1) “ FAT IS FAT ” FALSE!
Certainly, fats all have the same energy value (1g = 9 Kcal), but from a nutritional point of view, no two are alike!
There are three main families of fats:
- Fats (MG) mainly composed of SATURED Fatty Acids : they mainly play an energy role. They are therefore necessary, but should not be consumed in excess so as not to promote pathologies such as obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. So limit it! They are found mainly in animal fats (cold meats, dairy products, red meat), and more rarely also in certain vegetable fats (palm oil, coconut oil). They are often hidden in prepared meals, pastries and pastries, because saturated fats resist high temperatures very well and are “cheap”.
- MG mainly composed of MONO-UNSATURED Fatty Acids (Omega-9) : these are fluid fats which therefore promote cardiovascular prevention. The oils richest in Omega-9 are Oleic Sunflower oil and Olive Oil. It is also found in Rapeseed oil. Omega-9 is not considered an essential fatty acid for the body. On the other hand, it is valuable in cooking because it is very stable at high temperatures.
- MG mainly composed of POLY-UNSATURED Fatty Acids : the rarest, but by far the most interesting for our health. The two leaders of this family are Omega-3 and Omega-6 . They are called Essential Fatty Acids because they are essential for the proper functioning of our body, and above all, our body does not know how to produce them on its own. It is therefore necessary to provide them through food. Omega-6 is found in sunflower, rapeseed, wheat germ, borage and evening primrose oil and Omega-3 is found in linseed, camelina, rapeseed and hemp oil, but also in lamb's lettuce salad, nuts, and duck and goose fats.
- Oily fish are also an excellent source of Omega-3. But these are specific Omega-3s, called EPA and DHA , which ensure the proper development of our brain, our heart and our retina (vision). Eating fatty fish twice a week has been shown to have direct health benefits.
Not all oils are the same. Far from it and the choice of fats, seemingly harmless, has a real influence on our daily health.
2) “FAT MAKES YOU GAIN WEIGHT” FALSE!
What fats are we talking about? And in what proportions?
Excess saturated fats associated with a lack of physical activity actually promote obesity. On the other hand, it has been proven that adequate consumption of Omega-3 promotes weight loss. Good fat makes you lose weight!
It is essential to dispel this preconceived idea about “enemy” fat which leads to lipophobia that is catastrophic for our health. Depriving the body of (good) fat amounts to depriving it of Essential Fatty Acids essential to its proper functioning with terrible consequences on a cardiovascular, cerebral and inflammatory level.
All experts agree that fats should represent around 35% of our daily energy intake. These contributions make it possible to nourish the membranes of all our cells, throughout our lives. An excellent reason to be vigilant and favor sources of fat that are truly beneficial for our cells and our health on a daily basis.
“Good fat is life” our Naturopath friends regularly remind us.
3) “ YOU SHOULD NOT GIVE FAT TO A BABY ” FALSE!
The Nutri-Bébé 2013 study showed that 80% of babies are deficient in fat. Researchers explain this phenomenon by "lipophobia" which leads parents to eliminate fat from their children's plates.
This fear of fat deprives Baby of essential nutrients when he needs them most to build solid foundations.
Up to 3 years old, a baby has specific needs that only a suitable diet can meet. The quality of your diet is of major importance for your health with repercussions on your entire life.
Fats represent the only dietary source of Omega-3, Omega-6 and DHA for Baby. Nutrients that contribute to the development of its cellular structure, its heart, its retina and especially its brain.
Breast milk, a reference food, is naturally rich in Omega-3 and DHA. When diversifying your diet, it is therefore essential to continue to provide these key nutrients through a diet sufficiently rich in fat.
But not all oils are equal!
Olive oil, for example, does not contain Omega-3 and not enough Omega-6 to meet Baby's needs. Neither does butter. You have to vary the oils and combine them in perfect proportion
4) “ OLIVE OIL IS THE BEST FOR HEALTH ” FALSE!
Olive oil does not contain the most important essential fatty acids for our body: no Omega-3, very little Omega-6, no DHA, no Gamma-Linolenic Fatty Acid. Its lipid profile, mainly composed of Oleic Acid (Omega-9), is not of particular interest from a nutritional point of view.
It is the nuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and fatty fish contained in the Cretan diet which provide Omega-3, Omega-6 and DHA to our body. Not olive oil!
The two main virtues of olive oil are taste and its resistance to heat. So we can legitimately be surprised by all these studies on olive oil and all this media hype for 25 years? To understand, we have to go back to the end of the 1980s. At that time, the European Union voted, as part of its Common Agricultural Policy, to subsidize the cultivation of the Olive tree, the European crop par excellence.
