Industrially processed vegetable (seed) oils are ubiquitous in the supermarket. These oils were meant to replace animal fats and improve the health of America when they were introduced during the second half of the 20th century.
Consuming vegetable oil instead of animal fat was the best way to reduce blood cholesterol levels, which was at the time, understood to be a major cause of heart disease. But decades later, obesity and chronic disease rates continue to rise. In fact, the introduction of industrial vegetable oils to the food supply correlates very well with the rise in obesity rates.

The Vegetable Oil Takeover

Most other industrial vegetable oils were introduced around the 1960s, although soybean oil came earlier in the 1930s. These oils were big hits since they were:
<ul>
<li>Cheaper to produce and could utilize plant by-products</li>
<li>Convenient for industrial and home cooking</li>
<li>“Heart healthy” according to current nutritional knowledge.</li>
</ul>
Thanks to their affordability and ease of use, vegetable oils became popular ingredients in processed and fast food.

Vegetable Oil Becomes Mainstream From The 1960s Onwards

<ul><li>Vegetable oils contain high amounts of PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids, good fats)which are susceptible to degradation when exposed to heat (even cooking), light, and oxygen. These types of oils can go rancid quickly if improperly stored.</li><li>Vegetable oils are often stored in plastic bottles, which further increases light exposure. Plastic bottles contain bisphenol-A (BPA) and similar compounds. These compounds are endocrine disruptors and can cause damage to the reproductive and metabolic health of exposed individuals. BPA is fat-soluble and could easily leech into oils bottled in plastic.</li></ul>

Why We Should NOT Consume Vegetable Oils

<ul>
<li>Vegetable oils are well understood to reduce circulating low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations which are associated with heart disease.</li>
<li>However, replacing saturated fats with PUFA (good fats) doesn’t seem to improve heart disease outcomes in human studies. The problem could be that LA (linoleic acid, omega-6 fatty acid, and an essential nutrient) in vegetable oil is too easily oxidized and in turn oxidizes lipids in LDL particles.</li>
<li>We have to keep in mind though that LA is an essential fatty acid and we do require a certain amount of it for maintaining a NORMAL inflammatory response.</li>
</ul>

Why We SHOULD Consume Vegetable Oils

Animal fats are very stable through storage and cooking due to the high saturated fat content which lack of carbon-carbon double bonds in their structure. This indicates that cooking with animal fat could reduce the number of harmful lipids ingested with a meal which would reduce the burden of oxidative stress.Animal fats have also been consumed by humans for millions of years. Yet, obesity rates only began to rise during the last century when vegetable oils started being consumed.

Animal Fats Are Stable To Storage

Why do animal fats keep popping up as a factor contributing to health in traditional cultures? It could be that animal fats are carriers of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K2.Animal fats also contain some unique lipid species that are not found in plants. In fact, looking at individual fatty acids in specific foods is likely going to become an important area of study in nutritional sciences to better understand the biological effects of specific fatty acids.

Animal Fats And Fat Soluble Vitamins

<ul><li>Consuming high amounts of saturated fats which are usually present in animal fat can increase serum LDL, which by current dogma, is a risk factor for heart disease. This has likely been the major argument against saturated fat consumption over the last few decades.</li><li>Another argument against saturated fat consumption is concerning the lipid composition of cell membranes. Unsaturated fats are largely responsible for maintaining membrane fluidity so there is concern that a diet high in animal fats could displace unsaturated fats on the cell membrane with saturated fats and this could be damaging f<warningtag>or the cell.</warningtag><warningtag> As it turns out, this is likely a false pretense.</warningtag><warningtag> </warningtag></li></ul>

Why We SHOULD NOT Consume Animal Fats

It has to be said that there are real issues with current standards in animal production that impact both the quality of the meat (and fat), and the environment. These problems will not be easily solved but the recent demand for higher quality meat has paved the way for producers to start raising livestock by means that are much more environmentally friendly.

The Environmental Discussion

Industrially processed vegetable (seed) oils are ubiquitous in the supermarket. These bright gold-yellow oils are often sold in large plastic bottles and include canola, cottonseed, corn, safflower…

food

Food

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Are Vegetable Oils Really Healthier Than Animal Fats?

Memphis is an important centre and capital of ancient Egypt, significantly advancing humanity’s understanding of medicine. Memphis is the Greek name for the city, which the Egyptians called Men-Nefer (“beautiful harbour”) since at least the third millennium BC. The archaeological zone at Memphis is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage site with tourists that flock to see the remains of the ancient city in the Memphis Open Air Museum.

