The Health Risks Of Microwave Cooking And Microwave Food

Convenience drives many things these days. The value placed on good health is often sacrificed in the name of getting things done quickly and easily.

Microwaves can sadly be found in most homes. We say sadly, because not only does food cooked in a microwave oven never taste quite right, it is proven to have a lower nutritional value, and more importantly, poses a risk to long term health.

There are many causes for the increase in serious health conditions in the Western World, demineralized soils, environmental toxins, processed foods, poor nutrition, medical malpractice, the list goes on. But standing proud in the vast majority of kitchens, is the Microwave Oven, which may well play an underestimated role.

Raw food offers significantly higher levels of nutrition than cooked, and it is advisable to include at least some raw food elements in your diet, even if you don't wish to follow an entirely raw diet.

Microwaved food is a long way from being a source of nutrition.

How Do Microwaves Cook Food?

Evidence is growing of the risks to human health from microwaves emitted by mobile phones and phone masts. The underlying reason being that the cells in your body are disrupted by the EMF frequencies. The same thing happens to food in a microwave oven.

When food is cooked normally, heat goes naturally from the outside to the inside. The reverse is true of microwaved food. Food is cooked from within the cells and a violent process takes place that completely alters the chemical structure of any substance cooked this way. Microwaves bombard the food and cause molecules to rotate millions of times a second.

The structure of the molecules are literally deformed and destroyed, and new, unnatural compounds are created, these compounds cannot be broken down by the human body. Vitamins, minerals and proteins are rendered useless, foods lose their bio-availability, and their energy field is altered.

Of further concern is the leaching of chemicals from the plastic containers / wraps used to microwave food.

Of course, many scientists, and bodies such as the FDA will tell us this is nonsense, but forward thinking people in the scientific community are growing in numbers, and those of interested in natural health and healing are quick to understand that this unnatural process has no place in the pursuit of good health.

The Risks of Microwaves - Studies

Research is dreadfully lacking in this important area, and of course there are political aspects to this; however, we include below some very pertinent research that has been carried out.

You may be surprised to discover that Microwave technology is over 70 years old. The technology was originally developed by the Germans during the Second World War as a radar system. Soldiers who gathered around these radars to warm themselves up developed illnesses including Cancer. It was this ability to heat that led to the Humboldt University in Berlin being given a grant in the early '40s to develop microwave ovens to provide hot meals for soldiers fighting in the Soviet Union.

Just like the soldiers who huddled around the radars, these soldiers also had major problems with their immune systems. The use of Microwaves was subsequently banned. The research fell into the hands of the Russians and research continued through the 50s and 60s. In 1976, the Soviet Union themselves issued a state law banning the use of microwave ovens, and published an international statement of warning. They came back into use during the period of Perestroika, but even today, the Russians remain far more vigilant about the acceptable use of microwaves.

Hans Hertel, a Swiss food scientist, (fired for questioning food processing methods), is well known for a small, but carefully controlled study on Microwave ovens.Working with Bernard H. Blanc of the University Institute for Biochemistry, the results were published in 1992 and are certainly fascinating.

The eight study participants were strict macrobiotic eaters from the Macrobiotic Institute at Kientel, Switzerland. In intervals of two to five days, the volunteers in the study received one of the eight foods listed below. Blood sample were taken on an empty stomach before each meal, and at set intervals after eating.

• raw milk from a biofarm
• the same milk conventionally cooked
• pasteurized milk from Intermilk Berne
• the same raw milk cooked in a microwave oven
• raw vegetables from an organic farm
• the same vegetables cooked conventionally
• the same vegetables frozen and defrosted in the microwave oven
• and the same vegetables cooked in the microwave oven
• Blood tests after the consumption of microwaved foods showed marked changes in the following;
• Haemoglobin values decreased
• Lymphocytes (white blood cells) showed a short-term decrease
• HDL (good cholesterol) decreased

The ratio of good to bad cholesterol (LDL) was affected negatively. These results got worse in the second month of the study. Quoting Hertel - "There is extensive scientific literature concerning the hazardous effects of direct microwave radiation on living systems, it is astonishing, therefore, to realise how little effort has been made to replace this detrimental technique of microwaves with technology more in accordance with nature.

