Hello,
Don't you think it'd be nice to have an official guideline thread to dietary fats ? Yesterday I checked up one of the local 'healthy living' stores and man, was I overwhelmed by the enormous variety of oils. Let me mention some of them for clarity's sake:
- Coconut Butter/Coconut Oil Extra Virgin/Coconut & Olive Oil Mix
- Avocado Oil
- Sunflower Oil + Frying Butter Mix (Bio of course)
- Peanut Oil (not butter)
- Olive Oil Extra Virgin (obviously)
- Ozone-enriched 17 oils mix
- Hemp Oil/Hemp Butter
- Argan Oil/Baked Argan Oil
- Safflower Oil
- Sesame Oil/Baked Sesame Oil
- Baked/Fresh Pumpkinseed Oil
- Hazelnut Oil
- Walnut Oil
- Canola Oil
- Camelina Oil
- Basil Oil
- Flaxseed Oil
- Soybean Oil Refined/Non-Refined
- Milkthistle Oil Refined/Non-Refined
- Wheat germ Oil
- Palm Oil/Red Palm Oil/Palm Kernel Oil
- Ghee Butter
- Almond Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Macadamia Oil
- Poppy seed Oil
And then you have the High-Lignan/High-Oleic/High-Linoleic etc. variations. Omega 3:Omega 6 ratio, Polyunsaturated : Monounsaturated : Saturated Fats: Trans-Fats ratio. Differentiated, Undifferentiated fats. MCTs, DGs, Caprylic/Capric content. Smoking point threshold. RBD, Non-RBD. These were the ones I was able to come up with without even understanding oil. I can only imagine how oils look like from a biochemist's POV. Now think about that regular average Joe entering one of those stores. They probably think they are all good.
It gets really complicates when you involve cooking and the way heating affects oils. For example some claim polyunsaturated oils should never be used for cooking since this will result in the synthesis of some harmful chemical called 4-HNE. Some say refined oils are bad for you, other say refined oils have a higher smoking point threshold so they are good for cooking. Some say saturated fats are bad for insulin sensitivity and exert a negative partioning effect on the body. This is a good example:
Substituting dietary saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat changes abdominal fat distribution and improves insulin sensitivity
But then you are reminded of the fact that you should only use saturated fats for cooking such as coconut oil. And you have to choose. Should I go with "better for cooking" or should I go with "better insulin sensitivity".
Then you think. Hmm... Maybe I'll just settle for monounsaturated fats and get the best of both. Erm.. no you won't:
Substituting dietary saturated for monounsaturated fat impairs insulin sensitivity in healthy men and women: The KANWU study
So at this point I'm really puzzled. I really think it will be very beneficial to establish a fat protocol. What to use and when. Should I go with saturated fats and supplement with cat's claw for that miraculous enzyme it contains that's able to convert saturated fats to unsaturated ? Should we cook with miniscule amounts of saturated coconut oil and use polyunsaturated fats for all non-cooked meals ? If yes then how much polyunsaturated fat and from what sources ? Should we kick monounsaturated out of the window or are there hidden benefits to it ? I propose a nice and lengthy discussion.