Mr. Crumbs is my second set of eyes. Every morning he reads my posts tells me where I forgot an apostrophe or wrote “the” twice. I’m so thankful for him because after thinking thoughts, typing thoughts, reading those thoughts and then re-reading those thoughts, my eyes are usually crossed!
At the end of yesterday’s note he says to me, “I was left wanting to know more “why” and some examples so it made sense.” This is excellent, because creating a solid foundation and truly understanding the reasons behind it all will better equip us to make decisions regarding our food and health.
Our bodies require fat to function properly, but not all fat is not created equal. Picking apart the good from the bad can be confusing, so here are some examples to help us make sense of it all.
Saturated fats are very similar to bricks.
- Bricks are solid and strong.
- Bricks are usually uniform is size.
- Because of this size, bricks stack nicely together and maximize the space they’re in, leaving little opportunity (or need) for the use of mortar.
It’s also because of this size that saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature. Ever wonder why butter stays a solid even when it’s been left out on the counter for DAYS? It’s because butter is primarily saturated fat. The amazing shape of a saturated fat molecule leaves very little, if any, room for free-radicals to intervene.
Remember the mention of ugly, damage-causing free-radicals? Looking up at that brick wall, free-radicals are like the mortar surrounding the bricks.
Free radicals are evil little creatures but they can’t do a whole lot on their own. This is why they’re always searching for another molecule to attach to and harm. However, they’re barking up the wrong brick wall with saturated fats.
Simply put, saturated fats don’t have any weak spots for free-radicals to cling to. Their stability makes them safe for us to consume. The strength of their shape remains even at high temperatures, making saturated fats excellent for cooking. Saturated fats are the good fats!
Something else to chew on… notice the source of these fats. These come from animals or tropical plants, and are minimally processed (if processed at all). We all know that minimally processed food is a good thing, right?
Coconut oil (92% saturated), butter (63% saturated), suet (beef fat, 55% saturated) and palm oil (50% saturated) are excellent sources of good, saturated fat.
Monounsaturated fats are similar to stones.
- Some stones are strong, some are weak.
- Stones come in imperfect shapes.
- Stones can maximize space, but not efficiently.
Remember that monounsaturated fats have a bend in their structure. This single bend prevents the molecules from binding in tight together, causing monounsaturated fats are usually liquid at room temperature.
Monounsaturated fats are similar to saturated fats in that they don’t go rancid easily and for the most part, are safe for cooking. Our bodies even make some monounsaturated fats from the saturated fats we consume.
But let’s think about the shape for a moment. Monounsaturated fats (stones) are not as compact and solid as saturated fats (bricks) and don’t fit nicely together like saturated fats. There’s more mortar in the photo above than the brick photo, right? That’s because of the bend in the molecules. This bend isn’t detrimental, but it does allow opportunity for free-radicals (floating around in the mortar) to wreak havoc. This is where we must be cautious in how we use monounsaturated oils for cooking.
Since extreme heat is most often to blame for damaging oils (and allowing free-radicals to intervene), monounsaturated fats should not be used at high temperatures (like deep frying). The monounsaturated fats listed below come from natural sources like the saturated fats above, so consumption is fine as long as we’re mindful of the temperatures.
Olive oil (75% monounsaturated), almond oil (62% monounsaturated), macadamia oil (60% monounsaturated), cashew oil (58% monounsaturated) and peanut oil (45% monounsaturated) are good sources of monounsaturated fat.
Polyunsaturated fats are similar to pebbles.
- Pebbles are weak.
- Pebbles come in a large variety of irregular shapes.
- Because of their nature, pebbles cannot maximize spaces.
Remember the double bond of polyunsaturated fats? These two kinks prevent the molecules from ever fitting efficiently together. Polyunsaturated oils are always liquid, even in cold storage (like the refrigerator).
Take a look at the amount of mortar it takes to hold those pebbles together – it’s enormous! With all the free-radicals floating around, those two double bends in polyunsaturated fats don’t stand a chance!
The two bends in polyunsaturated fats allows them to go rancid easily and should not be used for cooking. In fact, they should never be heated at all – not even at low temperatures! The molecular structure of polyunsaturated fats is so fragile that even cooking with them at low temperatures could potentially damage the bonds.
There are two polyunsaturated fats that our body cannot make and yet are essential for optimal health – double unsaturated linoleic acid (a.k.a. omega-6) and triple unsaturated linolenic acid (a.k.a. omega-3). It’s best to obtain these two essential fatty acids from natural food sources (which is an entire topic in and of itself, for another day).
However I will note that most yellow vegetable oils (i.e. canola oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil, etc.) are not good sources for omega-3 and omega-6, regardless of what the packaging says. These types of oils are highly processed, highly volatile and their welcome home” sign for free-radicals is a concern. They offer no nutritional value and consuming these oils often disrupts the balance of nutrients inside our bodies.
For now, aim to obtain your omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from walnuts, sunflower seeds, legumes, grains, green vegetables and fish.