Although only a small study, these results should have been enough to prompt further research. However, as is often the way with these things, a large trade organization, the Swiss Association of Dealers for Electro apparatuses for Households and Industry, known simply as FEA, forced a 'gag order' through the courts against Hertel and Blanc in 1993. This was finally lifted in 1998 by the European Court of Human Rights, who held that there had been a violation of Hertel's rights in the 1993 decision.

"Effects of Microwave Radiation on Anti-infective Factors in Human Milk". Quan, Kerner, et al appeared in the In the journal Pediatrics (vol. 89, no. 4, April 1992). "Breast milk can be refrigerated safely for a few days or frozen for up to a month; however, studies have shown that heating the milk well above body temperature-37°ree;C-can break down not only its antibodies to infectious agents, but also its lysozymes or bacteria-digesting enzymes"

The November 2003 issue of The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculturereported that microwaved Broccoli lost 97% of its antioxidant chemicals it contains, compared to a loss of 11% from steamed broccoli

Dr. Lita Lee of Hawaii reported in the December 9, 1989 Lancet: "Microwaving baby formulas converted certain trans-amino acids into their synthetic cis-isomers. Synthetic isomers, whether cis-amino acids or trans-fatty acids, are not biologically active. Further, one of the amino acids, L-proline, was converted to its d-isomer, which is known to be neurotoxic (poisonous to the nervous system) and nephrotoxic (poisonous to the kidneys). It's bad enough that many babies are not nursed, but now they are given fake milk (baby formula) made even more toxic via microwaving."

In Comparative Study of Food Prepared Conventionally and in the Microwave Oven, published by Raum & Zelt in 1992, at 3(2): 43, "A basic hypothesis of natural medicine states that the introduction into the human body of molecules and energies, to which it is not accustomed, is much more likely to cause harm than good. Microwaved food contains both molecules and energies not present in food cooked in the way humans have been cooking food since the discovery of fire. Microwave energy from the sun and other stars is direct current based.

Artificially produced microwaves, including those in ovens, are produced from alternating current and force a billion or more polarity reversals per second in every food molecule they hit. Production of unnatural molecules is inevitable. Naturally occurring amino acids have been observed to undergo isomeric changes (changes in shape morphing) as well as transformation into toxic forms, under the impact of microwaves produced in ovens".

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�� Six Things that happen when you Stop Eating Meat

Ketosis Diets For Weight Loss And Other Health Benefits

Ketosis diets are sometimes called ketogenic diets or very low-carb diets. Ketosis is a biochemical phenomenon which occurs during starvation or extreme carbohydrate restriction, but the word is not supposed to be confused with ketoacidosis, which is something that happens to diabetics when their blood sugar goes out of control.

Ketoacidosis is dangerous, but only happens to diabetics. Ketosis is a natural phenomenon that is in no way dangerous and has some miraculous health benefits. Some people like to think that Ketosis is in some way harmful, but they are confusing these two terms.

Ketosis diets have been used in the past for controlling epileptic seizures in children who haven't responded to any sort of medication. These diets were in common use for this purpose earlier in the 20th century. Interest in this diet plan has been reestablished for diseases such as brain cancer, obesity, diabetes and many, many more.

Ketosis Diets and Obesity

Low-carb, ketogenic diets have been studied and well documented with regards to obesity, and participants usually notice an appetite suppressant effect. When researchers compare low-fat to low-carb diets, they need to actively restrict calories in the low-fat group in order to achieve comparable results.

Low-carb diets are often high in saturated fat, but are still able to improve biomarkers such as HDL cholesterol, insulin resistance, triglyceride levels, and have a positive effect on LDL cholesterol patterns, changing them to large, fluffy type (good) instead of small, dense type (bad).

