 For the past 30 years or so we have been told to cut down on fats in our diet. We were told they were making us unhealthy, overweight and giving us heart disease.
Manufacturers got onto the bandwagon. They have taken the natural fats out of cheese to give us low fat cheese. Cheese is all about fat. Cheese is made from milk and cream of animals. They overwhelming consumption of our cheese is from cows. For years my husband has been heard complaining that the plastic wrap of the low fat cheese slices tasted better than the 'cheese?' it was wrapped around. We Need Fat in Our Diet Fat makes food taste good. Fat makes us feel full. Some vitamins are only soluble in fat, that is, they only mix with fat. They cannot mix with water or any watery fluid in our body. These vitamins are A,D,E and K. Therefore we need fat in our diet to be able to absorb these. Because these vitamins do not wash out of our body we should not take too much of them. However we probably do not get enough of them in our modern diet. When we eat fat it increases the rate at which our body burns fat. So the odd thing is, if we eat more fat, we will use more of our body fat. Good Fat Versus Bad Fat There are different types of fat.
Saturated fats include meat, cream, cheese, butter and coconut oil. Monounsaturated fats are found in avocados, nuts and olives. Polyunsaturated fats are found in fatty fish like mackerel and herring. Bad Fats Bad fats are transfats and hydrogenated fats. Margarine is made from seed oils that have been modified and made solid. Oils are not normally solid except for coconut oil. Coconut oil is good for us. Products with Fat Today it is hard to find full fat yoghurt in the supermarket. Now the majority of yoghurt has most of the fat taken out of it and replaced with sugar and fruit (there is lots of sugar in fruit) to make it taste better. Look for Greek yoghurt. This is full fat.
Fat and Blood Sugar Levels Fat does not impact on blood sugar levels. Sugar and carbohydrates do impact on blood sugar levels. So by increasing your fat intake you will not be as hungry, therefore will not need/crave as much sugar or as many carbohydrates to keep you going. Allergies People with dairy sensitivity should not take any dairy products. These people can get their fat from coconut oil, avocados, olives, nuts, mackerel and salmon. Reference: Low-carb Living for Families by Monique le Roux Forslund
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 Margarines take up a lot of shelf space in the supermarket Trans Fatty Acids
In Australia trans fatty acids were supposed to be phased out of our food by the end of January 2013. This has not happened. Why? It is because the government left it up to the large manufacturers to do this. The government was reluctant to make it a law under the Food Labelling Law and Policy. Are they more interested in what the food manufacturers want than in the health of their own people, the people of Australia? The government will have to pay the bill in the health system in the future by letting the manufacturers have their way. At the moment manufacturers do not have to tell us if our food contains trans fatty acids (TFAs) or how much it contains. This makes it hard for us to make an informed decision about the foods we eat. How did Trans Fatty Acids Come About? Manufactured TFAs were first made in the 1950s when the processors found out how to make liquid oils solid at room temperatures and extend their shelf life. Who is at Risk? Anybody who eats large quantities of snack foods and margarines is at risk of inflammatory diseases caused by the trans fatty acids. What do Trans Fatty Acids do? Trans fatty acids increase our ‘bad’ cholesterol and lower our ‘good’ cholesterol so making us more at risk of heart disease. Where are Trans Fatty Acids Found? TFAs are found naturally in milk and dairy products made from milk. These are not as dangerous as manufactured TFAs. Dangerous TFAs are found in margarines and fast foods which include pastries and bakery goods. Snack foods, for instance muesli bars, microwave popcorn and potato chips are included in this. Anybody eating large quantities of these is at greater risk of heart disease and other major illness including diabetes. How to Avoid Trans Fatty Acids? The best way to avoid the consumption of ingredients in foods we do not wish to eat is to eat fresh foods, that is, vegetables, fruit and meat and to cook meals ourselves. This way you can control the ingredients in a meal. People in the US consume five times the amount of trans fatty acids than the people in Australia. Let’s try to limit our consumption of TFAs and become more healthy. Photo with thanks  A Secret Cave
Our mouth is the secret hidey hole or cave where we put everything that goes into our body. All our food passes through our mouth. This can be clean, green, food, organically grown food, lovingly home-cooked food, fresh fruit and salads or meat. It can be fast foods like pizza or MacDonalds or fish and chips. It can be fried, fatty food or freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable smoothies. It can be rich cheesecake and chocolate or vegetables which have been sprayed with chemicals on the farms and again in the supermarkets to 'keep the bugs away' and 'keep them fresh'. It can be organic produce or chemical laden produce. We can fill our mouth with smoke and chemical laden toothpastes, or we can use more natural toothpastes containing little or no chemicals. Bad Breath Is it any wonder we get bad breath sometimes? Bad breath is also called Halitosis. One of the causes for this can be from the bad bacteria in our mouth. Remember that the bad bacteria grows aroung our teeth and can invade our gums. It is then called Gingivitis. When we have gingivitis our gums bleed when we clean them. The gums can look pale or puffy and swollen. They can erode and leave the teeth exposed and all the more likely to become loose and fall out. Stomatitis This is the inflammation of the lining of the mouth including the cheeks, tongue and palette (roof) and floor of the mouth. It can cause redness and swelling. Natural ways to ease Problems in the Mouth Calendula is a very soothing flower and a natural plant used like a herb. It is very safe to use. The orange flowers can be made into a tea. This can be swilled around the mouth and then swallowed. Calendula tincture is stronger. This can be made into a mouth wash to swirl around the mouth. Buy Calendula at the Health food store. Use natural Toothpastes and Toothbrushes Use soft toothbrushes. Hard toothbrushes can damage the inside of the mouth, damaging the gums and letting bacteria in. Use natural toothbrushes. There are some available made out of bamboo. The have soft bristles. Use a mix of salt and bi-carbonate of soda as a powder instead of toothpaste. Bi-carbonate of soda is a natural doedoriser and whitener. Salt is a natural disinfectant. You can mix Xylitol with this for a better flavour. Xylitol is a natural sweetener which has been proven to kill bacteria in the mouth. Sugar makes bacteria grow. Be careful what you put in your mouth. Do not prod with toothpicks. Use floss instead. Remember to clean your mouth and teeth after eating. If you have dentures, make sure to clean them regularly.  Eat fresh fruit and vegetables daily for good health Eat Fresh Food
I just read an advertisement by a large, world wide company - suggesting that if you take two of their tablets you woud get the nutrients of 10 pieces of fruit and vegetables for the day. Now, I would prefer to get my fruit and vegetables the natural way. I would still be pretty hungry after eating two tablets for the day. I do hope that people who take these realise that they are only supplements and just because you take them does not mean that you do not have to eat any more fruit of vegetables for the day. I hope they realise that it does not give them carte blanche to go out and eat fatty fried foods, pizza and chips, lollies and sweets instead of good wholesome fruit and vegetables. Good Food, Fresh Food Eating good food, fresh food, helps to build up our body's immune system. It helps make us stronger so that we are healthy. When we are healthy we suffer from less allergies. I have friends who have a 2 Chinese restaurants. One of their most important rules is that the food has to be fresh and it has to be of good quality. If it is not cooked properly they will not serve it to their customers. With these rules, they have built up a good business with many loyal customers.  Fresh apricots still on the tree Why is food Important?