Memphis, capital of ancient Egypt

The area has been inhabited since Neolithic times and had a well-developed culture by about 3600 BC. During the Old Kingdom (c. 2700–2200 BC), Egypt’s first golden age, Memphis was home to as many as <a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-lost-city-of-memphis-egypt.html">30,000</a> people, making it perhaps the world’s largest settlement at that time.

Memphis served as capital for almost three and a half millennia

<ul><li>The great medical innovator was Imhotep, the chief minister and head magician for the Third Dynasty Pharaoh Djoser (reigned c. 2686–2648 BC,) whose court was in Memphis.</li><li>The medical advancements made in Memphis were remarkable for the era, partly thanks to the practice of mummification.</li><li>The physicians of Memphis also developed many medical specializations. Each physician [was] a healer of one disease and no more, such as eye physicians or stomach physicians. </li><li>The physicians discovered many effective treatments and pioneered areas, including surgery, nutrition, pharmacology, and prosthetics.</li></ul>

Memphis is home to the earliest pioneer of medicine

history

History

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Centers of Progress, Pt. 33: Memphis (Medicine) - HumanProgress

Civil society refers to a wide variety of communities and groups. These groups include non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations outside of government to support and advocate for specific people or issues in society.

Civil society

The roots of civil society in the context of political thought date as far back as Ancient Rome. Cicero (106 BCE to 42 BCE) refers to the term “societas civilis” as a political community that consists of more than one city governed by the rule of law and typified by a degree of urban sophistication. This kind of community is in contrast to uncivilised or barbarian tribal settlements.

Early history of civil society

<ul><li>The widely held thought in ancient Greece was that societies could be characterized according to the character of their political constitution and institutions. </li><li>However, English writers like Thomas Hobbes and John Locke contended that society predates the establishment of political authority as an extension of their social contract.</li><li>18th-century Scottish economist Adam Smith stated that civil society came from developing an independent commercial order.</li><li>G. W. F. Hegel understood civil society as a non-political society with separate roles for civil and political societies and associations.</li></ul>

Different views on civil society through the ages

<ul><li>By the 1980s, the importance of the social society as initially envisioned by Adam Smith became popular in political and economic discussions in central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. It became identified with non-state movements that were defying authoritarian regimes.</li><li>During the 1990s, many authors, politicians, and public authorities came to view civil society as a sort of “Swiss Army knife” for fixing the many problems facing developing countries.</li><li>By the end of the 1990s, civil society was seen less as a cure-all.</li><li>Today, civil society theory has assumed a relatively neutral stance.</li></ul>

The views on civil society of the last few decades

Civil society remains hard to define as it is deeply complex. Generally, the term suggests how public life should function within and between societies. Civil society is mainly composed of organisations not associated with the government, such as professional associations, churches, cultural institutions and businesses. They monitor government policies and actions and try to hold government leaders accountable. However, some political and social scientists have noted that many civil society groups have now obtained a remarkable amount of political influence without having been directly elected.

Civil Society definitions

ivic organizations can be defined as nonprofit community-based companies, clubs, committees, associations, corporations, or authorized representatives of a governmental entity composed of volunteers and which are established mainly to further educational, charitable, religious, cultural, or local economic development purposes.  It can be hard to distinguish political from nonpolitical civic organizations because many of these groups tend to work in collaboration

Civic organisations

Civil society is the collection of small to nationwide civic groups that function outside of government to provide support and advocacy for certain people or issues.

politics

Politics

Civil Society: Definition and Theory

Many people are self-conscious about not being able to afford fancy brands of healthy food.Let go of any embarrassment you might feel about your budget. Healthy eating exists at every price point.

Embrace frugality

Companies use buzzwords to embellish their food products:<ul><li>organic</li><li>non-genetically modified organisms</li><li>low sugar</li><li>low fat</li></ul>While these descriptions may be useful to customers, they are also marketing terms that paint an inaccurate picture that some foods are substantially healthier than others.

Beware of buzzwords

<ul><li>Check out the weekly sales at nearby stores.</li><li>If you're regularly shopping at the same store, become a part of its membership program to get further discounts.</li><li>Download the store's app to check for discounts before you head there or at least before you check out.</li></ul>

Look for discounts

Food should not be an awards system where you either "win" or "lose" the right to eat certain dishes. And you shouldn't have to spend money on a pricey cleanse or meal prep system.Look for ways to make favorite foods more fulfilling and nutrient-dense. Including protein or fiber-rich add-ons to your favorite foods can help make these dishes more nourishing and filling. For protein, beans, tofu, and chicken are tasty, healthy additions. For fiber, carrots or peppers are easy toppings to a lot of dishes.That way, you don't have to cut something out of your life completely.

