Don’ t Fear the Fat, Fat is your friend.
There has been a large paradigm shift in our knowledge of dietary fats and the demonising of fat. Eating low fat options is now known as a poor food choice for good health.
Eating quality fats in your diet does not make you fat, eating a diet full of low-fat processed foods in attractively packaged wrappers is also no ticket to good health. Although it may sound like blasphemy to those of us who came of age in the no-and low-fat era, it’s time to stop fearing fat and start learning to put it to work for you. Here are a few ways to reclaim the fats that help your body thrive – and why you need to lose the fake fat, low fat and no fat foods for good, including the low-fat milk in your coffees. Did you know that it contains more sugar than the full fat alternative !
What to fear
Avoid added sugars and processed foods and for some excess animal fat too. This can be best evaluated with a microbiome screen . For the majority of us, it’s a much-needed macronutrient with lots of benefits.
In fact, studies have found that reducing saturated fat intake doesn’t appear to reduce heart disease risk and cutting it to the bone may have the opposite effect, thanks in part to the processed fillers, like trans-fats, that food manufacturers pump into low-fat products to make up for the fat (and flavour) removed.
Your body needs fat
Though it may seem counter intuitive, your body actually needs fat to function optimally. This long demonised food is essential for every function of your body and your brain, which, coincidentally is roughly 60% fat so in a literal way fat helps feed your brain .
Eating good healthy fats helps balance mood, hormones, metabolism and tame hunger highs and lows while also curbing cravings.
Added Fat can help shift a high glycaemic food to a low glycaemic effect, think yoghurt.
Fat helps keep hair, skin and nails in good shape while your organs benefit with better absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, boosting immunity and easing digestion.
Fat provides fuel for your energy producing mitochondria.
Fat makes food taste good too. The richness and taste of fat makes the food you’re eating more enjoyable and helps satisfy you sooner providing a natural appetite taming effect . The opposite to that hungry-10-minutes-later feeling you get after eating a non-fat sugar laden substitute.
Beware the hidden troublemakers.
The trouble is with trans fats – and hydrogenated vegetable oils. These fats are closely linked to an elevated risk for heart disease, inflammation and higher levels of dangerous cholesterol particles and cancers. The less of it you eat the better.
Play it safe by passing on packaged snacks altogether to bypass their hidden trans-fats and inflammatory vegetable oil ingredients. Instead always opt for real food snacks like raw nuts, real popcorn, a handful of berries, guacamole, fresh hummus with vegetables.
Re-think your fat.
I suggest trying to avoid ‘vegetable’ shortening commonly called ‘copha’— anything made with partially hydrogenated oils and/or vegetable oils (we’re looking at your canola, corn, cottonseed, safflower and sunflower). Avoid fried foods where you don’t know the oils used (and re-used, and re-used) often until rancid. Cut back on processed snacks like chips, crackers and microwave popcorn, which is where a lot of that trans-fat sneaks in, no matter how healthy the marketing and packaging.
Switch to foods with ‘good’ fats such as Extra Virgin Cold pressed olive oil (EV), coconut oils, nuts and avocados.
Try the delicious naturally ground nut butters with no added chemicals that are now available from most whole food stores. Even moderate amounts of butter, lard or ghee are suitable. Ideally, when you buy organic or small producer or farmers’ market butter it’s made from the milk of grass fed animals such as cows, sheep and goats.
Do fat right.
Cooking with quality organic butter or EV olive oil will make food not only taste a whole lot better but add a real health benefit. The Mediterranean diet emphasises quality plant based fats as well as a broad range of vegetables, pulses, fruits and occasional red meats. Oily fish also feature, salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel.
The so called “blue Zones” where locals feature vitality and longevity are areas that eat in this way. There is now much available evidence demonstrating support of a healthy bio diverse microbiome from these populations.
You may like to try the “The GOOD FAT” range of mayonnaise, aeoli and sauces now available in Harris Farm and quality grocers. These are Aussie made quality processed foods without the trans-fats and feature organic eggs and EV Olive oil. Other store bought sauces regularly feature poor quality cheaper inflammatory fats, added sugars and flavour enhanced chemicals. Learn to check the labels, on the back. The front labels can be very misleading.
Buyer beware.
Victoria Pavasovic RN MACN
Clinical Nurse Consultant
Regenerative Aesthetics
Professional Food and Nutritional Coach
Certified Microbiome practitioner
Transitional Functional and Nutritional Medicine Practitioner