Which oils are ideal for cooking?

If any of you spend alot of time in the kitchen cooking, this post may be informative for you. The ones who love to cook with oils, you may find the following information to be 'heart-healthy' and beneficial. If you have been cooking  and eating foods most of your life laden with commercial vegetable oils, it is time to realize the truth about cooking oils.

For years, we have been hardwired and informed by medias such as newspapers, health and food magazines, friends, and even dietitians and nutritionists, to cook foods with commercial vegetable oils. No? Try walk down the alley of any supermarket, you will find a whole list of commercial vegetable oils such as peanut oil, soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, etc. Most people are still using these vegetable oils for cooking, at home, restaurants, and of course, road side hawkers stalls. Reason? It's simple, huge profits in cooking oil industry especially soybean and corn. It's all about money!

Let's take India for example. A nation who has been suffering from cardiovascular/heart disease for decades. Cardiovascular disease is the no.1 leading cause of death in India. Some sources from the media blame it on genetics, some blame it in diet, basically we have numerous contradicting factors. Which is correct? Is it the genes? Diet? Lifetysle? Most people, tend to blame their health on genetic. It's so simple to point finger on our genes and give up on exercise, diet, nutrition, sleep wake cycles and other lifestyle factors.

Human Genome project, proved that our genes has only approximately 5% contribution of our health. Minority of people may have up to 10%, and it is obvious that each of us has huge control over our own health, more then 90%. As most people are often full of excuses, it is time to stop giving excuses and take control of your health, your life. It is so easy to just blame on the genes and eat all you want and sit on the couch all day long without adequate physical movement. Aint it?

Let's go back to India. Anyone knows why India has such a skyrocket high rates of cardiovascular disease? Do you know how they cook their foods regularly? Yes, for decades, since commercial vegetable oils is commercialized, people in India (and also other nations) are using these oxidized free radicals vegetable oils to cook their foods. If any of you ever consume Indian cuisines before, you will realize most of the cooked foods are laden with vegetable oils.

In my country too, the mamak stalls foods are almost entirely cooked with commercial vegetable oils. Malaysia too, the leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease. We have been told that vegetable oils are 'heart healthy' and contains health fats such as Omega 3, 6 and even 9 and it has antioxidants. Even the conventional dieticians and nutritionists in most countries including Malaysia, said it is alright for the public to consume foods such as mee goreng (fried noodles), nasi lemak, etc. Wonder why Malaysia is one of the most obese nations in Asia?


High Cardiovascular Disease rates in India

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/premature-deaths-by-noncommunicable-disease-high-in-india-who/article2452886.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/coronary-artery-disease-killer-no1-in-india/article2932229.ece
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/4/582.long

References:
http://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/integrative-medicine/health-topics/healthy-cooking-oils.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3226610/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1993956/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15333157/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3541024/

PUFAs content in oils. Avoid using oils which has more then 20% for heated cooking, the lower the better. 

What is PUFA's? **

"Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA):

PUFAs are easily oxidized by oxygen and heat, and form much higher amounts of toxic lipid peroxides than saturated or monounsaturated oils. These lipid peroxides cause oxidative damage, and their intake needs to be minimized. Some oils, such as canola and perilla, are high in alpha linolenic acid, which when heated, can lead to the formation of carcinogens and mutagens.

Oils high in PUFAs have to be manufactured, transported, and stored very carefully to be safe for eating. Ideally, PUFAs should be kept air-tight/oxygen-free and cold. PUFAs are not generally bad for you unless they are oxidized. All PUFAs that have been cooked with are oxidized and therefore bad.

PUFAs are considered damaged if at any stage in the manufacturing or transport and handling or use the oil has been exposed to excessive oxygen or heat. The same goes for nuts or seeds with a high PUFA content, although they are slightly more self-protected than naked oils.

Omega 3 and omega 6 oils are PUFAs. Many omega 3 oils have very beneficial effects, provided they are undamaged and handled very carefully, minimizing exposure to air and light and heat. For example, evening primrose oil is a commonly used supplement. Keep it in the fridge, and make sure it was not processed with heat.