Add, don't subtract

Depending on where you get your health tips, you may think that vegetables are only good if they come in a bottle of cold-pressed juice. Of course, different variations may matter to people who want to support certain businesses or have different tastes.But vegetables are vegetables, no matter what. Anyone who tries to tell you something different is probably selling something. So, if you're hoping to stock up your pantry or fridge with usable vegetables that you can easily add to your meal, don't overlook fruits and vegetables in the canned or frozen section.

Don't snub canned or frozen fruit and vegetables

Most dietitians will tell you not to go to the grocery store while you're hungry. But you also shouldn't go without a list.When you shop without a plan, it's really easy to buy more food than you need, or purchase ingredients you already have, leading to waste. Plus, you'll inevitably forget things you do need. Developing a routine to eat healthy and maintain a budget will be easier if you come to the store with an idea of what you're getting and generally how much it will cost.

Plan ahead and make a list

Everyone should know the basics of cooking

Minding your budget while eating the foods that nourish you takes a little planning — but it's possible. Dietitian Shana Spence shares her tips to help you shop and keep your fridge stocked without breaking the bank. This episode first aired in October 2020.

5 steps to cooking healthy food on a budget

Roasting is just baking at a high temperature. The intense dry heat of the oven removes the moisture in the produce. It caramelizes natural sugars while mellowing the bitterness of cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts. The process: toss whole or cut-up vegetables with oil to coat them evenly. Season with salt and pepper or add in smashed garlic cloves, halved chiles, citrus wedges or hearty herb sprigs. Spread them out on a foil-lined half-sheet pan or baking sheet.

Roast the vegetables you don't like

<ul><li>For big, sturdy vegetables like whole parsnips, halved sweet potatoes or cauliflower steaks: Start at 400 degrees because they need more time to cook through.</li><li>For medium-sized pieces — stems of broccoli, butternut squash chunks or quartered beets — start at 425 degrees.</li><li>For small and tender vegetables, such as green beans, asparagus or sliced carrots, start at 450 degrees so that they’ll char quickly.</li><li>To roast a mix of vegetables, cut similar densities the same size and softer produce larger.</li></ul>Vegetables are ready when nicely browned, and a paring knife can slide easily through them.

Temperature and roasting time

During coronavirus, this basic cooking technique of how to roast vegetables will provide the basis for easy meals made from long-lasting ingredients.

The essential guide to roasted vegetables

Most restaurant walk-in refrigerators are stocked, half with fresh produce and raw meat and the other half with building blocks like sauces, dressings, condiments, pickles, chilli oils, sauce bases, concentrated stocks, and curry pastes. In addition, spice blends and other dry preparations are found on the pantry shelves. When you place your order, those meals are put together using the building blocks and adding only the final bits - searing the salmon filet or grilling the chicken breast bone at the last minute.

Culinary building blocks

Recipe building blocks vary by cuisine and chef, but they all have an extra-long shelf life and a concentrated flavour. The building blocks allow you to only add last-minute touches. The concept also allows for more efficient planning. Thinking about meals in terms of building blocks can free you from recipes. The space devoted to condiments and sauces helps you to pick up something at the supermarket or farmer's market and find a way to serve it.

Freed from recipes

Cooking chickpeas in large batches and marinating them with olive oil, vinegar and garlic, then using them over the course of a week. <ul><li>Monday might be chickpeas with cooked farro, shredded raw and pickled carrots, parsley and hard-boiled eggs. </li><li>On Wednesday, combine them with cucumbers, red onions and fresh dill served with sliced lamb.</li><li>On Friday, scoop them over marinated kale, topped with olives, tomatoes and crumbled feta.</li></ul>

Example of using building blocks

To be a faster, more creative cook, take a cue from restaurant chefs, J. Kenji López-Alt suggests, and rely on culinary building blocks.

The New York Times: Digital and Home Delivery Subscriptions

Cooking oil is a kitchen staple, whether you use it for deep frying, sautéing, roasting, or salad dressings. The war in Ukraine has caused a knock-on effect that could see UK businesses run out of sunflower oil.  Given current constraints caused by world events and environmental concerns, we may have to reconsider the cooking oils we use.

Cooking oil choices

Oils broadly fall into two categories: refined and unrefined. <ul><li>If oil is ‘virgin’, ‘extra-virgin’ or ‘cold-pressed’, it is probably unrefined and retained most of its nutrients.</li><li>Refined oils have been processed and treated with chemicals to extend their shelf life and removed unwanted flavours and odours. While they may have lost some healthy compounds, they are better to heat up than unrefined oils.</li></ul>

Refined and unrefined oils

Deep frying, shallow frying, sautéing, or roasting changes the molecular structure of the oil as it breaks down through oxidation.   Fat molecules react with oxygen in the air to form lipid oxidation products (LOPs) including aldehydes. The higher the cooking temperature or the more frequently it is reheated, the more of these potentially toxic products are produced in the oil, especially if it is close to 'smoke point'.

