A Carson Kind of Life

Today I'll start with the Health-Tidbit. If you would prefer to skip this part, don't forget to watch the supe-cute video below of Doodles!!

Health Tid-bits: Fats (from Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig)

Fats and Your Liver: Open any biochemistry textbook and you will read that saturated fats protect the liver from toxins like alcohol and Tylenol. The tradition of eating butter or lard before a drinking bout is based on good science (although I, Hollie, am not endorsing drinking by quoting this part of the text. It's just to prove a point.) Today, as people shun saturated fats and eat more polysaturated oils, liver problems have become more common.

Fats and Your Heart: Saturated fats provide energy to the heart in times of stress. (and we ALL can relate to stress.) Studies have shown that saturated fats are the heart's preferred food, which is why there is a concentration of saturated fat in the tissues surrounding the heart. Moreover, two studies have shown that saturated fatty acids in the diet lower a substance in the blood called Lp(a), which (unlike cholesterol) is a good predictor of heart disease. Futhermore, saturated fats help reduce levels of a substance called C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and indicator of inflammation. Current theories hold inflammation responsible for many cases of heart disease. Levels of total cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or "good cholesterol") and LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or "bad cholesterol" are actually not good predictors of heart disease. And heart disease is just as frequent in people with low cholesterol as in those with high cholesterol (refer back to the research in Chapter 2)."

How do you start incorporating saturated fats into your diets? Eat Fat Lose Fat suggests starting with Coconut Oil. "Among saturated fats, coconut is queen because of its special properties."

"The main medium-chain fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid, a proven antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal agent that is also found in mother's milk. Converted in your body to a substance called monolaurin, it helps your defend against viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens and strengthens your immune system, protecting you for a wide range of diseases. Highly protective lauric acid should be called "conditionally fatty acid," because it is made only by the mammary gland and not in the liver like other saturated fats. You can get it from just three dietary sources: in small amounts, butterfat, and in large amounts, coconut oil and palm kernel oil."

I still have so much more to say about coconut oil, as well as fats affecting other parts of your body for good. But where can you get this coconut oil? I order mine from Vitacost.com as it has the cheapest price that I can find and no matter how much you order from that site, it only costs $5.00 for shipping. Click here to see to coconut oil I order. Next post I'll elaborate on Fats and Your Lungs and Fats and Your Kidneys.


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