by Siim Land
0.1
114:1
Sesame Seeds (1 oz/28 g)
6
0.1
57:1
Almonds (1 oz/28 g)
3.3
0.002
1987:1
Cashews (1 oz/28 g)
2.1
0.017
125:1
Chia Seeds (1 oz/28 g)
1.6
4.9
1:3
Pistachios (1 oz/28 g)
3.7
0.071
52:1
Sunflower Seeds (1 oz/28 g)
6.5
0.021
312:1
Lentils (1 oz/28 g)
0.0384
0.0104
3.7:1
OILS AND FATS
Butter (1 Tbsp)
0.18
0.83
1:1.5
Lard (1 Tbsp)
1.0
0.1
10:1
Cod Liver Oil (1 Tbsp)
2.8
1.3
2.2:1
Grain-Fed Tallow (1 Tbsp)
3.35
0.2
16.8:1
Grass-Fed Tallow (1 Tbsp)
1.2
0.8
1.5:1
Peanut Oil (1 Tbsp)
4.95
Trace
1:0.0
Soybean Oil (1 Tbsp)
7.0
0.9
7.8:1
Canola Oil (1 Tbsp)
2.8
1.3
2.2:1
Walnut Oil (1 Tbsp)
7.2
1.4
5.1:1
Sunflower Oil (1 Tbsp)
6
0.0
6:1
Margarine (1 Tbsp)
2.4
0.04
6:1
Peanut Butter (1 Tbsp)
1.4
0.008
17:1
Almond Butter (1 Tbsp)
1.2
0.04
2.8:1
Flaxseed Oil (1 Tbsp)
2.0
6.9
1:3.5
Olive Oil (1 Tbsp)
1.1
0.1
11:1
MEAT
Ground Pork (6 oz/170 g)
2.83
0.119
23.8:1
Chicken
2.2
0.16
13.8:1
Grain-Fed Beef
0.73
0.08
9:1
Grass-Fed Beef
0.72
0.15
4.9:1
Domestic Lamb
1.9
0.6
3.3:1
Grass-Fed Lamb
1.7
2.2
0.7:1
Farmed Salmon
1.7
4.5
0.39:1
Wild Salmon
0.3
3.6
0.08:1
This may come off as alarming because a lot of the dangerous vegetable oils we just talked about don’t have nearly as high omega-6 ratios than some of the nuts that are considered healthy. Like said beforehand, the omega-6s themselves aren’t detrimental and they need to be kept in balance with the omega-3s. It’s the processing and oxidization of the vegetable oils we just talked about that’s causing the inflammation and all the other issues.
To keep your omega-3 to omega-6 ratios in balance without obsessing over them, eliminate all processed vegetable oils, avoid high-temperature cooking of oils and fats, eat plenty of grass-fed meat, get pastured eggs, mercury-free fish that’s not fed grains and avoid packaged foods.
You’d also want to be careful with supplementing fish oil. It’s true that the omega-3s from fish oil supplements can help to lower inflammation but they’re also quite high in polyunsaturated fats and thus easily oxidized. Most of the commercial fish oil supplements out there have been exposed to some heat, sunlight or have simply gone rancid. This actually makes them pro-inflammatory if you take them consistently. Instead, you should focus on eliminating the inflammatory vegetable oils and eat some wild oily fish.
So far this chapter has been quite depressive, I know, and it seems things aren’t getting better. Fortunately, mainstream medical doctors have picked up on the research about trans fats and are trying to heal the damage, literally. The dietary recommendations haven’t changed much in regards to processed vegetable oils but we’re slowly making progress.
In 2015, the FDA has determined Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs) to be no longer „Generally Recommended as Safe“[484]. As of June 18, 2018, food companies cannot add PHOs or other trans fats into their products anymore. Took them a while... The compliance date has been extended to January 1st, 2020, after which we can hope to never see these abominations ever again.