What happens when heating oils

<ul><li>Sunflower and seed oils are high in polyunsaturated fats and degrade the easiest.</li><li>Olive oil and rapeseed oil are high in monounsaturated fats and are better for heating as they produce fewer aldehydes. The highly processed ones have a higher smoke point and are safer to cook with than unrefined ones.</li></ul> To reap health benefits, use extra virgin olive oil cold in things like salad dressings or mayonnaise.

The best oil for cooking

Rapeseed oil is extracted from the black seeds of the yellow-flowering rape plant. Rapeseed oil is unsaturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat, making it a healthier type of oil. It is rich in Vitamin E and Omega 3,6, and 9 fats. It is available as refined and unrefined. In the UK, oil labelled 'vegetable oil' is usually refined rapeseed oil. Unrefined rapeseed oils are labelled 'cold-pressed', 'premium', 'virgin' or extra virgin' and have a delicate nutty flavour. Rapeseed oil is great for frying, but it is important to use as little oil as possible and cook at lower temperatures.

Rapeseed oil

Saturated fats are normally solid at room temperature, for example, red palm oil, lard or beef dripping. They generate fewer aldehydes when heated but might carry other risks. Coconut oil is extremely high in saturated fat. The refined version is the best of all to cook with.

Saturated fats

An oil's sustainability depends on the way it is produced. Sunflower and rapeseed oils made outside Europe and the UK are sprayed with neonicotinoids and insecticides implicated in killing bees, butterflies, moths and other insects. As a result, they are now banned in Europe and the UK.  Oils made from crops known to cause environmental damage, such as avocado and soy (deforestation), and almonds (water requirements, insecticide use), might not be a green choice either.

Environmental concerns

World events including the Ukraine War and leaving the European Union, together with the environment could mean we have to reconsider the cooking oils we use. So, what are the best alternatives to problematic oils? And are you really using the right oil for the job?

health

Health

What’s the best oil to use for cooking?

Strategic thinking: the ability to visualize the long-term while planning the short-term to align with the long-term is a critical skill in life.Much like other things in life, strategic thinking is a muscle that gets better with repetition and practice.Here are a few questions to kick off your thinking: <ul><li>Where do you stand now?</li><li>Where do you want to be next year and the year after that?</li><li>What skills do you need to get there?</li><li>How can you practice them?</li><li>How can you use your time effectively and maximize it for impact?</li><li>Who can help you validate your ideas and give you feedback to expand your thinking?</li></ul>

Getting started on the strategic thinking mindset

One big component of building a strategic thinking mindset is to challenge how certain things are done in your organization - not with the intent to put someone down or establish your superiority, but to identify ways to do them better.<ul><li>Ask targeted questions on specific problems within your organization or your line of work. </li><li>Learn from how others respond or think about these problems. </li><li>Different points of view on these problems will not only expand your own thinking, but they will also give you a direction on the areas that are worth investing your time in.</li></ul>

Challenge and question assumptions

Create mental space for new ideas to kick in. Without the quiet time to sit with your thoughts, facing the uncomfortable silence, and letting your mind wander away, you cannot draw useful connections. Spend time learning about your business and industry. Meet with other functions within your organization to understand how they operate, what their challenges are and how they make decisions. All of this knowledge will enable you to apply different mental models to connect ideas from different domains thereby expanding your circle of competence and building your strategic thinking skills.

Observe, interact and draw connections

While a good strategy is important to get started, a strategy by itself won’t get you anywhere. You need both strategies “the intent” and tactics “putting that intent to action.”<ul><li>Break down your strategy into the specific things you need to do.</li><li>Plan what day of the week, and what specific time of the day you are actually going to give life to your strategy. To make sure you don’t let things slip by, or fail to grab the right opportunities, plan these activities on your calendar. </li><li>Don’t let lack of time or other excuses be the reason for inaction. Plan your time to make things happen.</li></ul>

Put it into action

To embrace a strategic thinking mindset, don’t work in silos. Find people around you that you can trust, respect or admire. Exchange your ideas with them, request them to challenge your thinking, enable them to ask you tough and uncomfortable questions.

Craft and communicate

You can’t build a strategic thinking muscle unless you audit your outcomes, inquire about other opinions and adapt to the changes around you. The world is changing very fast and you need to adapt your thinking to the demands of the tomorrow and not the expectations from the past.

