The Skinny on Fat

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by Jeremy Brooks

The low-fat diet is one of the worst diets ever, yet most people are still buying into it. This dieting disaster, which has only resulted in bigger, less healthy Americans, all started years ago when people started consuming too many bad fats and a legitimate concern arose about the health of people in our country. However, instead of properly labeling good and bad fats, the government began telling everyone to significantly cut back on all fat for better health, even though there was no scientific evidence to support this.

Here's the problem. Fat is the ideal fuel for our bodies. We need it if we want to function optimally. Our brains need fat, our hormones need fat--WE need fat! When we take it away, we take away our main source of fuel, and then we can't understand it when we feel tired all the time and have a hard time losing weight.

If you've been eating as many low-fat and non-fat alternatives as you can, thinking you're making healthier choices, I've got bad news for you. Most of the lower fat options still have about the same amount of calories in them as the full fat options. The manufacturers just replace the fat with sugar, sodium, or other harmful additives.

We think we're eating healthier, but in reality, we've simply exchanged the best fuel (fat) for an inferior fuel (sugar). We're not giving our bodies enough fat, yet we're loading them down with sugar--most of which we consume unknowingly (check the labels--you might be surprised!) and our bodies have adapted. Most Americans are now burning sugar instead of fat, and sugar is a terrible fuel!!

Want a fuel that burns off too quickly, leaving you with insatiable cravings, mood swings, energy highs and lows, accompanied by tons of health problems? Then fuel up with sugar.

Don't believe it? I didn't at first, either. I'd been so ingrained with the "fat is bad" idea that I really couldn't imagine actually planning to put extra fat in my body. But...I did it anyway, thinking that time would reveal the truth. I increased my fat intake while cutting out the sugar and the initial result was that I felt terrible for several days. Fortunately, I'd been told to expect this, so I wasn't really surprised. I understood that, because my body had become a sugar burner, it was looking for that inferior  fuel to burn, and I wasn't giving it any. 

Then, my body figured it out and started burning fat. I'll never forget when it did. One night, Dale and I took an evening walk around a local park. With each mile we completed, my energy increased. I've never experienced anything like that in my life! Usually, I'd have burned off all of the sugar by then and would be feeling fatigued, but I actually felt better with each mile and wanted to walk farther. Seriously.

We ended up having to stop simply because it was time to go pick up the kids. Life in general has been like that ever since. The energy is fabulous...except when I have a "cheat." Within minutes, I feel sluggish and cranky. It's amazing how much different I feel when I put the best fuel in my body vs. when I put in the inferior stuff.

What about cholesterol? Surely you're wondering how that's doing. Yep, I had it checked, and it's excellent. Not just average, or even good. My entire cholesterol panel was excellent.

So, what does eating a full fat diet look like? A trip to McDonald's for Big Macs?

It's vital that you not only consume enough fat, but also the right kinds of fat. Natural fat. You might be surprised to learn that even saturated fat is all right. It's the hydrogenated oils and trans fats that are the enemy. These fats have been damaged, and yes, they are terrible for you. Yes, they will hurt you. Avoid them like the plague.

Examples of good, healthy fats to consume: olive oil, grapeseed oil, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, full-fat organic or raw dairy, coconut or almond milk, grass-fed beef, eggs from free-range chickens, avodaco.

Examples of bad fats to avoid: hydrogenated oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, safflower oil.

I know it seems completely backwards to eat more fat, but your body needs it! Stock up on good fats for better health.