FOODS TO AVOID
PROCESSED OILS
By now everyone knows that hydrogenated fats and partially hydrogenated fats are very bad. We call them trans fats. Our bodies have the worst time processing them. They are like poison to body functions. The food industry has listened and you find less use of these oils, but they are still being used. Always check the label of processed foods to make sure they don’t contain these oils. Even better, avoid processed foods.
These fats are from vegetable oils that denature while heating. Food manufacturers use them because they prolong the shelf life of foods. Not only do these fatty oils cause an accumulation of bad cholesterol (LDL), but they wipe out good cholesterol (HDL). They also wreak havoc on insulin, preventing it from bonding to glucose (sugar) molecules so it can be utilized by the cells, leading to obesity and diabetes. To maintain proper pH, the body can’t let these molecules just keep floating around; fat is created to store these unutilized molecules.
Don’t confuse these fats with all fats. There are fats our bodies do need. We call these essential fatty acids – Omega 3-6-9 (see Nutrients section). Our body needs them to function at optimal efficiency.
General Rule of Thumb – Do not cook with oil! Do not fry! Do not deep fry! Do not sautee! When you heat oil it denatures the oil, changing its chemical makeup. Plus Americans intake an estimated 26 times the fat we need by using even healthy cooking oils. I use water and add herbs and seasonings to season my foods. On the occasions I use salt for flavoring I use natural rock salt containing a lot of nutrients. After a short time you will notice how much the flavors of the foods pop out. Cooking with oils hides the true flavor of God’s bounty. Better yet, if you can eat it raw, the better the benefits to you. I personally save the water from stew and soup so I can drink all of the nutrients that wash out during cooking. Interesting note: foods like carrots, potatoes and cabbage that are more fibrous will actually produce more beneficial body-healthy fiber as you cook them and break down the cellulose fibers.
Use olive oil and other healthy oils in place of butter and margarine and in salad dressings. But limit how much you use.
Note: Virgin coconut oil is the only oil that does not denature no matter the heating temperature. If I want to fry something, or to cook with oil, virgin coconut oil is the only oil I will use. It is 100% natural. It has so many healthy benefits and is good for you. (See Nutrients section for more info on health benefits.) I use it instead of butter and margarine for buttering a potato or toast, for baking healthy cookies and for salad dressing. Interestingly it is solid until about 80 degrees, so you have to heat it slightly to use it as salad dressing. Do not use internally if it doesn’t say ‘virgin’ coconut oil. Plain coconut oil is bleached and processed.