Production intensified and yields exploded, generating numerous surpluses that had to be sold at a time when European consumption of olive oil was limited to the Mediterranean regions.
The best way to sell “fat” is to exploit the health sector. The European Union therefore financed:
- campaigns combining the benefits of the Cretan diet with those of olive oil
- studies comparing the benefits of olive oil to those of butter !
- studies on the role of polyphenols knowing that they are only very weakly present and very irregularly from one olive oil to another.
Manufacturers seized the opportunity and encouraged this very profitable trend (1 liter of olive sells on average for 5 euros on the shelves compared to 2 euros for the ideal sunflower to multiply its turnover by 2.5!). Unilever launched PUGET, Lesieur launched Lesieur Olive and Carapelli in France. Our plate from North to South was manipulated and held hostage with a dramatic nutritional consequence: that of accentuating our Omega-3 deficits.
25 years later, olive oil has established itself on our plates and has become essential in cooking.
You like its taste: combine it with other oils rich in Omega-3, Omega-6 and Vitamin E.
You don't like its taste: do without it without scruple or fear in favor of oils such as rapeseed, hemp, or any mixture rich in Omega-3, Omega-6 and Vitamin E.
5) “ SOME OILS ARE LIGHTER THAN OTHERS” : FALSE!
The oils are all composed of 100% lipids and all provide 900 Kcal / 100g. There is therefore no such thing as a light oil or supposedly fatty or heavy oil.
This “light oil” image was created in the 80s by Unilever and its “Fruit d’Or” sunflower oil!
A famous advertisement featured Professor Tournesol (in Tintin) flying above his chair exclaiming: "It's light, light, light", as opposed to the peanut oil widely consumed at that time. era. This argument of lightness led people to believe that peanut was a “fatty and heavy” oil, and gradually, sunflower replaced peanut in our kitchens.
Today, this argument (lightness) could not be exploited by manufacturers. The regulations prohibit it because there is no such thing as “light” oil. This is a false and misleading claim.
6) “ YOU SHOULD NEVER HEAT RAPESEED OIL” : FALSE!
For a long time, public authorities have recommended not heating oils rich in Alpha-Linolenic Fatty Acids (Omega-3), such as rapeseed oil, for fear of generating undesirable substances such as Trans Fatty Acids, a source of bad cholesterol or cardiovascular diseases.
Since 2005, this restriction has been abandoned, with health authorities preferring to insist on compliance with good practices. In fact, it is technically possible to heat an oil rich in Omega-3, provided that it is composed of at least 50% Oleic Acid (Omega-9) and that it is rich in Vitamin E. Oleic Acid gives the oil its stability when heated. As for Vitamin E, it protects the oil from oxidation.
Linseed oil (used alone), very rich in Omega-3 but containing neither Oleic Acid nor Vitamin E, should under no circumstances be heated! Rapeseed oil, on the other hand, tolerates heat. It is still preferable to use it cold or at the end of cooking to benefit from all its benefits and not to bring it to very high temperatures (frying > 180°C).
7) “ VEGETABLE OMEGA-3 = OMEGA-3 OF MARINE ORIGIN ” FALSE!
The Omega-3 family is a big family. You should not put all Omega-3 in the same basket. There are several, very different both in terms of structure (short chain and long chain) and in terms of benefits for our health.
The food industry tends to lump together all Omega-3s to maximize the health trend of these wonderful nutrients.
In reality, two types of Omega-3 should be distinguished:
- Short-chain Omega-3s called ALA (Alpha-Linolenic) of plant origin
- Long-chain Omega-3s called EPA ( eicosapentaenoic ) and especially DHA ( docosahexaenoic ), which are mainly found in fatty fish (not to be confused with DHEA which is an androgen).
- Omega-3s are all essential for our health since they influence our entire cellular structure.
- However, one Omega-3 requires particular vigilance: DHA !
- It plays an important role in the proper development and functioning of the brain, retina and heart .
- Also called Cervonic Acid , DHA constitutes more than 20% of the fatty acids in neuronal membranes. It is the main player in neurogenesis which takes place throughout our lives.
- A DHA deficiency thus leads to delays in the construction and development of certain brain structures in children, and to learning and memorization difficulties in adults.
- Dietary intake of DHA is essential during childhood but also after the age of 45, because our body's ability to synthesize DHA decreases considerably with age.
- Omega-3, and in particular DHA, protect and optimize brain functions and thus prevent behavioral and neurodegenerative pathologies.
- DHA is an Essential Fatty Acid , and therefore Indispensable , but paradoxically, it is very difficult to find in our modern diet. It is mainly present in fatty fish (sardines, mackerel, salmon, herring, tuna) and in certain algae.