Low-fat diets age us faster

Fats fuel your mitochondria

One of the most typical things I see on the lab testing I do is mitochondrial dysfunction. Now if your last biology class was decades ago, this might seem a bit iffy to you. So here is the deal on our mitochondria in short: our mitochondria power the biochemical reactions in our cells.

When our mitochondria are not functioning at their peak, we feel tired, lethargic and age quicker.

Mitochondria prefer to be fueled on fat. They require carnitine, co-q10, riboflavin and fat to function properly. Remember that our cells need a balanced variety of fat for optimal health - healthy fats are: butter, ghee, virgin coconut oil, cream, avocado, virgin olive oil, cold-processed flax oil, walnuts, macadamia, seeds and fish oil.

If we only eat one type of fats, we risk inflammation because saturated fats are just as important for us as unsaturated - they need to be balanced. Our cell membranes consist primarily of cholesterol and saturated fats, so if we are not getting enough saturated fat, our cell membranes get compromised and this offsets all sort of immune health related diseases and hormonal issues.

A simple rule of thumb for getting balanced fat intake for optimal brain and body health: 

• Use plant oils like olive oil, flax oil, and avocado oil on salads

• Cook with butter or coconut oil

• Spread butter on bread

• Eat a handful of nuts or seeds as a snack

• Take a daily fish oil supplement containing approx. 1000 mg EPA and 500 mg DHA

If we think we have been eating "healthy" by completely cutting out fat and/or meat, we might want to think again.

Get tested and see if what YOU are doing currently eating-wise is actually, well, wise for you at a cell-level.

Reference: BBA Clinical. Volume 1, June 2014, Pages 12-23. Association of mitochondrial dysfunction and fatigue