Fats-or lipids-are a class of organic substances that are not soluble in water. In simple terms, fatty acids are chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms filling the available bonds. Most fat in our bodies and in the food we eat is in the form of triglycerides, that is, three fatty-acid chains attached to a glycerol molecule. Elevated triglycerides in the blood have been positively linked to proneness to heart disease, but these triglycerides do not come directly from dietary fats; they are made in the liver from any excess sugars that have not been used for energy. The source of these excess sugars is any food containing carbohydrates, particularly refined sugar and white flour.
No one can dispute that mother's milk is the ideal nutrition, as far as the biochemical composition is concerned. It contains three to 11 grams of fat per one gram of protein (0.4% unsaturated fat). The conclusion is obvious - if Nature included such a minute quantity of that constituent in such a wonderful food, then we should respect it. Meanwhile, people are being persuaded that plant-derived fats containing polyunsaturated fatty acids which do not exist in mothers’ milk, are healthy. Nothing is more misleading.
The best are the fats which contain the highest percentage of energy contributing constituents, or in other words, such in which COOH group is attached to the longest fatty acid chain. Short fatty acid chains contain around 30-40% of energy-contributing constituents, the longest ones more than 90%. Long-chain fatty acids fully saturated with hydrogen, yields approx. 10 cal/g when metabolised, the same as petrol. Fat's value as a "fuel" for our body increases with the increase in the amount of hydrogen per gram of carbon in its molecule, with the increase in the energy-contributing constituents. Chemically, the best are long-chain fully saturated fatty acids, that is to say, solid fats of animal origin. Only fats with the length of the chain above 10 carbon atoms are suitable to be utilised by our cells and tissues without conversion. These fats are directed straight to the blood stream via the lymphatic system, and they do not have to be converted and made suitable by the liver, as is the case with inferior fats (with shorter chains), or all other constituents of consumed and digested foods. Long chain fatty acids are the best medication for those suffering from liver diseases. Chemically and factually long chain fatty acids are the best "fuel" for our bodies.
The less saturated with hydrogen the chains, the more inferior the "fuel". One has to remember that when buying fats. A margarine is made from unsaturated fats by inserting hydrogen into them. Metal ions are used as a catalyst and some remain in the margarine. These are not neutral to our health. Furthermore, hydrogen inserted into unsaturated fat in that process does not bind to the carbon atom in the same formation in which it is present in natural fats. Half of the hydrogen binds in the so-called cis formation, and the other half in transformation. In natural fats all of the hydrogen is bound in cis formation. Our bodies are set up for the metabolism of such fats.
The best fats are of animal origin, solid fats, eaten within natural animal tissues. Pork rind will always be better than a lard, and pork dewlap better than eel or salmon. Provided one eats optimally. Lard may by less damaging than pork rind when eaten as a part of wrong nutrition. This won't be direct damage, but an indirect one.
The most suitable for humans are fats contained in the yolk of a hen’s egg. Those contained in quails' egg are similar, but these eggs are far more expensive. The real value of egg yolk fats, for our body, according to a reliable scientific investigation, is four times higher than the value of the fat from butter or cream, and dramatically higher than the biological (and factual) value of the remaining fats.
Under no circumstances should we mix different kinds of fuel or the two different sources of energy: fats and carbohydrates, more precisely we should maintain a correct proportion between the two.
By eating animal fats we not only receive concentrated energy, but we also receive all the fat- accompanying elements needed to obtain this energy, in the necessary quantity and proportion. The human body metabolises animal fats easily and such metabolism is energetically economical. The digestive system is designed to slowly deliver the building blocks and energy containing matter. When choosing fats for consumption, especially during the initial phase of the optimal diet, the tables included at the end of this book should be consulted. When setting daily menus and during preparation of dishes, the fat content of primary products should be taken in to account.