Fats and Oil

All oil is 100 percent fat and contains 120 calories per tablespoon. Even though oil is high in calories, it is very low in nutrients and contains no fiber; it is a food that has no nutritional value.

Oil is a processed food, usually extracted from a plant with a petroleum chemical such as hexane, which is a colorless, flammable liquid, derived from the distillation of petroleum and used as a solvent. When you chemically extract oil from a whole food (such as olives and various nuts and seeds), you leave behind nutrients and empty calories.

Don’t get me wrong you do need some fat in your diet. But when you consume whole foods, such as walnuts, sesame seeds, or flaxseed, instead of their extracted oils, you get all the fibers, flavonoids, and nutrients they contain. For example, whole, unprocessed seeds provide folate, iron, calcium, niacin, lignans, and flavonoids; the oils from those seeds provide none of those.

There are four types of fats (fatty acids) they are:

1. Saturated fatty acids (solid at room temperature)
2. Trans fatty acids (or hydrogenated oils) (solid at room temperature)
3. Monounsaturated fatty acids (liquid at room temperature)
4. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (liquid at room temperature)

Saturated fat and trans fat not only increases cholesterol, they can lead to bad health. Saturated fats are found mostly in meat and dairy and in some tropical oils, such as coconut and palm. A small amount of saturated fat in your diet is not dangerous, but consuming larger amounts can be unhealthy.

Adding hydrogen bonds to polyunsaturated oil, making it biochemically resemble a saturated fat makes Trans fats. The process converts liquid oil to a solid one (such as margarine). The resulting product is artificially made saturated fat that contains properties similar to naturally occurring saturated fat. While it is essential that your diet include some fat, there is no biological need for saturated fat or trans fat.

Some unsaturated fats are essential and are needed for proper formation of cell structure, hormone production and regulation, and immune function. The average American consumes over 100 grams of fat daily though you only need about 25 grams