Omega 6 oils are found abundantly in corn, soy, canola, sunflower, safflower and other commercially used cooking oils. The problem is that people are consuming too much of these oils, thus throwing off their omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. The proper balance is fats in a body is important, as if our fat balance is off, cell membranes and other cellular processes do not function quite as well. People today eat way too much omega 6 oils. The ideal ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is about 1:4.

Part of the problem with commercial meats is that the animals are fed corn or soy, which not only are bad because they are GMO, but also bad because the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is imbalanced, and there is thus too much omega 6 and too little omega 3 in the resulting meat. People buying meat should look not only for organic, but also for free range."

** Article extracted from University of Kansas Medical Center.
http://www.kumc.edu/school-of-medicine/integrative-medicine


In a nutshell:

During processing and extraction of oils from these vegetables, high heat temperature is used which causes oxidation of the fats, thus transfat. Not to mention if we further use these commercial cooking oils to cook foods with high temperature, stir fry, deep fried, etc. It will then progress from bad to worst, further, elevating a much higher inflammation, carcinogens and levels of transfat.

Ideal oils/fats for cooking:
- Coconut oil (smoke point 450 degrees)
- Red Palm Oil (taken from the fruit)
- Lard
- Ghee
- Animal fats (free range, organic, antibiotic free)
- Butter (Preferably organic)
- Avocado oil (smoke point 510 degrees)
- Almond Oil (smoke point 450-490 degrees)


Oils to avoid at all cost for cooking:  (Avoid oils which is high in PUFAs)
- Soybean Oil
- Hemp Oil
- SafflowerOil
- Sunflower Oil
- Peanut Oil
- Corn Oil
- Canola Oil
- Cottonseed Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Perilla Oil

Body Posture & Muscles Functions: (Part 8)

I remember when I was young, attempting more then 100 reps of sit ups everyday, for months, thinking how I could develop a ripped mid section abdominal muscles. Oh boy, I was clueless and end up hurting my lower back terribly. With repetitive chronic trunk flexion, my lumbar spine just had it after months of insane sit up routine. Did I succeed my goal of getting 6 pack abs? Of course no. The core muscles and whole midsection abs musculature consists of more then just rectus abdominis. 

Fast forward to present day, I'm now training with a much efficient, effective and safer tools (if perform correctly) to seriously train a stronger and functional core muscles. Zero sit up, zero crunch exercises, end result? Six pack abs. Most of my friends, clients and even family members can't believe I could achieve that without performing the traditonal sit up and crunches movements. How do I train my core muscles? First of all, you need to bury the mindset that core muscles is your abdominal muscles. There are multiple components basically from the 'nipple to the knee', and rectus abdominis is just one part of your abdominal muscles. Transverse abdominis, obliques, multifidis, pelvic floor, quadratus lumborum are the other vital component of the core musculature. 

In current modern society, most people train the so called 'core' muscles, primarily for display purpose. Apart from chronic insane reps of trunk flexion, muscle imbalances is inevitable, and it is cause problems to other parts of the musculature, including lower back, hip flexors, etc. Compare person A doin primarily sit ups and crunches, and person B, performing exercises such as squat, lunges, plank variations and deadlift, the latter will develop a much stronger, fully functional core muscles and lower risk of injuries as well as minimal muscle imbalances. For me, I love playing with paralettes, suspension training movements, weight training (kettlebells, barbells), stability ball. I love varieties, fun and 'mind and body' connection, and isolation based training is just not my cup of tea. 

I will share with you today the continuation of abdominal muscles and this will be the final post for this series. Now, let's discuss about upper abdominal muscles.

ANALYSIS OF THE TRUNK-RAISING MOVEMENT

Before doing this test, examine the flexibility of the back so that any restriction of motion is not interpreted as muscle weakness. The trunk-raising movement, when properly done as a test, consists of two parts: spine flexion (i.e., trunk curl) by the abdominal muscles and hip flexion (i.e., situp) by the hip flexors.