There are often claims about ketogenic diets being restrictive, but in many studies the people following those diets have a higher chance of completing the studies than the comparison groups (usually low-fat/high-carb diets).

Ketosis Diets and Epilepsy

Most research studies on the benefits of ketosis diets for epileptic seizures in children show a large improvement, which is especially significant since these children usually did not respond to previous medication therapy. In one study, 38% of the kids on the ketosis diet had more than a 50% reduction in the frequency of seizures while 7% had greater than a 90% reduction. A modified Atkins diet, basically an extended Atkins induction phase, showed similar results.

Conclusion

There are many other diseases that may massively benefit from ketosis diets, and it is strange that these kinds of diets are not more often used for therapeutic purposes. The side effects of drugs, which are often not that effective, are most certainly a lot worse than the mild side effects and minor nuances of following a restricted diet.



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Fats and Oils - Which is Best?

To understand why certain oils and fats are better than others for our health, it's necessary to understand the importance of cholesterol to all living creatures.

Cholesterol is a waxy type of fat that's manufactured within the biological systems of all animals. It's essential for life. The human body uses large quantities of cholesterol every day and the substance is so important that, with the exception of the brain, all cells have the ability to make it from simpler substances within the body. It plays a role in communication between the body cells, intra-cellular transport and brain to nerve conduction. As body-cells die, cholesterol is a major building block from which the new cell walls are made. It's also used to make hormones (including the sex hormones), bile acids and, in conjunction with sunlight on the skin, vitamin D 3.

So, cholesterol is not bad! For every 150 pounds (68 kg) of body-weight, there naturally exists within the human system 3,500 mg of cholesterol. Each day, approximately 1,000 mg is synthesized to replace whatever had been used in normal arterial and cellular repair-activities. However, cholesterol is also found in food and if we ingest more than the necessary 1,000 mg, the body simply produces less so as to maintain its normal chemical balance. If our daily diet provides 250 mg of cholesterol, the system will only synthesize 750 mg. If less is eaten, the system compensates by making more, especially when the demand for arterial repair is excessive due to a faulty diet deficient in a usable form of Vitamin C.

Of all the animals on Earth, Man is the only one that does not synthesize its own Vitamin C and it's the vitamin that's essential to keep the arterial walls flexible. When a weakness in a wall is detected, cholesterol within a Low Density Lipoprotein transporter (LDL) is sent directly from the liver and used to patch over the weak spot. After the repair is effected and Vitamin C levels are restored, High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL) transport the used cholesterol back to the liver for recycling. Over time, if Vitamin C levels are not normalized, excessive cholesterol patches can result in atherosclerosis - arterial blockages that can lead to heart attack or stroke. (See "The Cholesterol Myth Simplified" )

Although the media and food companies still warn against cholesterol in the diet, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that the level of cholesterol in our blood is affected very little by the amount of cholesterol in the foods we eat. The claim that a reduction in dietary fat and cholesterol can lower blood cholesterol levels, so reducing the likelihood of coronary or arterial disease has never been substantiated. Any reduction in dietary cholesterol intake is counteracted by the liver, which increases or decreases production to keep blood cholesterol levels constant and will produce more as necessary to compensate for cellular damage caused by vitamin deficiencies. The most likely scenario is that due to deficiencies in nutrition and the inability to perform permanent repairs, the system keeps on making excess cholesterol in its effort to keep up with the patching process.

There are three major forms of dietary fat:

Saturated fat

Unsaturated (including mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated fat)

Trans-isomer fat (trans-fat)

All fats and oils contain both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids but are classified according to the most dominant form. Butter is classified as a saturated fat because of the preponderance of saturated fat in its composition, even though it does contain lesser amounts of unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats have a high melting temperature because of their chemical structure and are solid or hard at room temperature. They're found mainly in animal fats such as butter, whole-milk, lard, and certain plant fats (coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter). The human sysyem needs about 30 grams of saturated fat in the daily diet to maintain health and to trigger the burning of excess body-fat for fuel.