But not all vegetable oils are bad. In fact, some of them are one of the healthiest fats in the world. Coconut oil and olive oil that have been used for centuries, however, don’t require nearly as much processing. These fats get extracted by pressing whole olives or dried coconut kernels and then they get bottled. This doesn’t include processing at high heat or exposure to different chemicals. Olive oil and coconut oil are much more vulnerable to temperature and they can go rancid more easily, which illustrates their natural manufacturing ways. Their fatty acid content and ratios are also more favourable for your health.
The health benefits of olive oil are actually quite legendary by now as they’re a staple in the Mediterranean Diet, which even got Ancel Keys’ sign of approval. Countries like Italy, Spain, Greece, and France consume a lot of olive oil and other heart-healthy foods like fish and vegetables, which is thought to be one of the reasons they don’t have that high rates of cardiovascular disease.
The Mediterranean Diet is definitely misinterpreted and poorly described amongst the folklore of public medicine but it does include a lot of olive oil. Part of the benefit comes from the more balanced omega-3 to omega-6 ratio and low inflammatory foods. Olive oil itself also has a lot of polyphenols and the omega-9 fat oleic acid, which lower inflammation and protect against cancer[485].
Ancel Keys himself wasn’t actually a proponent of a diet devoid of all fat. He consumed copious amounts of olive oil and other foods fitting to the Mediterranean Diet template. His main concern and criticism were directed towards animal fat and cholesterol.
So, do consume all the olive oil you want as long as it’s not rancid and it doesn’t make you gain weight. It has great heart-protective benefits. An additional thing to remember is that because olive oil is monounsaturated fat, it’s more vulnerable to oxidation and free radical damage. That’s why you don’t want to be heating it or use for cooking. This is the entire reason why vegetable oils become oxidized in the first place – high heat processing. Instead, olive oil should be preferentially used as a cold dressing on salads and vegetables.
Bottom Line: When it comes to the highly processed vegetable oils, then avoid them like wild-fire because they’ll literally light a forest-fire in your arteries and cells.
Saturated Fat
But what about the other sources of fat that have been deemed dangerous and unhealthy such as butter, lard, tallow, and bacon? Saturated fat is as big of a villain in the Lipid Hypothesis as is cholesterol. Dieticians and doctors have been prescribing low saturated fat diets for decades. Things haven’t gotten better as you and I know the real issue has to do with inflammation, driven by sugar and vegetable oils.
A large meta-analysis that included 21 epidemiologic studies and over 340 000 people concluded that there is no clear association between dietary saturated fat intake and increased risk of cardiovascular disease or heart disease[486]. In fact, one large study with almost 60,000 Japanese participants found an inverse association between saturated fat consumption and stroke[487].
Olive oil is also quite high in saturated fat, which paradoxicall
y doesn’t cause atherosclerosis. The medical community must’ve missed that. Even wealthy countries that have quite low heart disease like France and Italy consume quite a significant amount of saturated fat. For the French, it comes from cheese, meat, and olive oil whereas the Italians are also eating quite a lot of pork, sausages, cheeses, and oils. Clearly, something is amiss.
In the Footprints of Weston A. Price
In the 1930s, Dr. Weston A. Price was perplexed why the western population had suffered a serious epidemic of tooth decay and other illnesses of nutrient deficiencies. He traveled to many places around the world that didn’t subsist on primarily industrialized food such as Native Americans, Polynesians, Aborigines, and even Switzerland to realize how people in those regions had no cavities, crooked jawlines or other related diseases. He published his book Nutrition and Degenerative Disease in 1939 where he concluded that the modern Western Diet rich in flour, sugar, and vegetable oils causes nutritional deficiencies, dental issues, and health problems[488].
