Raw Facts on Raw Fats and Omega-3s
~ by Matthew Gaffney
Omega-3 fats and raw coconut oil are well understood and promoted as having radiant health-giving properties, and well they should be. But it wasn’t always so.
Omega-3’s got their well-deserved recognition after our modern day, sterilized, processed, and factory-farmed food economy largely became devoid of these healthy life-sustaining fatty acids — especially in relation to the over-consumed and often rancid Omega-6’s.
The once maligned raw coconut oil, and the entire coconut, is now known as a Superfood as well as a catalyst for Omega-3 absorption.
Mother Nature’s Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
Coconuts are my all-time favorite food in Mother Nature’s Earthly pantry. The fatty acid composition of raw coconut oil is similar in composition to what is found in Mothers’ milk. Compare this to the long chain saturated fat found in animals sources, which is much more difficult for the body to digest.
Although saturated fats were long maligned after hydrogenated versions of palm oils were used in animal and human testing many decades ago (“Can you say trans-fats?”) fortunately the raw food movement has prevailed and now it is well understood that raw coconuts and their fatty acids are a radiantly healthy choice.
Omega-3’s and The Fatty Acid Chain Gang
Many of the most precious parts of the human body are made up of Omega-3 fats. A large percentage of the fat in your brain, the retina’s tissue in your eyes, adrenal glands and sexual organs are all made up of these super-unsaturated fats.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) are long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids that can be found in fish as well as the human body.
One of the few plant-based and in fact the best source of both DHA and EPA can be found in marine phytoplankton while AFA Super Blue-Green Algae is great for DHA and the short chain ALA.
Other plant sources such as flax, chia, and hemp seeds contain short or medium chain Omega-3’s, which are converted into DHA and EPA within your body.
While some claim the short and medium chain Omega-3’s are inefficiently converted within the human body, I personally opt to consume the plant and seed sources of this nutrient. And given the fact that Omega-3’s are so sensitive to heat — they’ll go from healing to toxic under heat — consuming coconut, flax, chia, and hemp seeds in their raw forms are definitely the way to go.
Matt’s Raw Food Ideas to Get Your Omega-3’s
I use fresh, raw, young coconuts every day, twice a day. I also use either chia, flax, or hemp seeds in my dishes.
I’ll soak chia seeds for 20 mins in a blend of raw almond milk and coconut water, then I’ll add coconut meat and a few Superfood powders in a blender. Blend that up, stir it into the chia seed mix, and top with fresh berries. Et voila! Omega-3’s galore.
When I use hemp seeds, I’ll often blend it in the with other ingredients like coconut meat, almond milk, coconut water, aloe vera, lucuma, mesquite, camu, or coconut sugar; then I’ll add raw cacao nibs, blueberries and strawberries on top. Mmm! This combo is a sure bet when it comes to winning the game of delicious raw nutrition!
In my forthcoming book The Chocolate Sundae Paradox, I name coconuts, especially the young ones, as a Superfood Superstar. I believe that the fatty acid complex in coconuts has much to do with creating lean body mass and stoking the immune system.
In my opinion, you shouldn’t worry about counting fat grams when it comes to these nutritious raw fat sources of Omega-3s. So go ahead and add some raw coconuts and super seeds to your raw dishes, smoothies and elixirs… and go for the glow!