During the trunk-curl phase, the abdominal muscles contract and shorten, flexing the spine. The upper back rounds, the lower back flattens, and the pelvis tilts posteriorly. On completion of the curl, the spine is fully flexed, with the low back and pelvis still flat on the table. The abdominal muscles act to flex the spine only. During this phase, the heels should remain in contact with the table.

The trunk curl is followed by the hip flexion phase, during which the hip flexors contract and shorten, lifting the trunk and pelvis up from the table by flexion at the hip joints and pulling the pelvis in the direction of anterior tilt Because the abdominal muscles do not cross the hip joints, they cannot assist with the sit-up movement If the abdominal muscles are strong enough, however, they can continue to hold the trunk curled.

The hip flexion phase is included in this test because it provides resistance against the abdominal muscles. The crucial point in the test is the moment at which the hip flexion phase is initiated. At this point, the feet of some subjects may start to come up from the table. The feet may be held down if the force exerted by the extended lower extremities does not counterbalance that exerted by the flexed trunk. However, if the feet are held down, attention must be focused on whether the trunk maintains the curl because at this point, the strength of the hip flexors can overcome the ability of the abdominals to maintain the curl. If this occurs, the pelvis will quickly tilt anteriorly, the back will arch, and the subject will continue the sit-up movement with the feet stabilized.

The trunk-raising test for the upper abdominal muscles is valuable when performed correctly. However, if the ability to perform a sit-up, regardless of how it is done, is equated with good abdominal strength, this test loses its value. During a curled-trunk sit-up with the legs extended, the pelvis first tilts posteriorly, accompanied by flattening of the low back and extension of the hip joints. After the trunk-curl phase is completed, the pelvis tilts anteriorly (i.e., forward), toward the thigh, in hip flexion, but it remains in posterior tilt in relation to the trunk, maintaining the flat-back position. During a sit-up with the low back arched, the pelvis tilts anteriorly, toward the thigh, as the sit-up begins, and it remains tilted anteriorly.

TEST FOR UPPER ABDOMINAL MUSCLES

Patient: Supine, with legs extended. If the hip flexor muscles are short and prevent posterior pelvic tilt with flattening of the lumbar spine, place a roll under the knees to passively flex the hips enough to allow the back
to flatten. (Arm positions are described below under Grading.)

Fixation: None necessary during the initial phase of the test (i.e., trunk curl), in which the spine is flexed and the thorax and pelvis are approximated. Do not hold the feet down during the trunk-curl phase. Stabilization of the feet will allow hip flexors to initiate trunk raising by flexion of the pelvis on the thighs.

Test Movement: Have the subject do a trunk curl slowly, completing spine flexion and, thereby, the range of motion that can be performed by the abdominal muscles. Without interrupting the movement, have the subject continue into the hip flexion phase (i.e., the sit-up) to obtain strong resistance against the abdominal muscles and, thereby, an adequate strength test.

Resistance: During the trunk-curl phase, resistance is offered by the weight of the head and upper trunk, and by the arms placed in various positions. However, the resistance offered by the weight of the head, shoulders and arms is not sufficient to provide an adequate test for strength of the abdominal muscles. The hip flexion phase provides strong resistance against the abdominals. The hip flexors pull strongly downward on the pelvis as the abdominals work to hold the trunk in flexion and the pelvis in the direction of posterior tilt.

A figure

With the hands clasped behind the head, the subject is able to flex the vertebral column (A figure) and keep it flexed while entering the hip flexion phase and coming to a sitting position. The feet may be held down during the hip flexion phase, if necessary, but close observation is required to be sure that the subject maintains the flexion of the trunk.

