Healthy Oils Part 3

My previous post was about healthy oils but the content was about fats. So how is this related to the title?

Well, in my research, I wanted to see how the fats in the oil helps in maintaining good health. So what is the judgement?

Olive oil - good for salads, pan fry or light cooking with medium to low heat. Low poly-unsaturated fat content. High mono-unsaturated fat. So low to medium heat will not change the fat into trans fat. But high heat will.

Virgin Coconut oil - good for salad, light cooking to deep frying. The hight saturated fat content doesn't make it turn into trans fat.

Canola oil - light cooking to deep frying. High mono-unsaturated fat, low poly-unsaturated. So good for cooking.

Flaxseed oil - high poly-unsaturated fat, low mono-unsaturated fat. Not recommended for cooking or any type of heat. Salad or directly taken only.

Safflower oil - high poly-unsaturated fat, low mono-unsaturated fat. Not recommended for cooking or any type of heat. Salad or directly taken only.

Grapeseed oil - high poly-unsaturated fat, low mono-unsaturated fat. Not recommended for cooking or any type of heat. Salad or directly taken only.

Palm oil - light cooking to deep frying. High mono-unsaturated fat, low poly-unsaturated. So good for cooking.

Healthy Oils Part 2

So I was talking about saturated fats on my previous post, this one is about unsaturated fats.

Unsaturated Fats

"Saturated" means it is saturated with hydrogen atoms. Unsaturated fats is a fat in which there are one or more double bonds in the fatty acid chain.

There are two types of unsaturated fats.

Mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated. Good source of mono-unsaturated fat is olive oil, avocado, nuts (macadamia, peanuts, almonds, pistachios).

Fats are generally good if they come from whole, natural and unprocessed foods. Fats become bad if they become damaged. Fats are damaged by heat, light and oxygen.

High heat and chemicals used by manufacturers to process oils damages fats. The most damaging process is partial hydrogenation (adding hydrogen). Hydrogenation is used to convert liquid vegetable oils to solid or semi-solid fats such as those present in margarine. This makes the oil last longer and is usually preferred for baking or deep frying as it acts as a preservative to food. Now you know why potato chips last a long time.

Hydrogenation turns unsaturated fat into Trans-fat which is really bad for you. Trans-fat is neither essential nor promotes good health. So eliminate this completely.

Trans-fat does not occur in nature and is a man-made fat. So the body has no coping mechanism for this and all it does is to increase one's risk for coronary heart disease.

Unsaturated fat in general is good for you, but the process of heating and other processes turns a good fat into bad fat. So keep oils with unsaturated fat in a dark, cool, dry place and avoid heating it. Flaxseed oil for example should never be heated at all.

Just as the mis-information that all saturated fat is bad and that all unsaturated fat is good, there is more to the story than meets the eye. Proper food handling and usage is the trick to eating healthy and staying healthy

Healthy Oils

Part of my research for healthy living is looking for the right kinds of oil to cook and eat with.

Of course, the easiest one to change to is olive oil. But Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is not a good oil to cook with especially for deep frying. So I had to do some research. I've learned about the benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) before but there's a lot of information out there against it. So I dug deeper.

Fortunately, new research on VCO has shed some light into it. The main proponent against coconut oil is from misinformation my the US vegetable oil producers to label "Tropical oils" meaning coconut oil or palm oil as bad because it was full of saturated fats.

They labeled soy, sunflower and safflower oil as better because it is low in saturated fat, high in unsaturated fat. What they didn't say that it was not as simple as that.

As in any type of fats, there is a difference between saturated fat and unsaturated fat.

Saturated Fats

The term "saturated" refers to hydrogen.

While there are several types of saturated fats like lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid. I'm only going to discuss about fatty acid chain.

There are basically three types of fatty acid chain. Short, medium and long. Short and medium chain fatty acids are absorbed directly into the blood via intestine capillaries and travel through the portal vein just as other absorbed nutrients do. However, However, long chain fatty acids (LCTs) are too large to be directly released into the tiny intestine capillaries. Instead they are absorbed into the fatty walls of the intestine villi and reassembled again into triglycerides.

In short, LCTs are typically stored in the body as fat, while MCTs are burned for energy. MCTs burn up quickly in the body. They are a lot like adding kindling to a fireplace, rather than a big damp log.
Coconut oil is the richest source of medium chain fatty acid or MCTs. MCTs raises the body's metabolism and also contains a lot of lauric acid. Also, the MCTs in coconut oil is similar to mother's milk and have the same nutriceutical effects. It also has anti-microbial and anti-viral properties.

So the claim that all saturated fats is bad is not completely true. Some such as LCT are not good for you but short and medium is good. But even completely eliminating LCTs will mean you will live longer and healthier life. All types of fats a necessary for normal body functions, even LCTs, triglycerides and cholesterol. There are even studies that show high saturated fat or high cholesterol can prolong your life.