Strategic thinking is an ongoing process

productivity

Productivity

career

Career

strategy

Strategy

problemsolving

Problem Solving

Thinking Strategically Will Help You Get Ahead and Stay Ahead

After researching the keywords for your pay-per-click ad campaign, you can't just add keywords to your ad. Instead, you have to write copy that encourages visitors to click. But first, you need to know how to craft ad copy that draws in more customers.

Writing copy for your keywords

Your ad's design may draw attention, but the copy convinces them to click. Your ad copy allows you to make a lasting impression on potential customers. The better your ad copy, the less you'll pay for your cost-per-action (CPA). CPA is the cost to get someone to do something with an ad. Google AdWord's average CPA is $48.96 for search and $75.51 for display. Facebook Ads CPA is $19.68. However, when your copy encourages visitors to take action, you can decrease those prices.

Why ad copy matters

Ensure you know what ad visuals and platform you'll use before you write copy. <ul><li>You only have so much space to make an impression, so stay to the point. Google Search Ads have a headline limit of 30 characters and a 90-character description limit. Facebook and Instagram feed ads are limited to a 40-character headline and 125-character text limit.</li><li>Prioritise ideas that focus on solutions and benefits. Emphasise benefits over features. Use audience research to help you understand what solutions and benefits to put first.</li></ul>

Keep ad copy to the point

Ad viewers can be at any stage of the conversion funnel.<ul><li>Leads closer to the top of the funnel (TOFU) respond better to awareness-related messages. Your copy should be inviting and light.</li><li>Those near the bottom of the funnel (BOFU) need a nudge from your copy to take action. Use action verbs to make your copy more intentional.</li></ul> Customise your ad's copy and call to action, considering your intended reader's funnel stage.

Customise based on funnel phase

Social proof is evidence that customers like your product or service. It gives you credibility. Reviews and testimonials  show that other people enjoy your product or service, which helps other viewers trust you. Stay within your ad platform's character limits and keep your social proof short and impactful. If you need more room, consider using a copy-focused graphic.

Entice with social proof

Your ad copy affects your customer's journey after they click. For example, if the landing page doesn't match the vibe of your ad, they may get confused and leave. Keeping your tone and language consistent will reduce the friction between ad click and conversion.

Line up your ad copy and landing page copy

Your call to action (CTA) should consist of a powerful phrase that matches the action you want your visitor to take when they click your ad. Ensure that your CTA fits the standards and goals of your ad platform.

Creating the finishing touch with your CTA

You can't solely rely on your ad visual for conversions, your copy has to be enticing as well. Here are some of the best practices to write ad copy that converts.

marketingandsales

Marketing & Sales

writing

Reading & Writing

How to Write Ad Copy That Gets More Clicks

Whether you are interrupted to be contradicted or supported, you have the right to finish your point (no more or less than any of your colleagues), so as soon as possible after the interruption, use a statement like these to resume conveying your point:<ul><li>“I’d just like to finish what I was saying to make sure I was clear…”</li><li>“Thank you, Fred. To complete my point, I’d like to say…”</li><li>“One point I want to make sure is understood…”</li></ul>

Complete your point

In your mind, be clear about your intention: not to shame the colleague who interrupted you or act on a grudge, but simply to make your point complete and clear. That requires focusing on responding over reacting. A reaction is instantaneous, like feeling insulted and defensive. A response involves patience and consideration, leading more quickly to corrective action: <ul><li>To keep the focus on insight, not insult, avoid saying things like “Before I was rudely interrupted…” (Believe me, your interrupter will get the message.)</li><li>Don't talk over your interrupter (perhaps louder), as if in a battle to see who backs down first. This tactic creates conflict and competition.</li></ul>

Keep it professional, not personal

Be aware of your colleagues’—and your own—tendency to finish other people’s sentences and the impact of that behavior.

Completing sentences is also interrupting

Sometimes, constant interrupting is a microaggression that may reflect a known or unknown bias. If you experience a pattern of inappropriate dominance, raise the issue in a way that feels most comfortable to you—that may be with your manager or to the person directly.

Elevate and address microaggressions

Women are more often interrupted by men when speaking—a phenomenon that’s true even on the Supreme Court, Justice Sotomayor said last week. 


Are Vegetable Oils Really Healthier Than Animal Fats?

Centers of Progress, Pt. 33: Memphis (Medicine) - HumanProgress

Civil Society: Definition and Theory

5 steps to cooking healthy food on a budget

The essential guide to roasted vegetables

Weston I.