Have you looked at a food label lately? If so you likely saw that below the main ingredients there’s a host of other words that, unless you majored in chemistry, you’ve probably never heard of. Some of these are not so bad, but others could be downright dangerous to the health of your brain. We will just review a few of the more common, and less healthy ones for now.
The first is hydrogenated or worse, partially hydrogenated oils. These are also referred to as “trans fats,” and are illegal to sell in restaurants throughout Europe. So what is hydrogen doing in our foods?
Prior to the 1960 most “store bought foods” containing oils or fats, if not sold soon enough, would go rancid while sitting on store shelves. Not healthy, not tasty and not profitable!
In 1902 a German chemist showed that when liquid vegetable oils were injected with hydrogen they did not go rancid. And in 1909 Proctor & Gamble acquired the rights to that process, and soon after Crisco and later margarin came to market – touted as healthier and easier to use. Not only did they not go rancid, but they were smoother and creamier, and easier to spread after being refrigerated.
Then in the 1980’s the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), as well as various influential physicians and other health advocacy groups in the US, launched a campaign to demonize saturated fat in our diets. And in it’s place they advocated for the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to replace them. With that push food manufacturers began to hydrogenate more of the fats and oils in the various foods they produced, such as peanut butters, salad dressings, and baked goods, like breads.
However, in the 1990’s there as backlash, as scientist discovered that, not only did microbes not like these altered oils, but our bodies seemed unable to assimilate them as well. And not only couldn’t our bodies break them down, but when they tried to utilize them for nutritional purposes, like building or repairing arteries or brain cells (made mostly of fats), they were useless. In fact they were worse than useless, as they were found to block the pathways needed to absorb other healthy fats that the brain needs, like the Omega-3 fatty acids; and they were found to increase LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol, and inhibit HDL (the good) cholesterol.
Hydrogenated fats, however, are not the only potentially harmful fats that we commonly consume, that can damage our vascular system and impact our brain. Consider these questions. Do you:
If so you should know that although Omega-6 fats play an important role in brain health, a high Omega-6 ratio to Omega-3’s can result in inflammation in the brain.
How about Canola oil? This is often touted as “healthy oil.” But, even though canola oil contains anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, it packs in twice as many omega-6 fatty acids. For optimal health, that ratio should actually be flipped! And in at least one study with mice Canola oil was shown to increase the risk for Alzheimer’s.
This may also the case with fried, especially deep fried, oils. While these oils may start out to be healthy, once we add extremely high heat, the reverse is true. The high temperatures needed to fry fats or oils will usually damage their structures to such an extent that they will be unfit for human consumption, and potentially damaging to our vascular system and brain. Click here for an insightful study, that can be downloaded, on the potentially harmful effects associated with frying foods.
Some Things to Consider:
If you have a jar of peanut butter, salad dressing, baked good, or any other product that might contains an oil, check the label before buying. Unless it’s a more “natural” product like Adams or it has a heart healthy logo, it’s likely to be hydrogenated. Bottom line:
“Plant-based, natural foods are always going to be your healthiest choices,” DiMarino encourages. “Fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds are the basis of a healthy eating plan. That’s the best way to avoid any kinds of trans fats and get all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs.” https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-trans-fats-are-bad-for-you
See the article by Dr. Axe, and/or the one form Cleveland Clinic for insights into how to avoid Trans Fats in your diet.
MSG and Depression - MSG is a ingredient found in many Asian dishes, to enhance the taste. The problem is, many other people appear to have an allergic reaction to MSG that can cause inflammation in the brain, terrible headaches, and devastating depression. If you have any of those symptoms and enjoy Chinese or Asian food, you need to check to make sure they do not contain MSG. Or at least avoid it for several weeks and see if your symptoms subside.
