What you should know about FAT
Fat has been the enemy for too long. Decades actually (since the 1950s). And still the research does not support that fat is the reason why most of America is obese, tired, and sick.

Not eating real food is one of the main reasons.

The over consumption of sugar, processed food, and low fat foods has largely made that possible. Consuming foods laden with hydrogenated oils and trans fats, too.

Not moving our bodies daily, also doesn’t help. Not prioritizing sleep and rest, doesn’t help.

 

BUT first – here are a few basics about fats:

  • it’s one of three macronutrients we need; it’s an essential nutrient the body can’t make on its own so it needs to come from the diet
  • it helps us break down and use fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
  • it helps with cell membrane function
  • it provides structural integrity to the cells of the brain and the nervous system
  • it has a key role in hormone synthesis
  • Women have more intramuscular fat stores than men and innately need healthy fats in the diet

 

Back to our story — here’s how it started

All that fat fear-mongering from the media and food industry led to a flood of low-fat, fat-free products to the market.

These foods often have to be processed and modified to strip the fat out, make it taste good, have the right texture, and be shelf stable. Food engineers, hard at work.

So guess what happens when we do that to our food?

  • We are now eating food that is no longer in its whole, most healing form.
  • We lose nutrients and touch with that food’s true flavors.
  • Often fillers and additives are now in the picture. It’s more of a food product than real food, the way nature made it.
  • The nutrition facts panel can read lower calories, but the ingredient label now boasts other non-food ingredients to hold it all together.

Emphasis has too long been on the nutrition facts label when we should be concerned with what’s actually IN our food, and on the ingredient label.

We start to lose our way with our sense of taste and grow accustomed/addicted to these newly processed foods. Our taste buds go off-kilter.

But when you take fat out, we miss out on that feeling of satiety and grounding.

We then eat more and more because we don’t feel very full AND our bodies are yearning for the nutrients that we’re missing.

We’re now overconsuming food-like products, their additives that our bodies don’t quite know what to do with, and becoming addicted to them along the way.

And because they can sit on a shelf longer than real food, the food manufacturer can make high volumes of these products with low risk, and charge less money.

What a sweet deal for them.

In comes convenient, ‘tasty’, cheaper food that supposedly helps us lose weight because we’re eating less fat.

People quickly jumped on that fat-free train and were all for into those 100-calorie packs of Oreo crisps… but pause for a moment and look around.

How did that work out for us?

U.S. statistics show trends of higher calorie consumption, more obesity, more Diabetes, and more health care spending. This trend is not getting better.

Removing fat and messing with whole foods not only didn’t make us skinnier and healthier, but it’s making us sicker, more overweight, and is costing us more money.

I know some of you know this already and know the myths, especially if you’ve been to my classes before.

Many of us have heard how bad fat is for so darn long though, that it will take some intentional mindset shifting and rewiring. That’s okay.

Fat, my friend, is your friend. Here’s what I hope you take away:

  • Fat does not make us fat
  • Excess consumption of sugar and overly processed, refined foods and oils makes us ‘fat’
  • Fat does not spike our blood sugar; sugar and refined carbs do
  • Fat actually helps stabilize our blood sugar, which means better mood, focus, and energy levels
  • Fat helps us feel full, grounded, and satisfied (prevents cravings and overeating…. imagine that!)
  • Our brains are 2/3 fat and the very integrity of our cell walls needs lipids (fats) for structure
  • Our nervous system needs fat to function properly
  • Healthy fats support mental health and hormonal balance (read that again!)
  • Eating carbs alone does NOT give us a feeling of fullness – until we’ve overdone it, literally expanding our stomachs to the point of physical discomfort, and hate ourselves… a whole bag of chips anyone?
  • Fat makes food taste amazing (amen?)
  • Fat is necessary for healthy, glowing skin
  • The quality of fat matters

Can you see why this fat-free craze didn’t do us any favors?

We NEED good fats in our diet in variety, every day. 

Healthy fats: olive oil, olives, avocados, avocado oil, ground flax seed, flax oil, walnuts, walnut oil, hemp hearts, other nuts or seeds and their butters; fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring; in moderation: coconut oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, cocoa butter/chocolate.

Oils to Avoid: canola oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, and cottonseed oil; trans fats, partially hydrogenated oils like margarine and vegetable shortening (which are banned in some countries), palm kernel, palm, sunflower, safflower, and other seed oils. This includes fried foods and baked goods (read your labels). Use sparingly: lard and duck fat.

Oils to Include (in moderation): extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil (low to no heat), organic avocado oil (high heat), sesame oil,  flax seed oil, walnut oil. In moderation: grass-fed butter or ghee, coconut oil.

If you eat meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs, here’s how to minimize saturated fat intake:

  • avoid or minimize processed meats like salami, pepperoni, sausages, and hot dogs
  • choose leaner cuts of beef: like sirloin, filet, tenderloin, top round, flank, and lean ground beef or bison (instead of ribeye, T-bone, or ground beef with high fat content)
  • choose leaner cuts of pork: like tenderloin, lean pork chops, and shoulder (instead of bacon, sausage, fatty pork chops)
  • choose cuts of lamb that are leaner like chops and shanks, trimmed of visible fat
  • choose chicken and turkey that are skinless and boneless; for ground, look for lean
  • choose 1-3 eggs per day (get your blood work tested regularly if you love eggs)
  • be mindful of portions of full-fat dairy; enjoy occasionally and in small amounts, assuming you tolerate dairy and are not concerned with saturated fat intake.

*Always choose grass-pastured when possible 

If you’re concerned about cardiovascular disease or cancer, be mindful of your intake of these foods (and monitor your blood work): bacon, sausages, processed meats, ice cream, chocolate, cheddar cheese, butter, lard, and duck fat. Avoid rancid oils that have been on the shelf too long and have oxidized or oils that most fast food is fried in.

After reading all of this – keep in mind, that we’re eating in light of a whole foods-based diet that’s balanced and rich in vegetables, fruit, legumes, and some whole grains. Choose healthier fats and minimize your saturated ones.