Most vegetable oils are classified as unsaturated and the more "unsaturated" they are (mono, poly) the more likely they are to become rancid and the less energy they provide. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.

Poly-unsaturated fats from most vegetable sources are more unstable, become rancid with heat and have high levels of Omega-6, too much of which is harmful, while those "polys" from fish such as salmon, contain Omega-3 which is highly desirable in the diet.

Trans-fats are made by artificially hydrogenating unsaturated vegetable oils so as to create more stability and a longer shelf-life. They're commonly used in deep-frying and the baking of commercially-processed foods. They do not normally occur in nature in significant quantities and are dangerous to the human system.

For dietary and cooking purposes, olive oil and coconut oil are the healthiest for human consumption, both being free of cholesterol. Coconut oil though, is the only one the digestive system recognizes as an "energy-food" and it's not stored in the body as fat.

Coconut oil always had a health-promoting reputation until half-way through the 20th Century when, after the Korean War, it was falsely reported that saturated fat caused heart disease. At the same time (co-incidentally), the cheap production of unsaturated, rape-seed oil (canola) from stock fodder presented a lucrative opportunity for the commercial food-producing corporations. A government-backed, negative, smear-and-fear campaign, based on the fact that coconut oil was indeed predominantly a saturated fat forced it off the shelves to be replaced by unsaturated vegetable oils. In time it was realized that the vegetable oils became rancid quickly so the commercial interests "hydrogenated" them to achieve longer shelf-life and in doing so, gave us the "trans" fats. Those poly-unsaturated, hydrogenated oils were not a part of the diet of previous generations, however hydrogenation increases corporate profits and the World's waistlines, and is now linked with the "modern" diseases.

And heart disease continues to increase exponentially!

For human brain-development, mother's milk contains a specific, long-chain fatty acid that does not appear in cows milk, soy milk or vegetable oils. However, red meat, olive oil and coconut oil contain a medium-chain fatty-acid which the human system can convert into the essential long-chain form, easily. Coconut oil is used in most infant formulas for that very reason.

Un-hydrogenated coconut oil helps improve the ratio of "good" HDL to "bad" LDL in our bloodstream. It's an anti-oxidant and the high quotient of lauric acid which prevents cholesterol build-up and heart disease, converts into monolaurin which helps in dealing with viruses and bacteria-causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, and possibly even HIV. Because it's rich in capric acid and caprylic acid it's beneficial to the skin, prevents premature aging and keeps candida albicans, urinary tract infections and other fungi at bay. It relieves digestive disorders, helps in weight-loss and protects the intestines from parasites and the stomach from the ulcer-causing heliobacter pylori.

However, even though olive oil and coconut oil are lower in calories than other oils they do still supply calories. So, going to extremes may only cause problems in other areas.


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Egg Whites VS. Whole Eggs?

Eggs yolks vs. egg whites. One of the great debates when considering a healthy diet is that egg whites are healthier for you because the yolk is loaded with cholesterol and fat. So, what's the answer? Which one do you choose when eating breakfast? Which is the healthier option?

To determine the answer, let's look at 3 key factors.

Factor #1: Do you want just protein or are you interested in the nutrients as well?

One egg is about 70 calories and has 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat. The egg white portion of the egg contains about 3.5 grams of the total protein. The remaining 2.5 grams plus the 5 grams of fat are in the yolk. This is why many people opt to toss the yolk and increase the egg white because you're getting all the protein without the unnecessary fat. Although this sounds good in theory, the yolk also contains all of the nutrients. The yolk contains leucin, choline, as well as Vitamin A, D,E & B. Leucin helps the attack on visceral fat, the fat that builds around your internal organs. It also promotes muscle recovery after exercise. Choline has been shown in research to be effective in preventing memory loss, protecting the liver from accumulating fat and may even lower cholesterol. Vitamins A, D, E & B have too many benefits to list. But to touch on the most important in regard to this topic, they enhance our breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, which provides us energy. They breakdown fats and proteins, which aid the normal function of the nervous system and they promote healthy skin, hair, and eyes.[i]

Do you want less calories and less protein? Or do you want to opt for the yolk with more calories and fat but also a much higher level of nutrients, vitamins and minerals? The decision is now yours to make.