Because many people can do a curled-trunk sit up with hands clasped behind the head, it is usually permissible to have a subject place the hands in this position (initially) and attempt to perform the test. If the difficulty of this test is a concern, have the subject start with the arms reaching forward, progress to placing arms folded across the chest, and then place the hands behind the head

With the arms folded across the chest, the subject is able to flex the vertebral column and keep it flexed while entering the hip flexion phase and coming to a sitting position. The strongest force against the abdominals is at the moment the hip flexors start to raise the trunk. Performing only the trunk curl is not sufficient for strength testing.


For many years, sit-ups were done most frequently with the legs extended. More recently emphasis has been
placed on doing the exercise in the knee-bent position, which automatically flexes the hips in the supine position. Whether performed with legs straight or bent, the sit-up is a strong hip flexor exercise, the difference between the two leg positions is in the arc of hip joint motion through which the hip flexors act.

Ironically, the knee-bent sit-up has been advocated as a means of minimizing action of the hip flexors. For many years, the idea has persisted, both among professionals and normal people, that having the hips and knees bent in the back-lying position would put the hip flexors "on a slack" and eliminate action of the hip flexors while doing a sit-up, and that in this position the sit-up would be performed by the abdominal muscles. These ideas are not based on facts, they are false and misleading. The abdominal muscles can only curl the trunk. They cannot perform the hip flexion part of the trunk-raising movement. Furthermore, the iliacus is a one joint muscle that is expected to complete the movement of hip flexion and, as such, is not put on a slack. The two joint rectus femoris is also not put on a slack, because it is lengthened over the knee joint while shortened over the hip joint. If the hip flexors are not short, an individual, when starting the trunk-raising movement with legs extended,  will curl the trunk, and the low back will flatten before the hip flexion phase begins. The danger of hyperextension will occur only if the abdominals are too weak to maintain the curl, a reason not to continue into the sit up.

The real problem in doing sit ups with the legs extended compared to the apparent advantage of flexing the hips and knees stems from dealing with many subjects who have short hip flexors. In the supine position, a person with short hip flexors will lie with the low back hyperextended. The hazard of doing sit ups from this position is that the hip flexors will further hyper extend the low back, causing a stress on that area while doing the exercise, and will increase the tendency toward a lordotic posture in standing. The knee bent position, however, releases the downward pull by the short hip flexors, allowing the pelvis to tilt posteriorly and the low back to flatten, thereby relieving strain on the low back.

Bear in mind, if you genuinely desire to build a strong mid section foundation, try yoga or simple plank variations. I would not recommend to perform chronic sit up exercises to build a so called 6 pack abs. The goal is to train your core functionally, intentionally, and with safer methods preventing muscle imbalances. With all the hype and obsession of ripped abs muscles, most of us have forgotten how our ancestors move physically, how we evolved, from sprinting to jumping, climbing to crawling, and heavy lifting to even just brisk walking. The conventional training which most people are applying in their regular routines, is making the posture and core musculature even worst, increasing muscle imbalances and higher risk of injuries. We are living in fitness fradulent world, and people need to realize it.

Body Posture & Muscles Functions: (Part 7)

In this post, I will discuss about the 'CORE', one of the most popular muscle group in the body. In almost every fitness field, gym, yoga class and even bootcamp session, the so called 'abs section' or CORE is well known to most people who train in gyms and read fitness magazines. Many people have regard the CORE as abdominal muscles, and the minority fitness professionals would know better that the CORE, is much more then just 'abs muscles'. I will discuss a few areas of the mid section and areas of the CORE musculature, this post covers rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques as well as transverse abdominis. The ones who has more interest in building a stronger mid section and so called '6 pack abs', you may find the following illustrations beneficial to you in some way.

Let's start off with rectus abdominis. 

RECTUS ABDOMINIS

Origin: Pubic crest and symphysis.

Insertion: Costal cartilages of the fifth through seventh ribs and xiphoid process of the sternum.

Direction of Fibers: Vertical.

Action: Flexes the vertebral column by approximating the thorax and pelvis anteriorly. With the pelvis fixed,

the thorax will move toward the pelvis; with the thorax fixed, the pelvis will move toward the thorax.