Also don’t forget that all fats contains all three types of fat, so even though butter is primarily saturated fat, it still contains a small portion of polyunsaturated fat too (4%). Consider that your quota. 
Do Something: Over the next few days, take an inventory of the various fats and oils you have in your kitchen. Look at each one and determine what type of fat it primarily is: saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated. If you find a fat that is primarily polyunsaturated (natural sources aside), give serious consideration to throwing it away. Aim to cook with the saturated fats and leave the monounsaturated fats for dressing and seasoning post-cooking.
As of right now, these are general guidelines. There are exceptions to the rule when it comes to the smoke point of fats, but isn’t there always an exception to the rule? That too, is worthy of its own post.
Here’s a list of common fats and oils and where they fall on the fat scale. Remember that saturated fat is good, and we should be aiming to use and consume that type of fat over any other. Polyunsaturated fats, when not in a natural state, are the bad fats and should be avoided.
Saturated
Coconut oil: 92%
Butter: 63%
Suet: 55%
Palm Oil: 50%
Monounsaturated
Olive oil: 75%
Avocado oil: 70%
Almond oil: 62%
Macadamia oil: 60%
Cashew oil: 58%
Tallow: 50%
Peanut oil: 45%
Lard: 45%
Polyunsaturated
Sunflower oil: 69%
Grapeseed oil: 69%
Soybean oil: 58%
Corn oil: 55%
Hydrogenated vegetable shortening: 52%
What type of fats make up your kitchen? What do you plan to do with them?
Thank you for this post. I have been trying to figure out which oils I want to use and which ones I wish to avoid. This makes it much clearer for me. Thanks again!
You’re welcome!
Thanks for this post. I will be passing this on to some of my family.
You’re welcome Heather!
Where would canola oil be? Under monounsaturated?
Lisa,
Technically, canola oil is a monounsaturated fat. There is A LOT of conflicting information on this particular oil that deals heavily with topics I haven’t researched enough to fully address just yet… GMO’s, the original source (rapeseed), incredibly high level of processing… and I’ve read much more bad than good. The only benefit we could really get from canola oil would be the omega-3′s, but we can also get that from olive oil and many other unprocessed sources. Canola oil deserves its own post too, and it’s definitely an exception to the rules we have so far. If it were me, I’d toss it out. ~Tiffany
Dear Tiffany,
Thank you for all of this helpful information. I always look forward to reading your posts which are always so very interesting
I have a question. You say that saturated fats are the good fats. Recently I found this very helpful interactive applet which teaches how to read food labels properly and what to watch out for:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/videos/CFSAN/HWM/hwmintro.cfm
Among other things it points out that we should limit and keep as low as possible our intake of saturated fat. I am now confused as to whether saturated fat is a good or bad fat. I was under the impression that the healthiest fat is monounsaturated as it is linked with lower heart disease rates.
I look forward to your reply!
Thanks
Nadine
from Malta Europe)
Nadine,
Thank you – and you’ve asked quite the loaded question! First a disclaimer: everyone is entitled to their own opinion and before making any decisions regarding their health, should be well informed on the topic.
I (personally) believe that the big name organizations (FDA, AHA, ACS, etc.) are in the business to be profitable – which every business should be – but this doesn’t necessarily align with making society healthy. With all respect given to ethical and moral medical health care professionals who DO look out for their patients, I believe that the large overhead groups are too intermingled with both the government and the farmers who receive government subsidies and are making recommendations based on their pocket books. There are a few documentaries that can better explain this, including “Food, Inc.” and “Food Matters.” The opinions may be skewed to the writer/producer, but the facts are still there.
And shouldn’t we be concerned that canolainfo.org is a sponsor of the American Heart Association’s website? See here:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/MeettheFats/Meet-the-Fats_UCM_304495_Article.jsp
“Nourishing Traditions” takes up nearly 3 pages (or more, I don’t have the book right next to me at the moment) dedicated to reviewing all the research that these groups use to support their stance. In all of her evaluations, something is flawed. Either the test, the method, the reading and evaluation of the results… none of the studies actually prove or even directly correlate their claims.
Monosaturated fat can be really good for your heart – as long as it’s used properly. Heating mono- or poly- saturated fats essentially introducing damaged cells to your body. Heart disease may be lower (again, possible misinformation depending on source & study), but cancer, IBS, MS, diabetes and a huge host of other diseases are quickly on the rise. There’s also a correlation with deteriorating health and increased use of processed foods, many of which contain mono- and poly- fats that were incorrectly used from the get go.
When given the choice between all the fats, you must first know how the fat will be used. Most often fat is used in cooking and baking, moderate to high temperatures. Following the advice from the large groups, we destroy anything that could have been good about the fat. That’s why the first choice should be saturated fat (and also because of how the body uses it once ingested). If used without heat, mono- fats are fine. But what’s the first oil we reach for when sauteeing? Olive oil. And that’s a mono- fat. So we break it up, create damaging free radicals and eat it – often – because we think we’re doing something good, when in reality we’re ingesting damaged food to our bodies and leaving the body to fend for itself, not arming it with nutrients because we eat processed and boxed foods and stay away from saturated fat, the very building blocks of our entire body.
