor. I find when I dont exercise enough and eat well that my blood circulation gets a bit restricted. Your body is telling you things if you listen to it. I miss the wide range of vegetables in Australia!
I miss the freshness and variety of foods in Australia. You can find nice vegetables in the PhilippinesPhilippines in the countryside - say Laguna or Baguio - but if you buyy from an SM grocery store in Metro Manila the quality is shocking - nevermind the price. I saw lovely green beans in Laguna for P190 for 10 kilograms ($US0.40/kg). If I ate them for a month, thats 3 months supply. I dare say those Manila-bound vegetables lack refrigeration, so after the 7-8hour truck trip to Manila in a tropical climate, they are not looking the best.
Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