Nerve: T5, 6, T7-11, T12, ventral rami.

Weakness: Weakness of this muscle results in decreased ability to flex the vertebral column. In the supine position, the ability to tilt the pelvis posteriorly or approximate the thorax toward the pelvis is decreased, making it difficult to raise the head and upper trunk. For anterior neck flexors to raise the head from a supine position, the anterior abdominal muscles (particularly the rectus abdominis) must fix the thorax. With marked weakness of the abdominal muscles, an individual may not be able to raise the head even though the neck flexors are strong. In the erect position, weakness of this muscle permits an anterior pelvic tilt and a lordotic posture (e.g increased anterior convexity of the lumbar spine).

Rectus Abdominis

EXTERNAL OBLIQUE, anterior fibers

Origin: External surfaces of ribs five through eight interdigitating with the serratus anterior.

Insertion: Into a broad, flat aponeurosis, terminating in the linea alba, which is a tendinous raphe that extends from the xiphoid.

Direction of Fibers: Obliquely downward and medially, with the uppermost fibers more medial.

Action: Acting bilaterally, the anterior fibers flex the vertebral column (approximating the thorax and pelvis anteriorly), support and compress the abdominal viscera, depress the thorax and assist in respiration. Acting unilaterally with the anterior fibers of the internal oblique on the opposite side, the anterior fibers of the external oblique rotate the vertebral column, bringing the thorax forward (when the pelvis is fixed), or the pelvis backward (when the thorax is fixed). For example, with the pelvis fixed, the right external oblique rotates the thorax counter-clockwise, and the left external oblique rotates the thorax clockwise.

Nerves to anterior and lateral fibers: (T5, 6), T7-11, T-12

EXTERNAL OBLIQUE, lateral fibers

Origin: External surface of the ninth rib, interdigitating with the serratus anterior; and external surfaces of the 10th through 12th ribs, interdigitating with the latissimus dorsi.

Insertion: As the inguinal ligament, into the anterosuperior spine and pubic tubercle and into the external up of the anterior 'h of the iliac crest.

Direction of Fibers: Fibers extend obliquely downward and medially, but more downward than the anterior fibers.

Action: Acting bilaterally, the lateral fibers of the external oblique flex the vertebral column with a major influence on the lumbar spine, tilting the pelvis posteriorly. Acting unilaterally with the lateral fibers of the internal oblique on the same side, these fibers of the external oblique laterally flex the vertebral column, approximating the thorax and iliac crest. These external oblique fibers also act with the internal oblique on the opposite side to rotate the vertebral column. The external oblique, in its action on the thorax, is comparable to the sternocleidomastoid in its action on the head.

External Obliques

INTERNAL OBLIQUE (lower anterior)

Origin: Lateral 2h of inguinal ligament and short attachment on iliac crest near the anterosuperior spine.

Insertion: With the transverse abdominis into crest of the pubis, medial part of the pectineal line and into the linea alba by means of an aponeurosis.

Direction of Fibers: Transversely across the lower abdomen. 

Action: The lower anterior fibers compress and support the lower abdominal viscera in conjunction with the transversus abdominis.

INTERNAL OBLIQUE (upper anterior)

Origin: Anterior 1/3 of intermediate line of the iliac crest

Insertion: Linea alba by means of an aponeurosis.

Direction of Fibers: Obliquely medially and upward.

Action: Acting bilaterally, the upper anterior fibers flex the vertebral column (approximating the thorax and pelvis anteriorly), support and compress the abdominal viscera, depress the thorax and assist in respiration. Acting unilaterally in conjunction with the anterior fibers of the external oblique on the opposite side, the upper anterior fibers of the internal oblique rotate the vertebral column, bringing the thorax backward (when the pelvis is fixed), or the pelvis forward (when the thorax is fixed). For example, the right internal oblique rotates the thorax clockwise, and the left internal oblique rotates the thorax counterclockwise on a fixed pelvis.