I hope that makes sense, and I apologize for the rant. I have some soap-box issues with those big named groups, how they practice business and how it affects me and my family.
~Tiffany
WOW, thank you Tiffany for taking the time to write such a long reply! I’m no health expert, I’ve just started taking an interest in nutrition during the past year as I have started becoming conscious that I have neglected nutriton (and fitness) up till then. I don’t really know much about these organisations. And as you said, I thought choosing olive oil most of the time over other oils was the healthy choice, in all cases! I definitely have to research the subject of fats more. Your post put me on the right track
Please keep up the good work, and I apologise if I took a lot of your time
Thanks
Nadine
Nadine,
Please do not apologize for your questions! I truly enjoy the interactions here on Crumbs and your questions help me grow and learn too – keep them coming!! ~Tiffany
Good article, Tiffany.
There’s not a whole lot of omega-6 research but what there is paints a grim picture. Here are a few items:
Excerpts:
Southampton researchers have demonstrated that mothers who have higher levels of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are found in cooking oils and nuts, during pregnancy have fatter children.
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2013/jan/13_06.shtml
While a diet rich in saturated fat and polyunsaturated fats from olives, nuts and fish is still thought to benefit overall health, excessive amounts of omega-3 fats, especially with omega-6 fats already concentrated in the body, could trigger inflammation responses in tissues. http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/01/23/excessive-omega-fatty-acids-may-make-heart-health-worse-not-better-b-c-researchers/
A recent study suggests a close association between dietary omega-6 and the development of overweight and obesity. Omega-6 is a type of fat found in certain vegetable oils which is present in large amount in processed and junk food. New results from experiments using animal models show that a high intake of omega-6 led to overproduction of signalling compounds that stimulate the appetite, with the result that the animals ate more and developed obesity. http://sciencenordic.com/vegetable-oils-promote-obesity
David,
Great links! I think society as a whole has been trained to believe that we need a huge amount omega’s for heart health and other functions, so we now go out of our way to find them. When the reality is if we simply ate a variety of whole foods all the time, we’d have plenty! I also believe that consuming more omega-3 than -6 ends up botching the ration between the two, and doing more damage than good – but I need to look into that more.
~Tiffany
Hi Tiffany, I love your site. I am a little confused though regarding all this stuff about healthy and unhealthy “fats”. You say the complete opposite to what most other sites say, this makes it very hard to know what’s correct. Do you have any studies that prove your statements that saturated fat is better for you than unsaturated?
This medical website says it’s the other way around, do they have it wrong?:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/coconut-oil-and-health?page=2
Hi Julie,
Thanks for your kind words!
I COMPLETELY relate. The fat stuff IS confusing. I did more research this week and wrote it up in today’s post: http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2013/03/does-saturated-fat-really-cause-heart-disease/ There are a few studies in there that should help clarify.
In summary: there are really only a handful of studies that have looked at the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease. From the studies I’ve been able to look at, none of them were able to find a direct correlation between the two. Despite this, dietary recommendations continue to say to use fats that aren’t best for our bodies. Why? I don’t know, but I do believe that the government agencies that make the recommendations and the organizations that benefit from it (i.e. insurance companies, non-profit research groups, etc.) are more closely related that we think.
There was one very interesting study that broke down LDL into four different types, with one “large” group comprising the majority of the LDL and three “small” groups making up the rest. Of the research they did, the fats that get the bad rap contribute to the “large” group, which is actually not harmful to the body. It was the three “small” groups that worried the doctors and researchers, and the fats that attributed to those levels were poly- and mono-. I really wanted to write it up, but it was slightly beyond the scope for today. I’ll see if I can find the link and share. It’s well worth the time to read. ~Tiffany
Julie, Here’s the latest on harmful and healthful fats:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonard-smith/omega-6-omega-3_b_2971859.html
There’s growing realization that a mistake was made about 4 decades ago. I began following the anti-saturated fat campaign about three decades ago. Up until 2002, when Gary Taubes wrote an article entitled “What if its all been a big, fat lie?” that was published in the New York Times, I rarely saw any articles in the mainstream press suggesting that saturated fats were healthy. Since then, considerable progress has been made. Never-the-less, the vast majority of the World’s health professionals still regard saturated fats as a health hazard. Here’s why I think it is so difficult to change that mindset: om/blog/wordpress/2012/06/14/this-is-how-it-works/
For more info on fats Google – “David Brown Saturated fats” and “David Brown Omega-6.”
Thanks for sharing these articles David. It’s encouraging to see progress going in the right direction (I even read this week that the AHA is considering changing their recommendations!), but it is sad to think about the damage that has already been done. Significant change like this will take time to disseminate and implement, but we must hold onto hope and continue to do our part and spread the word! ~Tiffany
Oops – the second link above won’t work. Try this: http://www.drjaywortman.com/blog/wordpress/2012/06/14/this-is-how-it-works/