Unmasking Toxic Fats

Eating the right foods to reduce inflammation over a holiday weekend isn’t always easy.  The burgers and hot dogs are everywhere, along with tons of unhealthy fats hidden in dips and sauces.  And unhealthy fats can be a huge trigger for autoimmunity, because they store up toxicity in a big way. 

It’s easy to get this wrong at picnics and parties, but try not to – consider eating before you go, so you get great nutrition and can enjoy the company – or how about bringing your own healthy dish for everyone to enjoy?

Getting healthy fats and nutrition right can literally be a turning point in your journey.  It’s worth the extra work. Let’s look at fats for a minute, and why this matters so much.

Did you know that toxins accumulate in your own fat cells?

Fat can be really tricky, especially when we ingest it from animal proteins. Once you ingest the toxins from the fat of animals, those poisons actually accumulate in your own fat for years, maybe even decades – easily resulting in a huge toxin stockpile. 

The easy shift to make is to move to lean meats. Lean meats don’t store toxins. By switching to lean protein sources, you avoid toxic animal fat. 

Tip #1: Switch to “clean” organic proteins.

Phrases to look for are: wild-caught, grass-fed, free-range, or pasture-raised.

Tip #2: Skip “Reduced-Fat” or “Non-Fat” Foods.

These foods VERY often contain artificial additives to make up for the fat removed.

Tip #3: Choose Organic Oils

Choose beneficial whole food sources like nuts and seeds and the cold-pressed organic oils made from them, rather than chemically processed industrial seed oils. And make sure to purchase oils stored in glass bottles, to avoid toxic chemicals leaching from the plastic. Consider the following healthy alternatives to most “household” oils: Organic olive oil, nut oils (almond, walnut, pistachio, macadamia, and pecan), avocado oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, and red palm oil.

Dr. Tiffany Caplan & Dr. Brent Caplan

PS: Have fun exploring the creative and flavorful recipes in Dr. Caplan’s cookbook “Friendly Recipes to Calm the Fires of Inflammation.” These delicious recipes are great support for lowering inflammation due to lupus or other autoimmune disease symptoms.