By Dr. Frank Sabatino

Fat is an essential macronutrient of any healthy diet providing 9 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for protein and carbohydrates. Therefore, it is easy to consume excessive calories when eating high-fat foods and oils that are so common in the animal-based, highly processed diets consumed by so many. This contributes to a global pandemic of excessive weight and body fat and a variety of other health risks. The optimal diet for long-term health and weight loss must be low in fat without added oil. 

In the China study, the leanest people with the lowest outcome of heart disease, and a variety of cancers, consumed plant-based diets containing less than 15% fat. (1) In landmark studies of Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn, heart disease, plaque formation and blockage of blood vessels to the heart, and high blood levels of cholesterol were prevented and reversed by low fat whole plant food containing  approximately 10-15% fat. (2)(3) This is significantly less that the typical disease-promoting American diet containing 35-40% fat.

To ensure healthier levels of fat intake, only whole plant food, naturally low in fat, is recommended. There are no animals in nature that isolate pure fat from their food chain, put it in bottles of liquid fat (oil) and pour it on what they eat. To protect against excessive fat intake, and maintain a fat content that is most advantageous for healing, preventing and reversing excessive weight and disease, focus your diet on a diversity of fruits and vegetables, deep greens, whole grains, beans, lentils, potatoes, and just a few ounces a day of higher fat foods including nuts, seeds and avocados. Eliminate all bottled oils, animal fats and junk food. 

It is important to realize that the impact of fat/oil on health and healing is not based on quantity alone, but also what happens to it when it cooked, prepared and processed. All fats are made up of building blocks called fatty acids. These building blocks come in two basic flavors, saturated and unsaturated. These designations refer to the structure and bonds of the carbon and hydrogen atoms that make up the fatty acid. Saturated fats are more concentrated in animal products and are very stable chemically and solid at room temperature. So if you see fat marbling a piece of meat, that’s solid saturated fat. Unsaturated fats are more unstable , more prone to damage by light and heat, and liquid at room temperature. like the bottles of liquid vegetable oils on your supermarket shelves. A glaring and risky exception to this is coconut oil which is a highly saturated plant oil that is significantly more saturated than animal lard and can adversely increase cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease.

How fat is cooked and processed can promote three modifications (Hydrogenation, ‘Trans’formation, Oxidation) that may increase chronic inflammation/disease, aging, cancer and weight gain. When unsaturated fats (vegetable oils) are exposed to even modest cooking heat of 150-200 degrees F, they can be saturated by the addition of hydrogen in the process of hydrogenation. Therefore, sauteing, frying or cooking with oils is never recommended. You can saute in organic, low sodium, vegetable broths, or balsamic vinegar, lemon and herbs, or simply water.

In nature, the structure of things usually dictates how they function. When fats and oils are subjected to high heat and processing, their structure can be altered and rearranged into a ‘trans’ form. This alteration (Transformation) compromises cell function, increases inflammation, cellular aging and the risk of bacterial and viral infection. Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are remarkably increased in processed junk food  (French fries, refined foods loaded with salt, oil and sugar). Research has shown that the routine consumption of junk food increases a significant increase in C-reactive program, a liver protein associated with increased inflammation.(4) The increased consumption of TFA has also been associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (high blood triglycerides, elevated blood sugar, low HDL-cholesterol).(5) 

The third modification occurs when fats are exposed to oxygen under high heat conditions. This process of oxidation, or lipid peroxidation, produces dangerous oxidants known as free radicals that are linked with premature aging, inflammation and cancer. The likelihood of forming dangerous free radicals is greater when you consume polyunsaturated fatty acids that have been exposed to high cooking heat. Since these are the fats found in the membranes of animal cells, eating a diet high in animal products subjected to high heat cooking exposes the body to the greatest amount of free radicals. Some of the worst culprits are the smoking of cheeses and the grilling, frying and barbecuing of meat. Antioxidants found in the colors of fruits and vegetables quench the action and damage of free radicals and provide the greatest protection against free radical damage, inflammation and disease.

Eliminating all oils, and eating a diverse low fat whole plant diet, with small amounts of nuts, and seeds, is the best way to maintain optimal amounts of healthy fat in your diet. Steaming, sautéing, and boiling rather than grilling, frying and barbecuing will help you eliminate dangerous, unhealthy alterations of fat.  

References

1. Campbell TC. The China Study. (Dallas, TX. BenBella Books, 2004).

2. Esselstyn CB et al. A strategy to arrest and reverse coronary artery disease: a 5-year longitudinal study of a single physician’s practice J Fam Pract. 1995;41(6):560-568.

3. Ornish D et al. Can Life-style changes reverse coronary heart disease? The Life-styleHeart Trial. Lancet. 1990;336(8708):129-133.

4. Lopez-Garcia E et al. Consumption of trans fatty acids is related to plasma biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. J Nutr 2005;135(3):562-566.

5. Micha R and Mozaffarian D. Trans fatty acids: effects on metabolic syndrome, heart disease and diabetes. Nat Rev. Endocrinol. 2009;5(6):335-344.