By Jerry Penders at Stem Cells Philadelphia
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October 25, 2024
There is no shortage of conflicting information about which foods provide optimal nutrition for your personal health. Just a few minutes of searching through articles will produce all kinds of opposing advice about various categories of foods and nutrients. Of course, not everyone has time to explore the research at all. The standard American diet is based far more on convenience and marketing than it is on making highly informed decisions. People are busy. There isn’t a lot of time in the day to evaluate every food choice, much less prepare fully healthy meals from scratch. Most individuals and families consume processed foods that are full of additives and preservatives. What is Linoleic Acid? One additive that is almost impossible to avoid with a standard diet is linoleic acid. This omega-6 fatty acid is prominent in what we call seed oils. Seed oils are commonly used in food production and cooking. They include: · Soybean oil · Canola oil · Corn oil · Sunflower oil · Safflower oil · Peanut oil · Cottonseed oil · Grapeseed oil These oils are highly refined in the food manufacturing process, which strips out most of their nutrients. What remains is a high amount of linoleic acid. Now, this polyunsaturated fatty acid isn’t all bad. Our bodies need it for cell and hormone health. Since we can’t produce it on our own, we need to eat foods that contain it. If you’re one of those busy people who is frustrated by all the conflicting nutrition advice out there, and you’re making the best choices you can from day to day, you might have a positive view of most seed oils. These oils are widely marketed as good for frying, cooking, baking, and dressing. They are in all your favorite products at the grocery store. After all, if you need linoleic acid for optimal health, there shouldn’t be any problem with its existence in your everyday diet. There is a problem, though. From a health standpoint, you might be dealing with far too much of a “good” thing. If Linoleic Acid is Necessary, Why are Seed Oils Bad? When linoleic acid is only consumed from whole foods like nuts, eggs, fish, coconut, grass fed beef, and dairy, the body uses it efficiently. Most of us aren’t limiting our intake to those sources, though. The food we eat these days, whether it comes from the inner aisles of the grocery store or a restaurant, is processed with or cooked with seed oils. Therefore, we are consuming a high amount of linoleic acid every day. The body ends up storing this excess of linoleic acid in adipose tissue, which is better known as body fat. High linoleic acid in body fat is linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other metabolic problems. So, beyond simply having too much body fat, a person with high linoleic acid will experience more complex health problems. Is the solution to just lose body fat in order to reduce the amount of linoleic acid in your system? Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. In fact, your body needs to use that linoleic acid before it starts burning up body fat for extra energy. This means that shedding body fat that is high in linoleic acid will actually take longer for most people. Obviously, this makes weight loss efforts that much more frustrating. One issue we see regularly is that someone who is trying to lose weight does not reduce their seed oil consumption. The result is that they don’t see much improvement in their diabetes, cholesterol, weight loss efforts, or heart problems. It’s no surprise that people give up on dieting! Reduce Processed Foods for Healthier Linoleic Acid Levels The real solution to reducing linoleic acid, body fat, and all the associated health problems, is to adopt a diet that is made up of whole foods and healthier oils. These better oils include: · Olive oil · Avocado oil · Palm oil · Lard · Tallow · Butter · Coconut oil Transitioning to whole foods, including meat, fish, dairy, healthy grains, fruits, and vegetables is the best way to get started. The next step is to become more selective about food sources, especially meat. Beef cattle and poultry are often raised on the very same seed oils that are used in processing human food. Once you invest in meat from animals that are raised on natural food sources, you will derive the greatest benefits of a healthy level of linoleic acid. A diet that is balanced with healthy sources of fat has the added benefit of helping you stay full and satisfied longer, which reduces cravings for all of those processed foods that are high in harmful oils. Radical diet changes can be extremely challenging. Especially if you are shifting out of a habit of food preparation that was centered on convenience, it’s about much more than the food itself. You will need to develop a new time management system, new cooking methods and recipes, and maybe even new tastes. On top of that, your existing health conditions should be monitored while you make these changes. You don’t need to start this journey completely on your own. At Stem Cells Philadelphia, we provide support for lifestyle changes that optimize health. We offer nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle counseling along with medical treatments that are customized to your individual health goals. We are a knowledgeable and compassionate team of health professionals who are ready to help you improve your overall wellness. Contact us to schedule a consultation in our Villanova office for your nutrition goals .