Healthy fat is needed for our bodies to be well and it doesn’t make you fat! The “fat makes you fat” theory is appealing because it’s simple. Eat less fat and you’ll become less fat (also known as the “less in, less on” theory). The low-fat diet is seductive… and yet, research shows it’s not exactly true.
When you try to eliminate fat intake, the body will try valiantly to find fats, either by binging, or by increasing the volume of food eaten in an effort to get what little fat is in the meal. Some people wake up at night, unknowingly in search of fats. People have been misled by the food pyramid, which offers a misguided carte blanche to all carbs, and vilifies all fats, healthy and unhealthy. When you consider how many people have been following the “experts’” instruction to cut fat and increase carbohydrate intake, while becoming fatter and enduring the misery of cravings as a result, you realize what a colossal mistake this has been.
The assumption, that you will consume fewer calories when carbohydrates are substituted for fat is incorrect. Fat tends to reduce cravings while carbohydrate tends to stimulate cravings by generating hormonal hunger. In fact, although fat contains more than twice the calories per gram of carbohydrate, fat keeps away hunger for about three times as long. Diets high in carbohydrates serve to spike the dieter's insulin level, resulting in the food being stored as fat on the body rather than burned as fuel.
• The obesity rates for Americans have doubled in the last 20 years, coinciding with the advent of the low-fat revolution.
• In the 1960s, Americans ate 45% of their calories from fat – and only 13% of us were obese. Now, while most of us get only about 33% of our calories from fat, 34% of us qualify as obese!
Misconceptions of low fat dieters:
• Fats make you fat
• Whatever I do to lose weight, I can lose it even faster if I reduce the fat
• All fats are bad
• Pretzels are good
• The right amount of fat in your food is the smallest amount you can tolerate
• Full flavored foods are not an option if I want to control my weight
• Low-fat ice cream is good. Full-fat ice cream is bad
Benefits of fat:
The human body uses fatty acids to do everything from building cell membranes to performing key functions in the brain, eyes, and lungs. The functions of fats include:
• Brain – Fats compose 60% of the brain and are essential to brain function, including learning abilities, memory retention and moods. Fats are especially important for pregnant women, since they are integral to fetal brain development.
• Cells – Fatty acids help your cells stay moveable and flexible, as well as being responsible for building cell membranes.
• Heart – 60% of our heart’s energy comes from burning fats. Specific fats are also used to help keep the heart beating in a regular rhythm.
• Nerves – Fats compose the material that insulates and protects the nerves, isolating electrical impulses and speeding their transmission.
• Lungs – Lung surfactant, which requires a high concentration of saturated fats, enables the lungs to work and keeps them from collapsing.
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Epidemiologic and clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fatty acids reduce CVD incidence (American Heart Association), by:
• decreasing risk of arrhythmias, which can lead to sudden cardiac death
• decreasing triglyceride levels
• decreasing growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque
• lowering blood pressure (slightly)
• Liver cancer: omega-3 fatty acids may be an effective therapy for both the treatment and prevention of human liver cancers. (University of Pittsburg study)
• Depression: Omega-3 fatty acid DHA reduces symptoms of depression probably because it increases gray matter in the brain. (University of Pittsburg study)
• Dementia - Eating fatty fish, high in omega 3, lowers the likelihood of developing “silent” brain lesions that can cause memory loss and dementia (University of Kuopio in Finland)
More benefits of fat:
• healthy skin
• vitamin-absorption
• omega-3s, are anti-inflammatory by nature
The key is to choose higher-fat foods carefully and keep an eye on portion sizes. Remember, any diet should allow enough wiggle room for a "fattening" treat now and again. * that would be your cheat meal/day *
Foods with a higher fat content truly are more satisfying that their low-fat counterparts. When you're physically hungry, and you eat only low-fat foods, that gnawing hunger never really goes away.
When you eat just enough fat, the sense of satisfaction will obliterate that ever-present hunger pang. As with all-things, moderation is truly the key.
Healthy fats:
coldwater fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and herring
nuts, including natural nut butters
seeds
Olive oil
Olives
Avocado
Flax Oil
REFERENCES:
Dietary Fat - The Benefits of Dietary Fat
Does Fat Make You Fat?
How to Eat for Joint Health | eHow.com
How to Choose Good Fats and Avoid the Bad
Healthy and Fat? 5 High-Fat Foods You Should Not Avoid | The Diet Channel
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