3 Myths about Fat and Weight
Admittedly, I was confused when it came to nourishing my body in my younger years. Growing up with an overweight mom means you go one of 2 ways. You either follow her path and assume you were meant to be fat and do all the things she did, or you rebel and do the opposite.
I started with the first option and then shifted to the second option in my twenties and through some really hard lessons, I figured out the right balance for me. And fyi…that balance shifts with each phase of life.
No wonder we are confused about what to eat!
In the 80’s, the government began telling us to eat less fat because they “believed fat consumption lead to heart disease, obesity and high cholesterol”. Then, in the mid-1980s, low-fat products took over the market, food companies happily replacing the fat in their products with carbohydrates and sugar in an effort to make them taste better. This meant savings for big biz thanks to the lower prices of sugar versus healthy fats but it meant poor health for anyone who was lured into this false promise.
Interestingly enough, we didn’t see heart disease, obesity or high cholesterol decrease - the opposite happened. In addition to higher heart disease, obesity and cholesterol, we saw more cancer and autoimmune diseases.
So…what went wrong?
“The long-established dietary recommendations of low-fat, have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.”
Unfortunately, we got it all backwards when we wrongly accused fat for the health issues mentioned. Sugar - and what it does to our body - is the real issue and has contributed to many people getting sicker AND fatter. Obesity is on the rise….and we can blame fat anymore.
Let’s debunk some common myths:
Myth #1: Fat Makes you Fat
Fact: Processed foods make you fat.
Eat the full fat yogurt!
Fat is an essential nutrient. In fact, 60% of our brain is fat. Fat is required for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K and it plays important roles in digestive, immune, endocrine and cardiovascular function.
The low-fat campaign of the past 40 years has made people sicker, fatter and depressed.
During the past 20 years’ fat intake has decreased by 11% while obesity has increased by 32%. By the mid-1800s we were consuming between 10 and 20 pounds of refined sugar per person per year and by the end of the 20th century, it jumped to 120 and 150 pounds per year. And the problem is not the sugar you add to your coffee, it’s the sugar in our breakfast cereals, breads, cakes, candies, ice cream, pastries, pasta, jams, processed fruit juices, and soft drinks. This has become S.A.D. or the Standard American Diet and is the root cause of our obesity epidemic.
#2. Myth: The best way to lose weight is to restrict fat and calories.
Fact: The best way to lose weight is to restrict processed foods.
Don’t be afraid to eat!
It is the QUALITY of calories we consume that will determine how our body utilizes them. Your body knows what to do with REAL food, as nature intended.
Real food will not make you fat.
Processed foods are known as ‘empty’ calories and make you fat. They not only lack vital nutrients, but they withdraw nutrients from the body so that your body can digest them properly. This promotes fat deposition over fat utilization.
#3. Myth: Cardiovascular disease is caused by fat and cholesterol.
Fact: Cardiovascular disease is caused by processed foods.
Eat the whole egg friends!
The rise of heart disease and many other chronic diseases in the 20th century coincided with the rise of processed foods.
The lipid hypothesis which is the theory that fat and cholesterol cause heart disease started in the 1950s and has since been proven wrong. So ditch those egg whites in favour of the whole egg. Again, the body knows what to do with a whole food and the egg is a beautiful combo of healthy fats and protein.
“ The diet-heart hypothesis has been repeatedly shown to be wrong and yet, for complicated reasons of pride, profit and prejudice the hypothesis continues to be exploited by scientists, fund-raising enterprises, food companies and even governmental agencies. The public is being deceived by the greatest health scam of the century”.”
Suggestions for Eating More Healthy Fats - Start Slow
1. Start with breakfast and lunch.
Work towards eliminating all grains and sugar from your first meals. Think fat over carbs….especially when it comes to supporting hormonal and brain balance.
Pick poached eggs with avocado versus eggs on toast. Or chia pudding versus cereal. Perhaps have a soup for lunch and skip the sandwich.
2. Avoid foods labeled “low-fat,” especially if they’re not naturally low-fat. Low fat usually means high sugar.
The top culprits of unhealthy, low-fat foods are; Yogurt, Cheese, Milk, Bars, Granola, Chips and Crackers, Diet Drinks
Need more help?
You will get 10 different breakfast recipes and 10 lunches to help you shift to fat from carbs. This guide will take away the guess-work when it comes to choosing the right fats and will get you looking forward to all of the new foods you get to eat. And trust me when I say you will likely lose a few pounds as a pleasant side effect. The recipes are all easy and delicious!
Need more than a recipe book?
