Fats and Oils – What is harmful and what is not?
In this article we will try to understand – it dangerous trans fats, and other oils.
All cell membranes are made out of phospholipid bilayers (lipid means fatty acid) mainly made from long chain polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids that give cells flexibility and integrity. Healthy cell membranes also contain cholesterol which adds stiffness and stability. When a person takes a cholesterol-lowering drug, such as a statin, and consumes a low fat diet, their dividing cells have difficulty producing new membranes due to insufficient raw materials. These malformed cells steal from tissues rich in fat and oil composition — nerve tissue and the brain. Nerve pain, brain fog or inability to focus can be signs that healthy fat intake from raw whole food sources is inadequate. 
If trans fats and rancid oils replace healthy fats and oils in our body, cell membranes become fragile with pores and breaks that allow substances — including toxins and viral vectors — to enter, which further weakens the cell. A weakened cell membrane will also leak contents from the cytoplasm out of the cell and into the blood. The immune system, responsible for detecting and identifying foreign particles in the blood, including these intracellular components, develops antibodies to these “foreign” substances. The first layer of preventing any autoimmune condition from escalating is to restore the strength of cellular membranes with healthy lipids and cholesterol. A complete halt to the consumption of any food containing rancid oils or trans-fatty acids is a must for the health of every cell.
Food for Thought: Nature does not make bad fats. Humans take good fats and convert them into something dangerous to our health. Most vegetables oils have undergone a gruesome refining process. Canola oil, soy oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil, margarine and non-butter spreads typically have been highly refined. Canola oil is removed by a combination of high temperature mechanical pressing and toxic solvent extraction. Traces of the solvent (almost always hexane) remain in the oil, despite attempts to remove it via caustic refining, bleaching and degumming (which involves high temperatures or chemicals that are not always safe for human consumption.) Since canola oil is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, it becomes rancid and foul smelling from the process. Thus, it must be deodorized by a process that converts a large portion of the fatty acids into trans (or hydrogenated) fatty acids.
Most people, especially infants and growing children, benefit from more fat in the diet rather than less. But the fats we eat must be chosen with care. 
Avoid all processed foods containing dehydrogenated or hydrogenated fats and oils. Instead, use fats from pork (lard), cow (tallow), duck, goose and chicken; coconut oil, butter, ghee, traditional vegetable oils like extra virgin olive oil, and small amounts of unrefined flax seed oil; and only in organic, cold-pressed or raw forms. Butter and ghee should be raw from cows that are pasture raised. Organic butter, extra virgin olive oil and raw coconut oil are available in most health food stores and gourmet markets. Avocados, nuts (including walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts) and seeds (including sunflower, pumpkin, sesame) can also be an excellent source of fats and oils. Be sure they are always organic, fresh and unrefined.
To summarize: be careful when choosing food. Food – this is what we are. It is important to balance your daily diet. Do not skimp on quality products, and then everything will be fine!
Written by Canadian Health and Care Mall.
