You may need an Oil Change!
You MAY need an OIL CHANGE!
Are you old enough to remember the blue can of grease that stayed on or near the stove? Do you remember the brick of lard that made the best biscuits, pie crust, cake icing, and fried chicken in the cast iron skillet? Did a spoon or two of bacon grease get added to freshly snapped green beans, a pot of collard, kale, and mustard greens? Was butter used for glazing the top of biscuits, cornbread, pancakes, waffles, and toast? Did those mashed potatoes and rice have a puddle of butter cascaded down the side of that mountain of oh, so yummy?
Then, out of nowhere, butter is gone, lard (a.k.a. tallow, suet) no more. Those artery-clogging, high cholesterol-causing family staples had to go! The study was in. The researchers, doctors & groups with associations attached to their names all agreed that Americans needed to change their diet and adopt more carbohydrates and less fat! Yes, Low Fat was the way to go. Low-fat yogurt, milk, and salad dressings took their rightful place at the table. By 1970 the push was to reduce the number of heart attacks due to the high saturated fat in the American diet.
In its place came vegetable shortening, vegetable oil, corn oil, soy oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and Canola oil. Remember, Everything is better with Blue Bonnet on it! “It’s not nice to fool mother nature-Parkay,” Imperial, Fleishmanns, Country Crock, ‘I can’t believe it’s not Butter’ and my personal favorite, ‘Move Over Butter.’ Ok, here’s the short quiz:
- What vegetables are used to make Vegetable Oil?
- What is a Canola? Where did it come from?
- What was the science behind these oils made of vegetables?
Before I go on, allow me to take you back a little further. United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a heart attack in the Fall of 1955. It is reported that the president had a penchant for a meal of ‘pig knuckles and sauerkraut, and he smoked a pipe. The culprit, saturated fat, was indicted, tried, and sentenced. When asked why he ate like that, he said, “That’s the food I like.” The following year he had a stroke.
The organizations with ‘Association’ affixed to their names and significant food corporations shifted towards health consciousness. A study (circa 1952-58) was conducted by Physicist Ancel Keys at the University of Minnesota. The results of his research became the Holy Grail of ‘lipophobia’ (fear of fat). That study, not fear of fat people, looked at saturated fat and red meat as the cause of clogged arteries and high serum LDL cholesterol. Butter, lard, and other fats became the demon to slay. Keys’ seven-country study revealed this condition among the rich and elite in Europe. There was minimal evidence among the poor in Naples and Madrid. It was thought to answer the number of sudden heart attack deaths of executives in downtown Minnesota. Somehow smoking was not investigated as a possible cause. Anyway, Ancel Keys and another, Dr. White, convinced other doctors to tell their patients about the dietary dangers of saturated fats. Non-profit organizations [with association attached to their name] and the U.S. government decided to join the campaign. A Low-fat increased grains diet, and sugar were instituted and followed for the next 30-40 years. The Oil change of the 20th century ensued. The most popular oils, it seems, had done stints in other industries before being hailed as the saviors of the American diet.
Canola’s original use: Candles, soap, lubricants, inks, biofuels, insecticides. The name means Canadian oil, low acid.
Safflower original use: General Mills claimed that its “Saff-o- Life” safflower oil (previously used mainly in varnish, solvents, and linoleum) had more polyunsaturated fats than any other oil.
These Hydrogenated & Hydrolyzed Oils cause inflammation in the body. It is, by far, one of the leading causes of High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Stroke, Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Cancer. The oils are used in so many products today that it will be hard to discern what to eat. When heated beyond the ‘smoke point,’ these oils, like most, become rancid and oxidative—oxidized fats=Free radicals. Free radicals =Cell Damage which leads to many diseases and death. Reduce your Risk by doing, What? OK, let’s heal together.
Coming soon, Omega 3, 6, and 9 Oils! & Fat Doesn’t make you fat! |
The better oils to cook with are the ones you know and recognize like, Coconut, Olive, and Avocado. These are more expensive, but you should be sautéing and braising anyway. If you are still deep frying, we need to talk! I’m just sayin’. There is so much more needed in this discussion. We are far from done with the topic. Neither Ancel Keys nor the scientific community proved that dietary saturated fat caused cardiovascular disease, nor did it cause high cholesterol. The liver produces cholesterol. It is needed in every cell of the body. The body and our great-grandparents recognize the saturated animal fat mentioned above.
According to Dr. Andrew Weil, “After World War II, consumption of lard and other animal fats dropped even more, thanks to the conventional wisdom of the past 40 years that the saturated fats in our diets were a principal cause of high cholesterol and rising rates of heart disease. More recent research suggests that this isn’t so – a scientific analysis of 21 studies determined that there is no significant evidence that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease”. To that end, one would have to ask why Heart disease (2018-19) is still the number one killer of Americans if the Low-fat diet is/was effective. I’m Just Sayin’
What can you do now?
Look at your body’s fat storage locations (belly, Butt, thighs). Anything you have eaten that your body does not recognize or can’t metabolize quickly gets stored as glucose/sugar or Fat. The body, for centuries, metabolized lard and butter because the source of the fat was recognized and known to the body. Am I proposing a diet of saturated fat intake? No! Begin to understand the difference between Good fats-Omega 3’s & Bad Fats- Hydrogenated & Hydrolyzed oils (artificial). Know what you are consuming. Look at the labels. Here are some of the most common forms used by the food industry. Add packaged cakes, cookies, pies, and crackers too:©
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