acid does not seem to be such a health problem. (Palm-kernel oil is
also high in palmitic acid, but palm-fruit oil is not, and actually con-
tains important tocotrienols that can lower LDL cholesterol.)
Arachidonic acid — AA — is another component of saturated fat
that gives it a bad name. While small amounts are essential for health,
high AA levels are very unhealthy. AA is found in dairy, egg yolks,
meats and shellfish. However, the amounts in these foods are rela-
tively small compared to the amount of AA produced by the conver-
sion of omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oils in the average diet.
Like many other situations regarding fat, balance is the key. In the
case of AA, it’s an essential fatty acid, especially for the brain, for the
fetus, newborns and growing children. But in larger amounts it can
cause problems. Too much AA, either from saturated fat or vegetable
oil, can create chronic inflammation, bone loss, increased pain and
other problems discussed later.
The good side of saturated fat is important too. Stearic acid, for
example, has various health benefits for the immune system. This sat-
urated fatty acid is found in cocoa butter and grass-fed beef. And,
stearic acid can be converted within the body to monounsaturated
fat. Another healthy saturated fatty acid is lauric, which plays an
important role in energy production and has anti-viral and anti-bac-
terial actions, especially in the intestine (and the stomach in particu-
lar, against H. pylori). Coconut oil, high in saturated fat, is also high
in healthy lauric acid (and contains very little polyunsaturated fat,
making it an ideal fat for cooking).
In animal foods, which contain relatively high amounts of satu-
rated fat, the most important factor that determines the fatty acid pro-
file is the food consumed by the animal. Grass-fed beef, for example,
contains a much healthier content of fatty acids compared to corn-fed
beef. For the same reason, wild animals usually contain healthier
fatty-acid profiles than animals that are fed grain in confinement. In
plants, the soil plays a certain role in determining fatty acid content.
Before discussing a key feature in balancing dietary fats, it’s
worth looking at the fat content of various foods to demonstrate the
mixture of mono, poly and saturated fat in each. A few foods contain
predominantly one type of fat or another, but most foods, even oils,
contain a combination of all three. Many people are surprised to
BALANCING YOUR FATS • 71