Which types of fats have red alerts? Explains Lifestyle Educator and Nutritionist Karishma Chawla.
Fats and oils refer to pure fats without any carbs or protein. They include visible sources of fat that are extracted from animal or plant foods. Hormones are produced from fat and cholesterol, so consuming fat is crucial for hormone health! Hormonal imbalance is linked to low-fat diets. Low-fat diets lead to poor absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like Vit A, D, E & K, leading to hormonal imbalances and infertility in men and women. Here’s how to optimize nutrition with FATS with Nutritionist Karishma Chawla.
VISIBLE VS INVISIBLE FATS
Visible fats refer to visual forms of fats that can be seen! These include solid fats and liquid oils (mentioned above) because they are extracted from foods into visible forms of fats and may be added to various food preparations. Invisible fats refer to the fats that are present inside foods and hence cannot be seen separately. These include the fats inside all foods, I.e. within both plant foods (cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, nuts) and animal foods (milk products, meats, fish, and eggs).
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Saturated fat is often considered “bad.” However, it’s not all bad! Balance is the key. Remember, it’s not the fat that is the villain but inflammation caused by the wrong fats that cause heart disease, weight gain, and other chronic conditions.
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- Saturated fats: Its sources are butter, coconut, ghee and lard
- Unsaturated fats: There are two kinds, monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). Both are not solid at room temperature. MUFA sources are avocado and olive oil. PUFA sources are salmon, flax seeds and walnuts.
- What to focus on: It is best to include rice bran oil, ghee, raw nuts and seeds, avocado, fish, eggs, omega 3 fats such as fatty fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds and fish oil and vegan DHA supplements.
We also want to look at crowding out trans fat commonly found in commercially baked and fried foods. These increase inflammation, reduce fertility and disrupt sex hormones.
Which Types Of Fats Have Red Alerts?
- Rancid fats are found in canola, corn and soy. These are highly processed, treated with high heat, bleached and create inflammation. They are also low in antioxidants, and preservatives such as BHT and BHA are added to extend shelf life. They harm hormone health. We also want to recognize that roasting can increase nuts and seeds, increase air exposure, and decrease self-preservative abilities. But, most importantly, it also makes their fatty acids less available to the body. Hence eating them raw is a better idea.
- Trans fat: Unsaturated fat exposed to high heat to become saturated fat in hydrogenation. Trans fats are found in commercially baked foods and fried foods. These must be avoided because it disrupts sex hormones, interferes with fertility, and significantly increases inflammation. These are naturally found in dairy foods and meat. It’s the hydrogenated fats found in packaged foods that cause hormone disruption. Again, inflammatory foods that can disrupt hormone health also processed or packaged foods can drive up the levels of cortisol and estrogen, contributing to or worsening hormonal imbalance.
In short, including healthy fats and crowding out bad ones can help one’s fertility and enhance hormone health.
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