Processed food is perhaps the most damaging aspect of most people's diet, contributing to poor health and chronic disease. One of the primary culprits is high fructose corn syrup. The second major culprit is partially hydrogenated soybean oil. These two ingredients, either alone or in combination, can be found in virtually all processed foods and a compelling argument can be made for these two ingredients as primary contributing factor for most of the degenerative diseases attacking us today. Part of the problem with partially hydrogenated soybean oil is the trans fat it contains. The other part relates to the health hazards of soy itself. An added hazard is the fact that the majority of both corn and soybeans are genetically engineered.

As the negative health effects from trans fats have been identified and recognized, the agricultural- and food industry have come up with new alternatives. Partially hydrogenated soybean oil has been identified as the main culprit.

 Unfortunately, saturated fats are still mistakenly considered unhealthy by many health "experts," so rather than embracing truly healthful tropical fats like coconut oil, which is mostly grown outside the US. The food industry has instead turned to domestic US alternatives offered by companies like Monsanto, which has developed modified soybeans that don't require hydrogenation.

The completely unnatural man-made fats created through the partial hydrogenation process cause dysfunction and chaos in your body on a cellular level, and studies have linked trans-fats to:
  1. Cancer, by interfering with enzymes your body uses to fight cancer
  2. Chronic health problems such as obesity, asthma, auto-immune disease, cancer, and bone degeneration
  3. Diabetes, by interfering with the insulin receptors in your cell membranes
  4. Heart disease, by clogging your arteries (Among women with underlying coronary heart disease, eating trans-fats increased the risk of sudden cardiac arrest three-fold!)
  5. Decreased immune function, by reducing your immune response
  6. Increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol
  7. Reproductive problems by interfering with enzymes needed to produce sex hormones
  8. Interfering with your body's use of beneficial omega-3 fats

Beware that some food manufacturers have opted to simply fool buyers - a tactic allowed by the FDA as any product containing up to half a gram of trans fat per serving can still legally claim to have zero trans fat2. The trick is to reduce the serving size to bring it below this threshold. At times, this will result in unreasonably tiny serving sizes, so any time you check a label and a serving is something like 10 chips or one cookie, it probably contains trans fats.

Even if you were fortunate enough to find organic soybean oil, there are still several significant concerns that make it far from attractive from a health standpoint. Soy in and of itself, organically grown or not, contains a number of problematic components that can wreak havoc with your health, such as:
  • Goitrogens - Goitrogens, found in all unfermented soy, block synthesis of thyroid hormones and interfere with iodine metabolism, thereby interfering with our thyroid function.
  • Isoflavones: genistein and daidzein - Isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen, which is a plant compound resembling human estrogen. Typically, most of us are exposed to too much estrogen compounds and have a lower testosterone level than ideal, so it really is important to limit exposure to feminizing phytoestrogens. Even more importantly, there's evidence it may disturb endocrine function, cause infertility, and promote breast cancer, which is definitely a significant concern.
  • Phytic acid -- Phytates bind to metal ions, preventing the absorption of certain minerals, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc -- all of which are co-factors for optimal biochemistry in your body. This is particularly problematic for vegetarians, because eating meat reduces the mineral-blocking effects of these phytates. The soybean has one of the highest phytate levels of any grain or legume, and the phytates in soy are highly resistant to normal phytate-reducing techniques such as long, slow cooking. Only a long period of fermentation will significantly reduce the phytate content of soybeans.
  • Natural toxins known as "anti-nutrients" -- Soy also contains other anti-nutritional factors such as saponins, soyatoxin, protease inhibitors, and oxalates. Some of these factors interfere with the enzymes you need to digest protein. While a small amount of anti-nutrients would not likely cause a problem, the amount of soy that many Americans are now eating is extremely high.
  • Hemagglutinin -- Hemagglutinin is a clot-promoting substance that causes your red blood cells to clump together. These clumped cells are unable to properly absorb and distribute oxygen to your tissues.
To Avoid Harmful Fats of All Kinds, Ditch Processed Foods

If you want to avoid dangerous fats of all kinds, your best bet is to eliminate processed foods from your diet. From there, use these tips to make sure you are eating the right fats for your health:
  1. Use organic butter (preferably made from raw milk) instead of margarines and vegetable oil spreads. Butter is a healthy whole food that has received an unwarranted bad rap.
  2. Use coconut oil for cooking. It is far superior to any other cooking oil and is loaded with health benefits.
  3. Be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw dairy products, olive oil, olives, organic pastured eggs, and raw nuts, especially macadamia nuts which are relatively low in protein. Also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil. 
Posted by
Labels: women Cancer Health breast cancer FDA Diet Preventive Food prostate cancer
Loading