Factor #2: Cholesterol (HDL vs. LDL) or high density lipoprotein vs. low density lipoprotein

To keep this simple, LDL is the bad cholesterol because it causes the buildup of fatty deposits with in your arteries that cause heart disease. Conversely, HDL, or the good cholesterol, helps to remove the LDL from your arteries. Many studies show that eating whole eggs raises your HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL thereby increasing the overall good to bad cholesterol level in your bloodstream. This is a good thing.

Cholesterol became such a big hype in the media over the past few decades because of the rise in people diagnosed with heart disease. BUT, having higher cholesterol doesn't mean you have heart disease. A Harvard study conducted on over 100,000 people concluded that egg consumption in healthy individuals did not increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Cholesterol does serve a purpose in your body and to eliminate it just because of media hype is bogus. Now that you know the difference, you are aware that as long as you are a healthy individual the increase of HDL you get by consuming egg yolks is not a bad thing after all.

Factor #3: The quality of the egg.

There are other factors to consider as well such as whether the egg is organic, whether the chickens are cage free, and what the chicken's diet consisted of. The more natural cage free chicken will have a yolk higher in omega 3 and contain more nutrients. A chicken that is raised in its natural state and allowed to eat insects and greens will have thicker shells and a deeper colored orange yolk indicating a much higher nutrient level and carotenoids. So the rule I'm proclaiming is the following. The better quality of the egg the more you should want the yolk.

Now you have an explanation of the 3 main factors to consider when choosing whether or not you want to include the yolks in your next healthy breakfast or toss them in the trash. There really is no right or wrong answer. It's merely a matter of preference. Personally, I use a combination of both and here is my recommendation. If you eat eggs everyday just eat the whites. This will limit your fat and cholesterol intake. However, you should also try and incorporate the whole egg into your diet once or twice a week to get all the other nutrients, vitamins and minerals found in the yolk. After all an egg is at the top of the super food list, and the yolk has everything to do with that.

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The Best Way To Prevent Hearth Attacks

Cholesterol is one of the most familiar medical words today. Everyone knows "something" about it , but mostly cholesterol is associated in our mind with something "bad" and "unwanted" that happens to old and overweight people.The facts show that about 20 percent of the U.S. population has high blood cholesterol levels.

Actually cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance (lipid) that your body needs for many important functions, such as producing new cells , some hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat.. It is present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscle, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.
In fact our bodies need cholesterol to function normally, but too much cholesterol can be bad for our health. Why ? Cholesterol and other fats can't dissolve in the blood. They have to be transported to and from the cells by special carriers. Cholesterol travels through your blood attached to a protein. This cholesterol-protein package is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are high density or low density depending on how much protein there is in relation to fat.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. If too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain. Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries. When the coronary arteries become narrowed or clogged by cholesterol and fat deposits (a process called atherosclerosis) and cannot supply enough blood to the heart, the result is coronary heart disease. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by total blockage of a coronary artery, the result is a heart attack. This is usually due to a sudden closure from a blood clot forming on top of a previous narrowing. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol because it can cause cholesterol buildup and blockage of your arteries. LDL is mostly fat with only a small amount of protein.

About one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Medical experts think HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body. Some experts believe HDL removes excess cholesterol from plaques and thus slows their growth. HDL is called "good" cholesterol because it helps prevent cholesterol from building up in your arteries. It is mostly protein with only a small amount of fat.

Since there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol it is not only necessary to know your cholesterol level ,it is also important to know your levels of LDL and HDL.

The fact is that there are no symptoms of high cholesterol. Your first symptom of high cholesterol could be a heart attack or a stroke. The level of cholesterol can be measured only with a blood test.The results come as three main numbers:

· Total Cholesterol

· LDL

· HDL

The level of LDL should be less than 160.

