Face Fats.

You're driving to work, as usual. You accelerate to the on-ramp of the highway. Your car jerks, sputters, then continues to accelerate. Driving along, you attempt to change lanes, but your car stalls, chokes, and dies. Stranded on the shoulder of the highway, you glance at your mileage and realize it's been over 20,000 miles before you got your oil changed.

Now, chances are no one would ever go 20,000 miles on their car without changing the oil. It's common knowledge that vehicles require regular maintenance: ever 3-5000 miles there's an oil change, tire pressure needs to be checked, alignment corrected, and electrical wiring needs to be inspected that it's functioning correctly. This is common knowledge and it's expected of every car owner to know these things and pay attention to the needs of their vehicle.

Most people take better care of their cars than they do of their bodies. If the light on the dashboard of your car came on to indicate that the oil needed to be changed, you wouldn't turn off the light and say, "There! Oil changed." You have to actually fix the root of the problem. So it is with our bodies.

Research has shown us that there are 50 different factors the body requires to function properly and maintain good health. Forty-five of these factors are nutrients: 20 or 21 vitamins, 13 minerals, 8 amino acids and 2 essential fatty acids, a source of energy (most commonly starch or glucose); water; oxygen; and light. Our body cannot make this factors on its own and therefore these factors must come from our surroundings.

As you've probably guessed, this post is going to be about the fats (the oils).

"Are you a good fat, or a bad fat?"

Now this might get a bit technical, but bear with me. Health is very precisely defined and built on the level of molecules, and ALL diseases are rooted in the behavior of molecules on the the molecular level. The fats that heal have different molecular structures than those that kill. Yes, contrary to popular belief in the 1990's, not all fats are bad.

On the molecular level, fats for the most part look the same. A string of carbon atoms linked to hyrdogen, with a methyl ending (don't worry about the technicality of this unless you're into biochemistry). A fatty acid molecule looks like a caterpillar, and the more squinched up and bent the caterpillar, the better the fat.

Butyric acid (butter) looks like a straightened out caterpillar on the molecular level. This means that it is not fluid, and has a tendency to aggregate with other fatty molecules. The result? Sticky, sticky blood.

Butter and margarine are considered what are called saturated fats. Saturated fats are those that are solid at room temperature. They are also solid at body temperature, meaning they do not pass through the arteries easily and can cause blockages. Saturated fats get their name from how they look on the molecular level; they are saturated with hydrogen molecules.

Enter the good guys. The UNsaturated fats, or even better, the POLYunsaturated fats or SUPERunsaturated fats. These are the guys like olive oil, safflower oil and flax oil. Fats that move fluidly through the bloodstream and do not bind to each other (this is because unsaturated fats are slightly negatively charged and repel each other in the blood stream).

So why do we need these good fats? Fatty acids are the main components of membranes that surround all cells and the smaller cells within the cell, the organelles (couldn't you tell?)
Now, "highly unsaturated fatty acids attract oxygen, help generate electrical currents, and help transform light energy into electrical energy, and then into nerve impulses."

Just like the oil in your car makes it run smoothly, the fatty acids in our bodies allow us to function properly. Without them, we would become very, very sick and die prematurely (not to freak you out or anything..)

Don't call me Fatty!
The number one killer in America is heart disease. Is it any surprise then that Americans are the number one consumers of saturated fats and nutrient-impoverished food in the world? Something to chew on.

It would be really easy for me to get off topic right now but I'll stick to the task at hand. Addressing healthy fats.

The fats that heal contain unsaturated fatty acids, which makes them liquid oils. These fats are the Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's). Omega 3's are the most important in the family of EFA's because we cannot produce them on our own. These fats help keep our arteries supple, help carry oxygen through our blood, and can help ward off free radicals (ailing cells).

Vindicating the Snake-Oil Salesman

The term 'snake oil salesman' is usually equated with charlatans, con men, peddlers and quacks. The term is quite popular among those who administer 'professional' drug-oriented medicine. However, it was recently discovered that the oil of the Chinese water snake is the richest source of EPA. EPA is an Omega 3 with enormous health benefits. It is anti-inflammatory, lowers bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol, and promotes healthy skin, hair and nails. The next richest source of EPA is salmon oil.

Traditional use of snake oil has been proven to be therapeutic. However, modern medicine still refuses to acknowledge its benefits. Ironically, the symbol of modern medicine is the staff of Hygeia with a snake coiled around it....

More to come later...
This is an immense topic and I've barely scratched the surface. Consider this the first installment in a series. If you just can't wait and want to know more, check out the book "Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill" by Udo Erasmus. Consider it essential reading for anyone concerned about their health.

Ta for now!