This is one place where you won’t find anyone labeling high quality, organic sources of saturated fat – like virgin coconut oil – as “bad” fat. No, indeed the true “bad” fats, as we see define them, are described below:
Hydrogenated oils: In essence, hydrogenated oils are fake saturated fats, where long chain polyunsaturated fats (found in high quantities in corn, soy, and safflower oils) have been artificially converted into long chain saturated fats through a laboratory process. Not only do long chain fatty acids make higher demands on the body for utilizing them, the body is not able to easily transform these fake saturated fats with “trans” bonds versus naturally occurring saturated fats with “cis” bonds. Hydrogenated oils precipitated the dramatic increase of seed oil consumption in the American diet at the expense of quality forms of saturated fats and Omega 3s. For a more thorough discussion, we recommend reading Dr Mary Enig’s book (2000), “Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol.”
Animal fats from factory farmed sources: You are what you eat and the animals we consume are not any different. Think about it: if cows, pigs, and poultry are fed diets of mostly corn and soy (GMO or not), the nutritional profile of their diet is very poor as well as the food products we get from them, which lack vital minerals, vitamins, and quality forms of dietary fat, like Omega 3s. This is in addition to the ethical issues associated with factory farming.
Oxidized fats: Oxidized fats are usually fats high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g., flaxseed, corn, soy, canola, safflower oils) that have been exposed to enough heat to cause molecular changes like polymerization, double-bonding, and creating free radicals. Eating oxidized fats places a burden on the body and contributes to many chronic inflammatory diseases. Many mistakenly believe that oils high in polyunsaturated fats are “healthy” to use in cooking (e.g., safflower, corn, soy), when in fact they create toxic by-products that cause disease. Another unintentional source of oxidized fats is fish and flax oil gel caps. Often the oils in these gel caps are already rancid and should not be consumed. Only liquid forms of fish, cod, and flaxseed oil should be eaten, and only if stored in the refrigerator!
Oils high in Omega 6s: Americans in general consume too many oils high in Omega 6s (e.g., corn, soy, safflower oils), which can contribute to inflammatory disease as well as an Omega 3 deficiency. Both Omega 6s and Omega 3s use the same mechanisms for uptake in the body, so eating a diet high in Omega 6s out-competes Omega 3s from being absorbed properly. Omega 3 deficiencies have been linked to heart disease, arthritis, weight gain, cancer and inflammatory diseases. The ideal ratio for Omega 6s to Omega 3s in one’s overall diet is between 4:1 to 2:1. Melt Organic has a ratio of Omega 6s to Omega 3s of 2:1.
Plant fats from genetically modified organisms (GMO) sources: We feel strongly about certifying Melt Organic and Honey Melt non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project because information is coming to light that suggests we should approach GMOs with caution.