Figure 68 Price's Pictures of People's Teeth
in the West (Right Picture) and Subsistence Societies (Left Picture)
Nowadays, inspired by the work of Weston A. Price, ancestral diets such as Paleo, GAPS, and the Weston A. Price Foundation diet include many animal fats, meats, and broths that nourish the gut, promote cellular health, and proper physical development. Part of the reason has to do with the pro-anabolic qualities of these foods that will increase IGF-1, mTOR, and cholesterol. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as it’s required for proper growth. As a precursor, I’ll say that these foods will be a big cornerstone of the Metabolic Autophagy food pyramid as well. It’s just that you have to know how, in what amounts, and when you consume them. All of which we’ll discuss further down the line.
Dr. Price found that saturated fat, such as butter, cream, lard, tallow, bone marrow etc., was a staple in the diets of these very healthy natives. There’s a huge discrepancy with the research done in Western countries where butter is seen so bad that its fat content has to be reduced and swapped out with vegetable oils instead.
Butter actually has many anti-oxidants, such as vitamin A and vitamin E, that protect against the free radical damage that inflames the arteries. It also contains selenium, which is another important anti-oxidant and mineral. The short chain fatty acids of butter like butyrate heal the intestinal lining of your gut that prevents inflammation and autoimmune disorders. Medium-chain, as well as short-chain fatty acids, have strong anti-tumor properties[489].
Healthy fats are essential for your cells to function properly and to carry out many of the other metabolic processes. Most of the important vitamins you need for survival require fats to be absorbed and low-fat diets over the long term can be quite detrimental for your longevity.
When Price was doing his research, he described a “vitamin-like activator” that played a central role in the utilization of minerals, vitamins, growth, and protection against heart disease. He called it Activator X, which he found in the butterfat, organs, and fat of animals who consumed green grass, and also in some fish and eggs. Unfortunately, Price died before knowing what this mysterious compound really was. Nowadays we know that Activator X is Vitamin K2, which is a fat-soluble vitamin produced by animal tissues from Vitamin K1.
Vitamin K1 is mostly found in plant foods and greens. It supports blood clotting and healing.
Vitamin K2 is divided into many specific forms called menaquinones (MK), ranging from MK-4 and MK-7 etc. MK-4 is found the most in animal foods and it protects tissues against calcium formation and cancer development. It also supports hormones
MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9 are mostly found in fermented foods like sauerkraut and miso. They support bone health and hormones much more effectively than K1
K2 is indeed very important for mineral absorption and general health. In the context of atherosclerosis, Vitamin K2 also directs calcium into the right place, namely the bones and teeth, instead of keeping it in the bloodstream to cause plaque formation.
Vitamin K2 works synergistically with two other fat-soluble activators Vitamin A and D. Vitamin A and D signal the cells to produce certain proteins and vitamin K then activates them. Other minerals such as zinc and magnesium as well as dietary fat are needed for the absorption of these fat-soluble vitamins.
The biggest reason why the Western population had such high rates of tooth decay and crooked jawlines had to do with not getting enough Vitamin K2 from their diet. People in non-industrialized countries still ate their ancestral diets and thus got enough vitamin K2 to support their bone development.
Currently, the daily recommended intake of vitamin K is 90 mcg with no official requirements for K2. However, these guidelines originate from 2001 and we’ve gained more insight into the importance of vitamin K2 since then. Based on current research, you’d want to get at least 100 mcg-s of K2 a day and aim up to 150-200 mcg-s in total.
Although humans can convert some K1 into K2, the biggest effect comes from MK-4 utilization, which is most bioavailable in animal foods. Nevertheless, you’d want to be eating foods high in both to cover your basis. Given you don’t need that much K1 from vegetables and K2 is much more difficult to come by, here is a list of foods richest in Vitamin K2, starting with the highest:
Natto is a Japanese fermented soybean dish with a foul smell. It’s the richest sources of vitamin K2 I’ve seen with a whopping 1103.4 micrograms of Vitamin K2 MK-7 in 100 grams.
Goose Liver Paste – a delightful pateé type of cream used a lot in French cooking and similar cultures. It’s an easy way of making organ meats more palatable and tasty. MK-4 content 369 mcg/100g.
