Oils and free radicals

I was unable to post yesterday and I am sorry. I will have a complete meal to make up for that in today's post. To finish the topic on Oils. There are so many on the shelves today, it is easy to be unsure which to pick. Everyone has their favorites, but not all are good for you and some need to be stored just right to keep fresh.
First, when you are purchasing a oil, whether olive oil, safflower, or canola. It needs to be Cold Pressed. This will insure that the high temperatures have not Oxidized the molecules that create Free Radicals. Free Radicals are damaging to the body in that they break the body down and cause cancer. When damaged cells come in contact with these scavenger molecules, they steal molecules from healthy cells and cause them to be damaged making a chain reaction of destruction. A great example of this is shown in www.thegreatproduct.com/hammond. The body has to fight hard to get back to balance and stop these free Radicals from continuing and then restore the damaged cells and tissue.
When oils have been heated to 375-400 degrees they start to create this oxidation in the oil. When you buy cold pressed oils you do not have to worry about that. Then you have to think about how to cook with it correctly. You can heat the oil but try not to heat above the 375 degrees. That means you want to avoid eating fried foods, if you do very seldom. When cooking over the stove, it is mostly used for infusing taste and seasonings, the oil is not used for to long.
The oils that are best to use are Olive Oil, Canola, and Coconut Oil. I try to put all my oils in the refrigerator to keep them fresh longer. The Coconut oil is amazing because you can nourish your skin after being in the sun for to long, it replenishes lost Vitamin F and K. It is even used as a natural sunscreen if used correctly, just rub the oil over the skin the night before going out in the sun. That way the skin has absorbed the qualities it needs.
It would be nice to also mention that the saturated oils and fats that you consume become cholesterol. Some times that cholesterol like oils are stored in the skin, just underneath. When you are out in the sun you need to take correct precautions to avoid over exposure, but when out for at least 20- 30 minutes in the sunlight that cholesterol is transformed into Vitamin D. The only natural and true way the body absorbs the Vitamin D is when the body makes it. So you get rid of unwanted cholesterol and you make Vitamin D, it's a very good thing. That is why it is so important to make sure you and your children are outside getting fresh air and letting the body do this amazing transformation. You always need Vitamin D to assist in the absorption of Calcium. Children need this for there fast growing bones and adults to maintain there bone integrity. If Vitamin D is low it can cause irritability, as well as bone problems.
Oils have many beneficial items as well like omega 3 and more. That will have to be another day though.
Today's recipe is one of my favorites.

Baked Zitti
1 package of whole wheat pasta.
1 lb of ground turkey meat
The chunky tomato sauce recipe from post(dangers of Add' 6-19-09)
1 lb Mozzarella cheese
1 Zucchini sliced Julianne
1 tbsp seasoning of sesame seeds and dulse- great taste and great vitamins and minerals

Start wit the tomato sauce you will need time to allow that to cook down, then boil the pasta and brown the meat. I then add zucchini, meat and seasoning to the chunky tomato sauce mix and simmer for another 6 minutes. Then add pasta and sauce mixture to oven temper dish and add the cheese to the top. Baked in 250 degrees for 20 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve a fresh tossed salad.

Dessert is 1/2 cup of yogurt with mixed fresh berries on top.

Have a blessed and healthy day.

The Rise of Margarine

In France the year 1869, butter became in short supply and they created a prize to see who could come up with a cheaper attractive substitute. A man named M. Hippolyte Mege took first place. He took the most inexpensive fats that were available, the drippings of meat packing, and added a mixture of milk and yogurt to add flavor. This was a similar resemblance, but no one was fooled, but it was used as an alternative for the cost. Later, during World War II they had to come up with a yet a cheaper way to substitute for butter fat due to rations. The small lard looking packs were handed out with yellow food coloring. So with meal times you would see people mixing their "butter" which was just lard and coloring. This actually became a normal routing even in the American households. We just kept coming up with cheaper ways to extract fats. Now it's the vegetable fats that were extracted, for these were much less costly than the price of fats from meat Industries. More science went into the process and no longer did you have to mix it yourself. The way the chemical chains bonded with the vegetable fats resulting in holding the structure and even melted like butter. YEAH! It is this processed form of margarine that holds oxygen atoms that cause it to go rancid faster than real Butter. So today's Margarine is mostly vegetable fat. It is important to note that once a vegetable has been "hydrogenated" a new fat has been created. It's a completely new, man made, synthetic fat. This has been linked with a higher rate of heart attacks.
I found that interesting, this is the example of how most of our food is made today. Every business wants to know where can we can cut cost, how can we make this cheaper. We as consumers say, "Wow, the price is down" and we run for it's the same. We're just amazed they can come up with new ways of developing it. The once tasty and mildly nutritious Butter of old is now a chunk of fat, synthetically made, that could increase risks of heart problems, but you will not read that on the label.
You might want to be leery of anything that contains hydrogenated oils. You can find this in your margarine's, Peanut Butter, and other places as well. There are companies that do make them with out that oil both Butter and Peanut Butter.
Just think of the items you use margarine and peanut butter in breakfast lunch and dinner. It's everywhere. My children love peanut butter with apples, bananas, and sandwiches. The amount of times I subjected them to this is amazing. There are more natural choices just read the labels. No Hydrogenated oils and little salt. Especially since "nearly three million children between the ages of 6 and 17 suffer from high blood pressure"- summarized from the Vitamin Supplement Journal.
It can be a little confusing so I hope to break it down for you. There is a lot of description as to how long the molecule chains can go and break down process, let's just skip to the important facts. Saturated fats are from animals, they will be solid at room temperature. An example would be cooking lard. Unsaturated are the vegetable fats and they will be in liquid form.
Tomorrow we can talk about your cooking oils between Olive, Canola, and Vegetable. Which ones you want to cook with and are better for the body, you will be surprised.

If you do not want to make your own fresh peanut butter, these are great brands. Adams, Arrowhead Mills, Spanky's, Toner, and Maranatha.

Make your own Peanut Butter in ten minutes.
1 1/2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
1 tbsp peanut oil
In processor, blender, blend both ingredients until smooth or chunky as you want it. Store in a glass gar and refrigerate. It will stay good for 2 weeks.

Another Favorite of mine is Yogurt Peanut Butter Dip
1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 tbsp natural peanut butter
Mix together until smooth and keep cool. We eat these with fruit and veggies. Real hit at parties!!!

Have a Blessed and Healthy day!