So the verdict is still out. But the main thing to remember is that everything in moderation is still the key. Saturated fat is ok, as long as you take in the right type of saturated fats in the proper proportions. More SCTs and MCTs and fewer LCTs. But do not completely eliminate them as they are all needed for your body to function.

references:

http://www.coconutoil.com
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.helpguide.org

Health and Nutrition

Ever since I was tested for high cholesterol 2 years ago. I've been doing a lot of research on diet, nutrition and exercise.

2 years ago, I was 120 lbs, I was a size 30 and my LDL was over the limit as well as my total cholesterol. While it may not be considered bad (yet), as the doctor said that I could control it with diet and exercise. By the way, I'm 5'2" so that puts into perspective my weight and the size of my waist.

I chose to do something significant and change my lifestyle.

Here's what I did.

In 2006, before I started exercising, I changed what I ate. I reduced my serving of rice from 2 to 1. I ate more "ulam" or what you serve with rice such as the meat, fish and veggies. I am mainly a meat person so this was a bit difficult in the beginning.

I usually didn't feel full after eating this way so added fruits afterwards to get my fill. Doing this for a couple of months helped lower my cholesterol in about 3 months to normal levels. But after I was checked to be better, I pretty much went back to my old habits of eating everything.

Six months later, I had another blood test and it was back to the same result. High cholesterol, high LDL and low HDL. I finally decided, that's it. Complete lifestyle change and exercise.

I changed my carbohydrate intake. I still eat white rice, but I ate a oatmeal everyday (thanks to my wife to makes it every morning). I also changed from white bread to whole wheat or multi-grain bread. I only eat one serving of white rice at lunch or dinner. But I ate more vegetables, salads and fruits.

I still eat meat but I reduced my red meat intake to about once or twice a week. My source of protein is either one egg, tuna or chicken. I do eat the skin, but I should stop or reduce it.

I eat a large (for me) serving of salad at least 3 times a week. I also learned to cook so I can control what goes in my food. I learned recipes from Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and some other FoodTV shows or cookbooks. I only cook those that I think are healthy. Using olive oil, herbs and spices.

I don't believe in the no-carb diet. Carbs is essential of normal body functions. The trick is to eat the right type of carbohydrates. Don't eat simple carbohydrates like white bread or rice (I'm guilty of that). Eat complex carbohydrates like whole wheat bread or pasta (I do eat those most of the time now).

I also religiously exercise now. I used to exercise a lot in high school and college but almost completely stopped after. So now I'm back to my very active lifestyle.

So, I exercise daily. I follow a program that is a combination of strength, resistance, flexibility and aerobic exercises. I changed my diet to have more servings of fruits and vegetables. I avoid soft drinks and I no longer put sugar in my coffee.

Although I have changed my lifestyle, I'm not a Nazi about my diet. I do eat the occassional chips, ice cream or dessert. I eat steak from time to time as well. My idea of a diet is NOT to "Die" from it. So it makes no sense to deprive yourself all the time.

I still eat a lot, but not as much as I used to as my appetite has adjusted to normal levels. It was difficult in the beginning until I found the proper balance for me. I don't eat one fist of food, I eat a whole bowl of salad, two pieces of chicken and rice. So I'm not depriving myself. I just eat what I think is a proper serving for me but healthier choices. Basically, my diet is this, eat the right kinds of foods that you want, but in moderation. Don't ever eat. That's it.

So no donuts (except on a rare occassion), no sugary drinks like pops or bottled juices. I drink soda water if I want fizz, I add real fruit juice for taste. No sugar in my coffee or tea. Eat whole grain bread or pasta. More fruits and vegetables.

It's ok to eat cakes, donuts, ice cream, steaks and those kinds of stuff. If I do, I do eat it more than twice a week. And I eat less than a normal serving. So instead of eating a whole steak that you can buy from the grocery. I cut it in half and eat that half only.

I still get the satisfaction of eating what I want, but I control the amount.

So where am I now?

My weight is 110lbs, my waist size is 28", I sleep better, I don't get headaches anymore, I feel stronger, my muscle mass has increase and I have a six pack abs going to eight.

I went hiking and canoeing last week and I did not feel tired at all nor did I feel any sore muscles. I'm probably in the best shape I've been ever and I love it!

I haven't checked my cholesterol levels but I'm not too worried about it.

My only problem now is finding pants that will fit me since the smallest sizes seems to be size 29 or 30.

E.C. Manning Park

E.C. Manning Park
Originally uploaded by selihpxe8

We went camping on the weekend to E.C. Manning Park. It's off highway 3 called Crow's Nest Highway.

I love nature but this is my first time to go camping and it was beautiful. The hiking trail was awesome! The lake was clear and pristine. Everything was perfect.

One of the things that surprised me was the amenities available on the campsite. There was public washroom and shower with hot water.

It was a complete surprised to me that it wasn't that hard to go camping. I'll definitely do it again.