INTERNAL OBLIQUE (lateral fibers)

Origin: Middle xh of intermediate line of the iliac crest and the thoracolumbar fascia.

Insertion: Inferior borders of the 10th through 12th ribs and the linea alba by means of an aponeurosis.

Direction of Fibers: Obliquely upward and medially, but more upward than the anterior fibers.

Action: Acting bilaterally, the lateral fibers flex the vertebral column (approximating the thorax and pelvis anteriorly) and depress the thorax. Acting unilaterally with the lateral fibers of the external oblique on the same side, these fibers of the internal oblique laterally flex the vertebral column, approximating the thorax and pelvis. These fibers also act with the external oblique on the opposite side to rotate the vertebral column.

Nerves to Anterior and Lateral Fibers: T7, 8,19-11 LI, iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal, ventral rami.

Internal Obliques

TRANSVERSE ABDOMINIS

Origin: Inner surfaces of cartilages of the lower six ribs, interdigitating with the diaphragm; thoracolumbar fascia; anterior 3 /4 of internal lip of the iliac crest.

Insertion: Linea alba by means of a broad aponeurosis, pubic crest, and pecten pubis.

Direction of Fibers: Transverse (horizontal).

Action: Acts likes a girdle to flatten the abdominal wall and compress the abdominal viscera; upper portion helps to decrease the infrastemal angle of the ribs, as in expiration. This muscle has no action in lateral trunk flexion, except that it acts to compress the viscera and to stabilize the linea alba, permitting better action by the anterolateral trunk muscles.

Nerve: T7-12, LI iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal, ventral divisions.

Weakness: Permits a bulging of the anterior abdominal wall, which indirectly tends to increase lordosis. During flexion in the supine position and hyperextension of the trunk in the prone position, a lateral bulge tends to occur if the transversus abdominis is weak.

Transverse Abdominis

What are the functions of upper and lower abdominals muscles? 

The terms upper and lower differentiate two important strength tests for the abdominal muscles. More often than not, there is a difference between the grades of strength attributed to the upper abdominals compared to
those attributed to the lower abdominals. If the same muscles entered into both tests and the difference in strength resulted from a difference in the difficulty of the tests, there should be a fairly constant ratio between the two measurements. In order of frequency, the following combinations of strength and weakness are found:

1. Upper strong and lower weak.
2. Upper and lower both weak.
3. Upper and lower both strong.
4. Lower strong and upper weak.

The difference in strength may be remarkable. A subject who can perform as many as 50 or more curledtrunk sit-ups may grade less than fair on the leg-lowering test. This same subject can increase the strength of the lower abdominals to normal by doing exercises specifically localized to the external oblique. Because the oblique abdominal muscles are essentially fan-shaped, one part of a muscle may function in a somewhat different role than another part of the same muscle. Knowledge of the attachments and the line of pull of the fibers, along with clinical observations of patients with marked weakness and those with good strength, leads to conclusions regarding the action of muscles or segments of abdominal muscles. The rectus abdominis enters into both tests. There is a distinct difference, however, between action of the internal oblique and that of the external oblique as exhibited by the two tests.

When analyzing which muscles or parts of muscles enter into the various tests, it is necessary to observe the movements that take place and the line of pull of the muscles that enter into the movement. As trunk flexion is initiated by slowly raising the head and shoulders from a supine position, the chest is depressed, and the thorax is pulled toward the pelvis. Simultaneously, the pelvis tilts posteriorly. These movements obviously result from action of the rectus abdominis muscle. Along with depression of the chest, the ribs flare outward, and the infrasternal angle is increased. These movements are compatible with the action of the internal oblique.

No test movement can cause an approximation of parts to which the lower transverse fibers of the internal oblique are attached, because these fibers extend across the lower abdomen from ilium to ilium like the lower
fibers of the transversus abdominis. In posterior pelvic tilt and in trunk-raising movements, however, this pan of the internal oblique will act with the transversus to compress the lower abdomen.

Stay tuned for the final part of this abdominal muscles' post.