It stops our hunger It gives us energy Food - The Supplier of Nutrients Do we ever think of food as the supplier of the Nutrients we need? I would think this was rarely on our mind. I am suggesting that we should carefully select the food to eat because it supplies our main nutrients to keep our body going. Without food, we die. In our Western society, we are very lucky that we have a vast array of foods to eat. However we do not often choose GOOD food. Food Renews our Cells Good food supplies good nutrients to our body. If we need some minerals to strengthen our body we do not go out and find a rock to lick for the minerals. Even if we did, we could not process the mineral in that form. Plants are the great 'in between' processor for us. Rocks that contain minerals have worn down into soil over thousands of years. Plants then grow in the soil and their fine little root systems absorb micro quantities of these minerals from the earth. We absorb Mineral from Plants When we eat these plants - usually green, leafy vegetable plants - we absorb the minerals. Our body can absorb the mineral in this form. When the soils we grow our crops in are depleted of these minerals then we need to take the minerals as supplements because we NEED minerals. Therefore, it is just not good enough to eat, we have to select what we eat. We should select the food we eat that is good for us. We should not just choose food because it looks nice or tastes nice or it is easy to pick up and satisfy our hunger or emotional need. It should also be good for us. We are what we eat Keep snack food to a minimum and use it only as a rare treat. Do we want the cells of our body made from fried food, pizza, chocolate, sugar or icecream? Do we want to be forever tired? Or do we want the cells of our body to be made of fresh, nutrient rich food that will give us energy? Your choice!  Coconut oil comes from the coconut Coconut oil The latest research tells us that coconut oil is good for us. As scientists, bio nutritionists and the some of the medical profession catch up with the latest studies and research it has been found that what was thought to be bed for us is now good for us. Have you heard that before? Previously coconut oil was classed as bad for us because of its high saturated fat. However it has many benefits that the product of cow’s milk - butter - does not have. It is Nature’s richest source lauric acid. This acid gives many benefits to our human body. When I was younger, the only time we used coconut oil was when making Chocolate Crackles, a great enjoyment for childhood birthday parties. My children enjoyed them too. To be honest I did not even know I was using coconut oil because it was sold under the brand name Copha and was very cheap. I had no idea that it could be used for anything else than these delicious chocolate crackles. It has been found in recent years that this simple fat is actually good for us. I will provide links for you to check out how it is being used with great effect for people with Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia and also Depression. It can provide very quick results if taken in large enough quantities. Now this is something worth looking at. Doctors suggest having a low carbohydrate diet along with lots of coconut oil. Coconut Oil in Cooking Coconut oil can be used in normal cooking, frying and baking. It is not changed chemically with high heat as is vegetable oil when used for frying. So it is better for us to use for frying. Coconut oil is a vegetable oil and can be substituted for other oil, butter or margarine in cake and biscuit recipes. Another benefit of coconut oil is that it does not need to be refrigerated. It is solid at room temperature and turns to liquid when heated, then returns to solid again when cooled. So start adding coconut oil to your diet today. This just may stop or slow down Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia in the future. These illnesses are growing at an astounding rate. Coconut oil is gluten free. Would you care to share some of your recipes for using coconut oil?  A link between asthma and arthritis you say? But these are two totally different illness. Well, scientists today have found a link between these two different diseases. It is Inflammation - heat, redness and swelling. Other inflammatory illnesses are hepatitis, dermatitis, tonsillitis. Itis is on the end of each of these words. It means inflammation. If you have read some of my previous blogs you will have noticed how I suggest using food for health. A connection has been made by nutritionists and scientists between deep fried fatty foods and inflammation. If you have any sort of inflammation, their recommendation is NOT to eat deep fried fatty foods. So when your arthritis is playing up, do not have fish and chips for dinner or any other deep fried or fatty foods. Remember also that just a little bit of these foods is not alright when you have any sort of inflammation - that is heat, redness, swelling. |
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Thérèse VahlandI am a trained Natural Therapist, Teacher, published Author and Artist who lives on the south eastern coast of Australia. To contact me or schedule an online consultation, please use the Contact Form.
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The topics on this site are the opinion of the author and as such are only for research and educational purposes. Any products used or statements made are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always use your own best judgment and consult a medical professional when making important health care choices. 
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