Food!!! What are you eating today??!

[Dom]

It's a healthy oil, too.

Avocado oil has a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (13:1), and we usually want around 3:1 or 2:1 for better health.

Because avocado oil is high in oleic acid, you gain heart-healthy benefits when you consume it. Oleic acid is believed to lower LDL cholesterol (also known as "bad" cholesterol) to help decrease your risk for heart disease.

A study performed on rats found that increased consumption of avocado oil improved glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and contributed to lower body weight. And another study found improvements in metabolic markers in rats that consume avocado oil.

Potential Health Benefits of Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil has many health benefits because it is low in saturated fat and high in two types of fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFAs, include omega-3s and omega-6s. PUFAs can reduce cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, especially when substituted for less-healthy fats.

Monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs, also appear in sunflower oil. MUFAs may reduce heart disease. MUFAs in olive oil help make the Mediterranean diet healthy.

There are a few different types of sunflower oil you can choose from. It can be high in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, or it can be high in linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, or it can be somewhere in between. A high oleic sunflower oil is more frequently sold, since it is more stable for cooking.

(WebMD)

Yes, the fats are pretty much the same. The omega 6 versus 3 ratio in avocado oil stands out, as well as the glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and metabolism effects.

Natural fats in general are fine, vegetable fats are not even in dispute except for trans fats like margerine and what is found in processed snack foods.

Animal fats used to be blamed for cholesterol issues and hence heart issues, but over the last few years research has increasingly debunked the harm in cholesterol regarding heart issues. 

You'd think at this stage of human development we would long have figured out nutrition, since it directly affects our survival. In reality, we are far from it and instead are ruled by what the food industry wants us to think and like. The food industry wants us addicted to sugar (we eat more of it and sales increase), and removing all fats from foods (the low-fat fad) allows them to replace it with more sugar and flour to ensure the food still has some flavor and texture.  

I think that old ethnic foods of all descriptions are best to eat in their original compositions, since we have done little research into combining food and the old ethnic foods didn't tend to cause obesity or cancer etc. Unfortunately, that is not an easy task anymore since most foods have been altered to accommodate shelf life and easy transport, as well as economic considerations and whatever the current diet fads are. It's a quagmire and staying on top of current scientific papers is at best time consuming and at worst impossible.

There, my rant about nutrition and health.