Trans Fats Can Make You Fat - Lose Weight Naturally
published articles By Narelle Stegehuis
The more I worked with women's health, the easier it is to support the 'organic movement'. With more of our food containing Trans Fatty Acids and Hormonal Disruptors also known as endocrine disruption chemicals (EDCs), it is little wonder that we are a wealthy, but not so healthy nation.
Our environment has changed - the super market is a minefield, full of highly processed foods engineered by food technologists to deliver maximum profits and foods with often negligible nutritional values. There is way too much food available, with too many companies fighting for a share of a market that already provides twice what anyone needs.
One of the biggest barriers to eating organic food is the cost - but is it a valid excuse? For example a bowl of vegetarian risotto, even using organic ingredients would cost say at most $10 to make & depending on what you pop into it can stretch easily to feed 4 adults. Not bad when you compare this to the cost of a family size bottle of Coke!
With family budgets tightening, it is even more important to turn to fresh seasonal, local produce to sustain good health.
I eat organic - I have for many years, even when my marriage failed leaving me a single parent on a part time income. I used loads of legumes, rice & pulses. I grew a few of my own veggies in pots like mushrooms, silver beet, fresh herbs & lettuce. I only had a small courtyard, but I still ate healthy, organic produce. These days I still grow my veggies at home, but I organized an organic buyers group - so we all benefit at a relatively low cost. I guess my point is - finance need not be an excuse, but it is the first one that people jump to in defense of organic produce. Even just buying organic root vegetables, milk, eggs & chicken can make a substantial impact upon your health & the environment. It doesn't need to be an all or nothing concept.
Apart from the taste, organic food is better for our bodies & creates less impact on the environment.
Fluctuating hormones levels may influence headache patterns. But you're not at the mercy of your hormones. There is help to treat, or prevent, headaches.
I am convinced of an association between chemicals and hormonal conditions such as Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, Endometriosis, Sub Fertility & Thyroid imbalance. The biggest source of exposure for many people is their workplace, then their homes, followed by air, food and water. Of these, the easiest to control is our home environment and our diet.
Eating organic food, drinking pure water and watching our airborne chemical exposure can have profound effects on our health. When you add up the costs of illness in time off work and medical expenses, eating organic food is much less expensive than eating non-organic foods.
So how is the harm done?
Trans Fats
With Trans Fat becoming such a main steam component of our food chain, (margarines, biscuits, fried foods & processed foods) the prevalence of medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer are increasing. Over the long term, they interfere with your body's ability to ingest and utilize the good fats & promote fatty body tissue to synthesize small amounts of testosterone and related hormones. These play roles in fuelling hormonal imbalances such as Polycystic Ovarian Disorder, Fibroids, Endometriosis, PMT, Menopausal symptoms & low libido.
The TFA's stop the essential fatty acids (derived from fish & good nuts important for balancing sex hormones) from getting into the cell wall. So they have to find somewhere else to go. Over time, more and more TFA's block more cells – so new fat cells have to be built to keep them in - so you get fatter.
Trans Fats affect, Insulin, and Growth Hormone
Now there is an excess of insulin in the bloodstream. Result? Ravenous hunger, low energy and light-headedness mood swings & teariness. You then have to eat and you have to eat carbs to satisfy the hunger.
The long-term effect is lots of carbs, lots of overeating and a total inability to generate growth hormone (which is only released in the absence of insulin). Without growth hormone, less muscle is created, so there is less of an opportunity to burn the fat!
Your Metabolism Slows : Oils derived from soybeans etc slow down your Thyroid, which lowers your energy levels, makes you feel less like exercising and generally make you fatter!
Hormonal imbalance : Along with making us gain weight, TFA's can also interfere with the production of prostaglindins which may increase the severity and incidence of PMS, Painful periods and Endometriosis.
Weight gain and abdominal obesity are strongly associated with insulin resistance. Evidence suggests that hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin) increases ovarian androgen production and decreases serum SHBG (Sex hormone-binding globulin that binds to sex hormones, specifically Testosterone and Estradiol). Increased androgen production and reduced binding of androgens to SHBG contribute to Hyperandrogenism, resulting in a lack of ovulation & increased facial hair – imbalances found in women diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome.
Your mood changes: In a recent study at the University of Guelph, Dr. Bruce Holub has demonstrated that the huge increase in TFA's in our diets over the last twenty years has been the main factor in the rise of the new generation of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in children & could even contribute to mood changes in adults such as anxiety, depression, aggression and poor concentration.
His research has shown that TFA interferes with the absorption of Omega-3 Fattyacids which are physiologically important for brain function.
Trans Fats and Hormone Disruptors (EDC'S)
It's a relatively new discovery that hormone disruptors can mimic estrogen or other important chemical that help run our bodies.
It's scary when you think about the impact of hormone disruptors on our health, give we have such a great exposure to them. A simple process of chomping into a piece of fruit that is likely to have been treated with Endosulfan, an organochlorine pesticide, will give you an unintended dose of hormones disruptors - so you can run, but you can't hide!
Our food chain is laden with EDC's. These are not some fancy new weapon developed by modern science to destroy life as we know it. Rather, they are chemicals that we use everyday, from cleaning to body care. They exist because we support the industries that use them ... by buying their products!
What is disturbing is that levels of DDT & its metabolites are still testing positive in people. Given that this chemical pesticide wan banned in the 1970's, where does it come from?
While DDT is banned for use in Australia, it is still used in other countries that we regularly trade with to access cheaper food - so it makes its way back into this country in our food chain.
The big question is whether or not the accumulation of pesticide residues in non-organic foods is a real health concern or not. The clearest studies that we have about pesticide residues and disease are those looking at breast cancer. In the last few years there have been a series of studies, each building upon the other, looking at the level of DDT, DDE, and PCB’s in women. They have very clearly shown that chemical residues in the serum and fat cells of women greatly increase the risk of breast cancer. Since breast cancer is a major killer of women in this country it is reasonable to say that avoidance of pesticide residues in food (the only known route of exposure to DDT in this country), could save numerous lives and reduce our health care cost dramatically.
Every challenge to the mind and body creates a demand on the adrenals. The result is adrenal glands that are constantly on high alert. The adrenal glands are important control centers for many of the body's hormones. The outer layer of the gland produces cortisol, DHEA, oestrogen and testosterone. The centre of the glands produces adrenaline.
Embracing healthy food changes not only improves health, but deals with the problems of environment and world hunger without renouncing the right to pleasure.
I really believe that the price of organic foods is worth every cent. When you consider the health benefits to the consumer, the farmer, the earth, there is no argument. Taste is personal, but the bottom line is if we are consuming foods laden with artificial pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilisers, it is going to have the same damaging effect on our bodies, live, our ecosystem, the earth. As consumers we can really make a difference every time we shop. Even a little organic in your diet is better than none at all!
Narelle Stegehuis, CEO of MassAttack is a practising naturopath specialising in the research and development of natural treatment programs for women with hormonal imbalances, which have contributed to such symptoms as weight gain, cravings, anxiety and mood swings. Uniquely for patient convenience her programs are also offered via the internet. She is both an accomplished writer and recent recipient of the Australian Naturopathic Excellence Award 2006.
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