The majority of people today eat a diet low in fat or high in rancid or hydrogenated fats. On a cellular level, why is a low-fat or “poor fat” diet detrimental to health?

At a cellular level, lipids are the building blocks for both cellular membranes and hormones. The plasma membrane of every single cell in the human body is made up of lipids in the form of phospholipids, cholesterol and glycolipids. The quality of the cell membrane and therefore the integrity of each cell is based on the type of fats that you are ingesting. Essential fatty acids cannot be created by the human body, and can only be obtained through the diet. If the body doesn’t have the right essential fatty acids to hand it uses the fats that it does have access to, thereby reducing the integrity of the cell membrane. This can lead to dysfunction in cell metabolism and potentially cause dysfunction or disease in the body.

A diet high in Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) such as Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids can help reduce symptoms of arthritis, decrease bone loss, promote wound healing and improve certain skin disorders as well as mental functions.

Whilst the body needs a range of both Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids for health across the general population we typically get a lot of Omega-6 fatty acids and not enough Omega-3. Omega 6 are found in most processed foods – cereals, bread, as well eggs and organ meats. They tend to show up in the foods that we eat most often in the typical Western diet, such as processed foods that contain vegetable oil, corn oil etc. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in Flaxseed, walnuts and fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines. Because of the current imbalance between Omega-6 and Omega-3 in the general population, we generally recommend seeking out additional sources of Omega-3 into your diet, and to avoid all trans fats and vegetable oils wherever possible.

So in summary some sources of hidden trans fats and vegetable oils to avoid would be:

• Deep fried food including fish & chips, breaded fish, doughnuts etc.
• Packaged foods often contain vegetable oil, major culprits include mayonnaise, chips/crisps and savoury crackers
• Beware of some of the wild caught tinned fish as often it is packaged in vegetable oil. Opt for olive oil or freshwater options.

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