Total cholesterol should be less than 200.

The level of HDL should be more than 35.

Most Important: Your LDL level is a good indicator of your risk for heart disease. Lowering LDL is the main aim of treatment if you have high cholesterol. In general, the higher your LDL level, the greater your chance of developing heart disease.

Remember : Regular cholesterol tests are recommended to find out if your cholesterol level is within normal range.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT YOUR LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS?

The main cause of high blood cholesterol is eating too much fat, especially saturated fat. Saturated fats are found in animal products, such as meats, milk and other dairy products that are not fat free, butter, and eggs. Some of these foods are also high in cholesterol. Fried fast foods and snack foods often have a lot of fat.

Being overweight and not exercising can make your bad cholesterol go up and your good cholesterol go down. Regular physical activity can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It also helps you lose weight. You should try to be physically active for 30 minutes on most, if not all, days.

Cigarette smoking damages the walls of your blood vessels, making them likely to have cholesterol rich plaques rupture and have heart attacks. Smoking may also lower your level of HDL cholesterol by as much as 15 percent.

Also, after women go through menopause, their bad cholesterol levels tend to go up. There is also a rare type of inherited high cholesterol that often leads to early heart disease.Some people inherit a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, which means that very high cholesterol levels run in the family.Other people, especially people for whom diabetes runs in the family, inherit high triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are another type of blood fat that can also push up cholesterol levels. People with high blood triglycerides usually have lower HDL cholesterol and a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Progesterone, anabolic steroids and male sex hormones (testosterone) also lower HDL cholesterol levels.

So we can make a conclusion that the main therapy is to change your lifestyle. This includes controlling your weight, eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol, exercising regularly, not smoking and, in some cases, drinking less alcohol.

But , depending on your risk factors, if healthy eating and exercise don't work after about 6 months to 1 year, your doctor may suggest medicine to lower your cholesterol level.

Now there are very effective medications called "statins",such as Lipitor.
The drug works by helping to clear harmful low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol out of the blood and by limiting the body's ability to form new LDL cholesterol. Each tablet Lipitor includes 20mg Atorvastatin. It is in a class of medications called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. It works by slowing the production of cholesterol in the body. Lipitor has shown the ability to halt, not just slow, the potentially fatal buildup of plaque in clogged arteries. While a handful of drugs now available slow the buildup of new plaque, or atherosclerosis, in coronary arteries, no drug on the market has been proven to both stop new build-up and clear existing plaque.




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Avoid Trans-Fats and Lose Pounds Fast

What are trans-fats and why is it important we avoid them if we want to lose pounds fast? In order to make trans-fats, normally healthy vegetable oils, such as corn oil or soybean oil are chemically changed into what is known as partially hydrogenated oils. These man-made oils are then used widely in the food industry as substitutes for saturated fats. There are some naturally occurring trans-fats found in meat and dairy produce but these are at such low levels compared to the levels of the man-made variety as to be insignificant.
These trans-fats, or artificial unsaturated fats are found in baked goods, fried foods, margarines and pastries and all manner of other food items. Their primary use is to extend shelf life; after all it makes a product more economic if it can sit on the shelf for a few weeks rather than a few days. They are also a cheap alternative to natural saturated fats. This does not mean we should all switch back to a diet full of natural saturated fats because the intake of all fats should be kept to a minimum. However there is evidence that artificially produced fats do more harm than naturally occurring saturated fats because our bodies are not designed to cope with them.

