If you knew of a substance that could improve your quality of life, energy and vitality and help you to loose weight would you take it daily? For most people, the answer is yes! But how many people firstly realize that essential fats can have these benefits and secondly, incorporate them into their daily meals?

Essential fats are natural fats, unprocessed and unrefined that the body cannot make but must come from the food we eat – raw nuts and seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, walnut, flaxseed and sesame and their cold pressed oils and oily fish like salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and tuna. Dark green leafy vegetables, seaweeds and soya beans also contain small amounts of essential fats.

On the other hand damaged fats are consumed daily with oblivious, gay abandon in biscuits, cakes, chocolates, take away, fried and processed foods, margarines, hydrogenated oils and any fats that are heated to high temperatures. So if you want to loose some excess fat weight, one of the first steps you can take is to cut unhealthy fats and refined sugars/carbohydrates (which turn into storage fat) and substitute with essential fats.

The health benefits of essential fats, called Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids, are far reaching starting at the cellular level and affecting every organ and system of the body. Essential fats: 

• Boost metabolic rate, increase energy levels and help recovery from exercise
• Reduce pain and inflammation – for eg in arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease.
• Improve skin, hair and nails – help with wound healing and treating skin conditions like eczema.
• Improve circulation and reduce blood clotting – for a healthy heart and blood vessels.
• Assist in the production of hormones for fertility and treating PMS
• Are required for brain development and visual acuity in infants and increase IQ in babies (via essential fatty acids in utero and breast milk)
• Improve immune function and protect against some types of cancers (breast and colon cancer)
• Improve liver detoxification and decreases cholesterol.

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Flaxseed (linseed), evening primrose, starflower, borage and blackcurrant seed oils are essential fats that can be bought from health food shops and are useful in the treatment of PMS. Cold pressed canola and soybean oils in glass containers that are not genetically modified are also good sources of essential fats. Extra virgin olive oil, avocado, raw pecan, almond, cashew and macadamia nuts all contain healthy fats (Omega 9) but these are not considered essential.

The best oils for cooking are extra virgin olive oil, cocnut oil and sesame oil as it is the most stable at high temperatures. Essential fats like flax oil are easily damaged with heat and should not be used for cooking and kept in the fridge.

Here’s how you can include essential fats daily:

1.      Grind up raw sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and flaxseeds and add to porridge or muesli. Eat raw nuts and seeds as a snack and add a handful to salads, stir frys, risottos.

2.      Eat fish at least three times a week. Include fresh salmon, tuna, sardines or tinned fish ensuring a variety. Sardines have the lowest level of chemical contaminants such as mercury and are the cheapest fish to buy. Have them on rye toast or barbecue them.

3.      Make up a salad dressing with flax oil/cold pressed walnut or pumpkin oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar or make a creamy dressing by adding yoghurt or cottage cheese.

4.      Switch to soy milk (check first for intolerance) made from whole soy beans instead of cows milk.

5.      Use hommos/tahini as a spread or soften a little butter and when cooled add flax oil to make your own butter. Put it in a pot and store in the fridge.

6.      Make a smoothie with 1 tablespoon of flax oil, soy milk and banana and have it for breakfast.

7.      Combine 250gm of fresh ricotta with 125ml of flax oil and a good quality honey or maple syrup. Use as an alternative to cream/ice cream over fresh raspberries or on porridge.

8.      Include leafy greens daily…spinach, sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, Boston lettuce, rocket, parsley, coriander.

Note that some people have allergies and intolerances to some of the above foods so it is best to check with your health professional about how best to incorporate essential fats into your diet.  

Nutritional oils like flax oil, evening primrose oil and fish oils can be obtained from Organic Foods and Cafe www.organicfoodsandcafe.com. Recommended reading, “Fats that Heal fats the Kill”, by Udo Erasmus, available from Magrudy’s Bookshop.

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