Hard Cheeses – cheese should be fermented and unpasteurized for the greatest health benefits. A lot of the vitamins and minerals get lost during processing. MK-7 content 76.3 mcg/100g.
Soft Cheeses (Brie) – maybe one of the reasons the French didn’t get atherosclerosis had to do with the K2 rich cheeses and pateés that protected them against plaque formation. MK-7 content 56.5 mcg/100g.
Egg Yolks – specifically the cholesterol-rich egg yolks which where the entire egg gets its nutritional value from. MK-4 content 32 mcg/100g.
Dark Poultry – meat that’s darker in color such as goose and duck. Much richer in vitamins than white chicken. MK-4 content 31 mcg/100g.
Butter – I can’t believe...that good old butter with its yellow color. Really good as long as you don’t confuse it with margarine. MK-4 content 15 mcg/100g.
Liver and Organ Meats – probably the most nutrient dense foods on the planet are liver, heart, and other organ meats. One of the best sources of dietary vitamin A and D, which are essential for vitamin K utilization. MK-4 content 14 mcg/100g.
Sauerkraut and Fermented Foods – another form of bioavailable vitamin K1 as well as K2. Paradoxically, the K2 and B vitamin content of fermented foods comes from the live bacteria in them, not the cabbage itself. So, sauerkraut is still actually an animal-based food. MK-7 content 5 mcg/100g.
Raw Milk and Kefir – more unprocessed food that’s rich in vitamins and some live bacteria. Pasteurized milk just kills all the juice, figuratively speaking. MK-4 content 2 mcg/100g.
As you can see, these foods are again quite high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which have been deemed as dietary killers for so long. Fun fact, consuming trans fats blocks the actions of Vitamin K2, which would make everything even worse regards to arterial health and inflammation.
The reality is that it’s not the butter that’s causing heart problems – it’s the bread that you’re spreading it on. Even worse, if you’re making fried toast with eggs and oil, then you’re literally driving up inflammation through the roof. With a few minor adjustments, such as not using oxidized oils or avoiding the gluten-heavy grains, butter would be one of the healthiest fats in your diet.
Meat Kills?
As we’ve seen so far, animal foods and fats are one of the most nourishing things for your body and they have many health benefits. Ho
wever, in the zeitgeist of nutrition, meat, in particular, has received a bad reputation as it’s considered not only responsible for heart disease but also cancer.
In a 2017 report, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed bacon, sausage, and other processed meats as “group 1 carcinogens.” This puts them into the same category as tobacco, alcohol, and arsenic. Red meat was categorized as „group 2 carcinogen,“ which makes it „probably carcinogenic“ to humans. From WHO:
The classification is based on limited evidence from epidemiological studies showing positive associations between eating red meat and developing colorectal cancer as well as strong mechanistic evidence.[490]
Speculations about animal foods causing cancer have dated as far back as 1975 well into the era of the diet heart hypothesis[491]. Recent reports in the Journal Nature also suggest a possible mechanism linking red meat consumption with heart disease[492]. However, reviews of studies on red meat and cancer have seen inconclusive results[493].
The biggest mistake I see is that processed meats tend to be put into the same category as natural meats. Of course, eating hot dogs and sausages can’t be good for you. Eating processed meat such as hot dogs and burgers increases risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes[494]. Those meats include many other ingredients such as sugar, chemicals, as well as the gluten-laden wheaty bun it’s consumed with. Furthermore, people who eat processed meat ala the SAD diet tend to follow other poor lifestyle habits, such as not exercising enough, over-eating calories, too much stress, not enough sleep, including others.
Eating meat in the context of a healthy diet does not have the same effect as eating meat in the context of an unhealthy diet. A large meta-analysis that included over 1,2 million participants found that the consumption of unprocessed red meat is not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke or diabetes[495].