Saturated & Unsaturated Fats

At this point we must consider the role of fats in the diet. Animal fats (saturated) are clearly injurious to health and should be avoided. Fats or oils of plant food origin (unsaturated) are essential to health and cannot be omitted from the diet without ill-health ensuing. These unsaturated fatty acids or essentials fatty acids are found in nuts, seeds, beans and cereal grains such as walnuts, peanuts, cashew nuts, almonds, soya beans, sunflower seeds, olives and wheatgerm etc. A diet containing these foods will ensure a complete intake of the essential fatty acids required for health. The oils extracted from them are frequently used in cooking although it should be borne in mind that heat destroys the properties of plant oils and should be used only sparingly if at all as a culinary aid.

Any oil used in salad dressingss (eg. olive oil and sunflower oil), or taken from the spoon to correct a dietary deficiency, should be cold pressed which indicates that the oil has been expressed with pressure rather than with heat. This preserves its nutritional composition. A deficiency of essential fatty acids can cause skin complaints including dry scaly skin, dermatitis and eczema. These fatty acids are also used in the treatment of premenstrual tension, being a precursor of hormones called prostaglandins, in multiple sclerosis due to their importance in maintaining the health of the myelin sheath around the nerves and in prevention of thrombosis due to their ability to reduce high blood cholesterol. Oil of Evening Primrose is a particularly well known source of essential fatty acids due to its high level of linoleic acid and gamma linoleic acid. With regard to the butter versus margerine controversy it must be said that neither is a particularly reconmended food. Butter contains excessive levels of saturated animal fats whereas margerine, although often made from plant oils, is so heavily manufactured that its nutritive propertiers are damaged. Margerine bears little resemblence to cold pressed plant oils, as these require hydrogenation to be converted to a solid. Vitamin E, which occurs naturally in all plant oils is often lost during the manufacturing process, creating a deficiency of this essential nutrient. Butter and margerine do, however, improve the flavour of many foods and may be considered indispensible in a bread eating society. They should therefore be used sparingly. For those who would like to give up both butter and margerine, nut butters made from peanuts, almonds or cashew nuts can be used on bread and are wholesome and nutritious.