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2002/12/09, 02:27 PM
Here's a short one about fats. Not terribly informative, but there's some good points in there.
A Fat Road Map
By Kit Snedaker
One thing you can count on... "Fat" is a buzz word for the '2000's Not only are we eating less fat, but we are talking about it more. Words like cholesterol and saturated fat appeared first. We are quite comfortable with them now. Monounsaturated oil and polyunsaturated oil, which followed, are dropped into the conversation of smart dinner parties as though they were the secrets of the stars.
Now we are hearing things about hig density lipids (HDL), low density lipids (LDL) and fatty acids. Followed by such inside fatty acid scoop as omega-3 and omega-6. When some pundit began to talk about free radicals, recently, I knew that I needed a fat road map to lead me out of this thicket. So I scratched my head, did a lot of reading and came up with some Simple Fat Facts.
The healthiest fat, I discovered, is not saturated (animal fats, butter, lard). It is monounsaturated and the more monounsaturated the better. The American Heart Association has been recommending that polyunsaturated fat be limited to 10 percent of calories. The reason everyone fights shy of saturated fat like butter is that it brings cholesterol into the body. Cholesterol is the substance that clogs arteries. Each of us makes cholesterol and rarely needs help with it from outside sources like butter.
To make things a little more confusing, there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Good is called high density lipids (HDL). These seem to coax cholesterol into the blood stream and out of the body. Bad cholesterol is low density lipids or LDL, the sticking kind. A simple cholesterol reading doesn't mean much anymore. Doctors look for the ratio of HDL to LDL and stand up and cheer when the HDL is high.
So what does that mean in terms of my kitchen? Up until now olive oil and canola oil have led the monounsaturated pack, at 74 percent and 58 percent respectively. Recently, however, macadamia nut oil turned up with 80 percent monounsaturated, won the blue ribbon for most monounsaturated and became the oil of choice. Not only is this oil more monounsaturated, it has, according to on-going studies at the University of Hawaii, a better ratio of omega-3 to omega-6.
All you have to know about these fatty acids is that both are important to good health. However, omega-3 is generally in short supply in our diet but when it appears in sufficient quantities it seems to improve chances of avoiding heart disease, colon cancer and arthritis. Too much omega-6 counteracts this beneficial effect of omega-3. Macadamia nut oil is the only fat with a favorable ratio of omega-3 to omega-6.
On top of that, macadamia nut oil doesn't burn until it's heated to a whopping 389°. Ideal temperature for stir-frying or sautéing is 365°. Olive oil burns at about 200°.Even though you may not stir-fry or deep fry, a good monounsaturated oil, like macadamia nut oil also has a long shelf life. It contains natural antioxidants and doesn't turn rancid quickly. Rancid oils release free radicals. Without going on and on about these, all you have to know is that free radicals are bad. Health Naturally (June/July 1993) describes them as "volatile, renegade molecular fragments. They can drastically change cell membranes, suppress the immune system and promote the development of cancer and arteriosclerosis."
My fat road map goes straight by such polyunsaturated oils as peanut, safflower, corn, and soy, and on to macadamia nut oil. "The worst oils for cooking are safflower, sunflower, corn and soy," Health Naturally (June/July 1993) says. "These are the ones with the greatest potential to produce toxic compounds when heated."
But a road map isn't much good at the dinner table. Taste is what counts there. Olive oil certainly has a good, fruity flavor that's hard to duplicate. Canola has no flavor. Macadamia nut oil, however, brings with it the subtle, nutty, I-wonder-what-tastes- so-good flavor of macadamia nuts. It's not overwhelming. Nothing in this oil screams nuts. The flavor is just a gentle suggestion, a hint, an interesting question mark. I'm saying just because it's good for you, something in this world doesn't have to taste like cod liver oil. Here's one something that is both best of breed and good enough to make your heart and arteries happy at the same time.
Nor does it break your food budget. Macadamia nut oil costs no more than EVOO or Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for it's cold pressed from Hawaiian macadamia nuts which are either too small or are cosmetically imperfect for the more expensive, "snack grade" kernels sold in packages or candies -- and Hawaii produces over 70% of theworld supply of the delicious nut.
Less is certainly more in this case. Monounsaturated, with a favorable ratio of omega-3 to omega-6, high smoking point, long shelf life, with a subtle hint of flavor, macadamia nut oil is the newcomer with star qualities. But never mind all that goodness. Just drop it into any dinner table conversation and ride the ripples of talk it creates. Macadamia nut oil? How chic. Don't tell them it's also wholesome. That would spoil everything.
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"Don't follow leaders and watch your parking meters!"
-- Bob Dylan
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