How does oil relate to our health?

The objective of this article is to analyze oil’s impact to the human’s diet from a research and practical knowledge-based view. The aim of this article is to give readers another perspective on the ‘benefits’ of oils in their diet, so that the reader begins to question the use of oils in their diet, and without prejudice, take the information provided, do their own practical experiment to find out whether the concepts discussed in this article is in fact valid and pass judgement after they themselves have experienced the findings of this research to the fullness of their ability.

What are fats?

Macro-nutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. The science community and the USDA database state that all oils are 100% fat void of protein and carbohydrates; further, oils, regardless of type, are high calorie. Oils contain almost 1000 calories per 100g, as stated by the USDA database. Additionally, the over consumption of protein, complex carbohydrates, starches, refined sugars, cooked plant-based food, and animal-based foods are all stored as fat as Howell (1995), Campbell (2006), and Graham (2008) have all concluded.

Findings from studies and researchers

Information found from various sources claim that oils such as olive oil or coconut oil are healthy. The nutrients found in olive oil or coconut oil is irrelevant because those very same nutrients that area supposedly found in those oils and much more can be found in all whole fruits; further, fruits and vegetables have fiber and water which are major requirements for the digestion process as discussed by Campbell (2006), Graham (2008) and so on.

The renown and well respected T. Colin Campbell, PhD, from Cornell University has a different philosophy when researching nutrition; Campbell (2006) has successfully taken a broader view on research of nutrients. Instead of examining nutrients as isolates, he looks at macro-nutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates) as a whole, but more specifically, he classifies diets into two main categories: animal-based and plant-based. In addition, both Graham (2008) and Campbell (2006) both very clearly explain how whole foods are better than refined foods. Refined or processed foods are food that have been altered in some technological way. Any dictionary will define refined and processed as removing unwanted elements. Whole foods contain all the necessary elements in their original form.

Adding oils to meals significantly raises the total fat levels to dangerous levels well above 10% of total daily calories; a few table spoons a day of any oils may easily raise the total daily calories of fat to greatly above 50% because of being so high in (dense) calories. Remarkable findings from The China Study by Campbell and Campbell (2006) very clearly tells us that countries with the highest total consumption of fat have the highest cancer and chronic disease rates of all countries (Hundreds of these migrant reports are available online). Dr McDougall has been very successful in helping individuals with heart disease by bringing their total daily fat consumption very close to or below 10%. Graham (2008) has been very successful with having extreme pro athletes performing above par in their sport with fat consumption well below 10%. In lectures, Graham has been quoted explaining how fat% above 10% leads to chronic disease, which he has gathered from his research, and Campbell and Campbell (2006) have also remarkably showed this in their research. Any physiology book will explain that the human body functions on simple, whole carbohydrates: When individuals under consume simple, whole carbohydrates, they have over consumed in protein and fats. The over consumption in fats and proteins forces the body to go through a totally unnecessary process of converting those fats and proteins into carbohydrates to fuel the cells of the body as explained by Dr Graham (2008) in any one of his lectures and books. Essential fatty acids (oils) from fruits and vegetables, as clearly explained by Graham (2008), are required to be closest to a 1:1 ratio, the requirements of the human organism and the ratio of fat found in the brain. This same information can be found on a nutrition course at Cornell University in New York taught by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. According to the findings of Graham (2008) and Campbell and Campbell (2006), humans do not need more than 10%, and levels above lead to chronic health issues.

In his book, Food Combining Made Easy, Shelton (1940) remarkably explains how combining refined, processed fats, such as olive oil and coconut oil, with proteins and carbohydrates leads to putrefied proteins and fermentation of the carbohydrates. As further explained by Shelton, fats take a very long time to be processed in the stomach forcing the proteins and carbohydrates to wait in the stomach only to putrefy and ferment because the fats greatly reduces or ceases the enzyme secretion required to digest proteins and carbohydrates. The by-products from the putrefaction and fermentation lead to health issues.

Could there be other factors to the ‘benefits’ of oil consumption?

Sure there has been success with the use of adding oils to diets, or has there? This link between oils and better health may be caused by what is void in a diet versus the fat oils being a part of the diet. Could it be that those countries that use oils in meals such as Greece also consume a higher plant-based diet? Could the people of Greece be healthier if they were to remove the oils in their diet? The people in Greece have a greater rate of heart disease than the people in rural China who consume lower levels of total fat as remarkably shown by Campbell and Campbell (2006).

What does anatomy tell us?

Oils are not natural; they do not come naturally from nature; they are created by man with technology. Anatomy, the branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals, and other living organisms (any dictionary will result in a similar definition), tells us that all living organisms were born or develop everything they need to survive and thrive. The anatomy of the human organism does not have any mechanism which permits the creation of oils the way they are created today. Technology is not evolution.

Conclusion and solutions

Individuals have developed reasons, such as cultural reasons and weak scientific explanations, for being convinced of the benefits of oils. An emotional connection to certain oils may definitely be another reason that they are in our diets. Many cultures have included oils in their meals for thousands of years. However, the practice of oil consumption, in the form of pure oil, has not been around as long as the millions of year the consumption of fruits and selected, palatable, digestible vegetables have. Perhaps the oil producing industries have had a part in the education on the benefits of oil consumption – could this not be possible?

One of the ways of knowing if food is good for us is to question, as Graham (2008) says, whether it can be turned into a meal: such as a meal of either grapes, capsicum peppers or nuts. Most people would not have a meal of olive oil. As a solution, the human organism should only consume fruits and selected, palatable, digestible vegetables as we are anatomically and physiologically designed to. Simply eliminating oils out of our diet for a period of time may result in the elimination of acne, a reduction of stored fat or obesity, and a variety of chronic disease. Anyone who has realized the level of corruption and false information surrounding us should have no difficulty at the very least accepting the findings above to be at the very least possible.

Campbell TC and Campbell C (2006) The China Study. Texas, Benbella
Graham D (2008) The 80/10/10 Diet. Decatur, Foodnsport Press
Howell E (1995) Enzyme Nutrition. USA, Avery Publishing Group
McDougall J, drmcdougall.com
Shelton (1940) Food Combining Made Easy, Willow Publishing; 1st rev. print edition (June 1940)
USDA, usda.com

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