Top Ten Best Fats

Top Ten Best Fats

Written by: Rocky Rigney
10.) Organic, unpasteurized butter & cream: If you can find these raw products, they are wonderful because they contain enzymes and CLA. The best source is found in grass fed cows.

9.) Olives: Typically, my favorite source is in extra virgin olive oil, i like to avoid olives due to their salted brine's and lower antioxidant levels. But olives are still a good choice because they are a “whole food”. They are a great fit on salads, vegetable trays, or right out of the jar for a healthy dose of monounsaturated fat.

8.) Peanuts and raw organic peanut butter: They especially rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids like oleic acids that help lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol". Studies suggest that diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids help to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring a healthy blood lipid profile. Stay away from processed peanut butter as it contains added trans-fat (which have been shown to increase the risk of cardio circulatory diseases). Added benefits include vitamin E, a powerful liposoluble antioxidant shown to significantly reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Also found is vitamin B3 (niacin) which is also known to fight off cancer.

7.) Organic flax-seeds and flax-seed oil: A great option and a wonderful source for vegetarians who want more Omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. However, while Omega-3 fatty acids are important there are better, more versatile options. It should not be used in cooking, so give it a go as a salad dressing, or in a bowl of yogurt. Fresh ground flax-seed also contains a good dose of fiber.

6.) Organic extra virgin olive oil: Extra virgin means from the first cold press, so it retains all the nutrients from the olive but more concentrated. EVOO is loaded in hormone regulating monounsaturated fat, and contains high levels of antioxidant polyphenols that are both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. Not only does EVOO fight cancer, improve skin health, it is also heart healthy!

5.) Raw nuts, cold pressed nut oils and natural organic nut butters (excluding peanuts): Almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts are awesome healthy fats. They are a wonderful source of protein, fiber, omega-3’s, vitamin E, and a rich source of healthy monounsaturated fat. If nuts are not your thing, try different nut butters.

4.) Wild salmon and other fatty fish: Salmon are loaded with two of the healthiest fats on the planet, omega-3 fatty acids known as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). There are several varieties of salmon including Sockeye, Copper River, and King. The difference between wild Alaskan salmon and farmed salmon (Atlantic salmon) is night and day.

3.) Organic, extra virgin coconut oil: Because we have been programmed over the last 30 years to shun any and all saturated fats, coconut oil had been considered a dangerous, artery clogging food. This is because it is tropical oil, and a saturated fat. However it has been discovered that some saturated fat is not the health enemy it once was portrayed to be. The fatty acids in coconut oil are actually very different than in other foods in that they are primarily in the form of medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs. MCTs are fats that burn fat and provide energy. They act as a metabolic primer, stocking your internal fat burning furnace. The primary MCT in coconut oil is Lauric Acid, and this MCT is extremely healthy because it has potent antimicrobial properties. This helps not only give the oil a long shelf life, preventing rancidity, but also helps protect our immune systems upon eating. If you want to be lean and healthy, eat extra virgin coconut oil!

2. Fish Oil: Most of the same benefits as salmon and other fatty fish yet much more concentrated in Omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil is one of the most anti-inflammatory and heart healthy supplements available. If you suffer from depression, poor memory or a number of other conditions, there's a good chance that you suffer from a omega-3 deficiency and would benefit from adding fish oil to your diet. With most of the brain being made of fish oil (as DHA), it's not surprising that consuming fish oil has been shown to reduce existing depression and help with postpartum depression, ADHD, bipolar illness and even schizophrenia. Even in healthy people, supplementing with fish oil decreases anger and anxiety and increases vigor while also improving various types of attention, cognitive and physiological functions, including overall mood.

1.) Neptune Krill Oil: Krill are shrimp or prawn-like creatures that are a primary food source for large ocean fish and great whales. Neptune krill oil is cold processed from Antarctic krill. Like fish oil, krill oil is full of Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. Unlike fish oil, krill oil’s Omega-3 fatty acids are even more bioavailable due to phospholipid carriers inherent in them. Also unlike fish oil, krill oil is full of two powerful antioxidants, Astaxanthin and Canthaxanthin. In fact, the free radical absorbance capacity of these in Krill oil surpasses that of Lycopene, Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q-10, Lutein and Vitamin A combined TIMES FOUR. In fact, it has over 30 times the antioxidant power of costly and highly respected Coenzyme Q-10 alone.