The reason these fats are bad for our bodies is that they increase the risks of developing coronary heart disease, they raise the bad LDL type of cholesterol in our blood while simultaneously lowering the HDL or good type of cholesterol.
The health risk from trans-fats was very low when we were only exposed to the natural varieties. Now that we have so many processed and pre-packaged foods this risk has risen substantially and is a significant health risk factor of which we should all be aware.
There have been links found between trans-fats and Cancer, Alzheimer's, infertility, diabetes, liver dysfunction and obesity. Regarding obesity, the harmful effects are quite conspicuous. If you eat a diet containing these harmful fats you are more likely to gain weight even if you eat the same number of calories as in a diet containing no trans-fats. This surely is a very concerning thought and should cause everyone to sit up and take note of what they are putting into their bodies.
It's good to hear that some countries are choosing to do something about this problem. Denmark and Switzerland have imposed bans on trans-fats with several others following. Congress in the USA has, since 2006, required products containing trans-fats to provide appropriate labelling and there are some further restrictions in some states.

If this is such an important issue how can we make sure we stop eating trans-fats? According to the American Heart Foundation, if we reduce our intake of trans-fats to between 5 and 8 teaspoons per day then it's unlikely we'll come to much harm. This is good news if you're trying to lose pounds fast because if you are following a healthy diet then getting down to these levels should be very easy, so long as you keep an eye on food labelling.

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Which Olive Oil is Healthiest?

By now, everyone knows that olive oil is healthy. We may not know why or in what way, but we know that if we're going to be eating it for our health, we want to choose the one that is healthiest. Here's what you need to know about the potential health benefits and which oil is healthiest.
All oil from olives is composed of monounsaturated fat, which is the best kind of fat to eat. If your only criteria for the relative 'healthiness' is monounsaturated fat composition, then any grade will do. From the lowest grade (pomace) to the highest (extra virgin), all contain monounsaturated fat and will serve your needs.

 But if we don't stop there, if we seek to exploit the oil's potential to increase health in several ways, then the differences become apparent. As far as relative 'healthiness' is concerned, one cannot judge by grade. An extra virgin oil is not necessarily healthier than plain virgin. The 'virginity' is based on basically one criterion: the acid level. The lower oleic acid, the higher grading the oil attains, with extra virgin oils having lower than 1%. But the acid content is irrelevant to the health benefits. Aside from being composed of monounsaturated fats, it can also contain phytochemicals which contribute health benefits.

Phytochemical is a catch-all term meaning non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties. Non-nutritive means they are not carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. But that doesn't mean they don't have a powerful effect on our health. One phytochemical in fresh oils that has proven health benefits is oleocanthol.
Oleocanthol has been shown to have a mild painkilling effect, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory. While one cannot replace their painkillers with olive oil, daily intake of oil containing oleocanthol can, over time, limit damage caused by chronic inflammation. Therefore, the answer to the question 'which olive oil is healthiest' is this: the healthiest one has the highest level of oleocanthol.
Unfortunately, oleocanthol levels are not listed on labels. But we can tell whether an oil contains oleocanthol by tasting. Oleocanthol is the component responsible for the peppery bite, and produces a stinging sensation in the throat. This bite is why it combines so well with bread or cheese, because they produce a nice contrast of sensations.

Those same phytochemicals are suspected to be responsible for the oil's known effect to reduce blood pressure and increase HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol. HDL is the good cholesterol and raising HDL levels reduces risk of heart attack and stroke.
In addition to all of that, blood vessels in people who consume oil with high polyphenol (a group of phytochemicals) levels are shown to have more 'elastic' blood vessels, which is good for overall heart health and circulation.
Lastly, consumption of this natural oil together with tomatoes has been shown to protect against sunburn and decrease wrinkles. The exact action is unknown, but researchers suspect that the phytochemicals in fresh oil from olives are responsible. Long term consumption reduced sunburn tendency by 30% and increases 'pro-collagen' in the skin. Loss of collagen is responsible for the development of wrinkles.

So, what's the downside? All oils are made of fat and highly calorie dense. While fat is part of a healthy diet, a high fat diet can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. So, one must replace the unhealthy fats with healthy fats rather than just adding more fat to the diet to really gain all the benefits. Some good suggestions are to reduce meat intake, eat vegetables and bread with oil instead of butter, and reduce use of dairy products.

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