“Today, everybody is raving about how good olive oil is for you, being one of the highest in monounsaturated oils. And so they should be.”
As with essential fatty acids, monounsaturated oils are the good guys in oil. Monounsaturates help lower LDL cholesterol without effecting HDL, which translates into fewer deposits in the arterial walls. This ought to be front page news yet most people have no idea. Little children are taught in school the importance of brushing teeth to protect from tooth decay. Then tiny gleaming mouths are fed happy snacks full of addictive oils and carbs, ensuring half the class prematurely dies from cardiovascular disease. It would seem we are more concerned with plaque buildup on teeth than plaque buildup inside arteries. Every child across North America should be taught to look both ways before crossing the street, brush their teeth after every meal, and how to choose between healthy and killer oils. Making good choices is all about education.
For emphasis’ sake am going to say it again, monounsaturated oil helps lower LDL cholesterol without effecting HDL, which translates into less deposits in the arterial walls. Unlike polyunsaturates, these oils also are very stable, resisting oxidation even when heated. Some great sources of monounsaturated oils are many of the nuts, especially walnuts and cashews. Also, avocados are a good source of monounsaturated fat. As well, everybody in the know is raving about how good olive oil is for you, being one of the highest in monounsaturated oils. Remember I said that good oils taste better than bad oils? There is nothing richer in taste than a crisp salad sprinkled with fresh walnuts, cubed avocado and a seasoned vinaigrette made with a quality extra-virgin olive oil. But I am getting ahead of myself.
This is so complicated, how do we know what oils to eat? None of this would be complicated if we ate unprocessed foods, including fresh, raw oil. The food industry has complicated what ought to be as simple as breathing. Today, a conscientious consumer almost needs a degree in nutrition to successfully interpret what is in the box. Or we could make it all very easy and simply consume whole, unprocessed foods the way they were intended to be eaten. With our knowledge today we can take it a step further by choosing the very best of the oils, resulting in radiant health and protection against disease.
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