Stop Fearing Fat

Most Americans are still fat phobic. Fat has been vilianizied for decades. This may be the most harmful lie we have ever been told.

When people began cutting fat out of their diets there was a rise in obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Fat was blamed for causing all of these things.  More and more studies are showing that fat and cholesterol have been made out to be the enemy when in reality they play many important roles in the functioning of your body.

Below is a graph showing the beginning of the low-fat guidelines issued by the government and the increase in obesity that followed.




SOURCE:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19623/


First let's explore why fat is vital to health:

• Fat is necessary for the absorption of Vitamins A, D, E, K 
• Source of sustained energy
• Building blocks of all cell membranes
• Fat and cholesterol are necessary for production of all hormones (including sex hormones)
• Fat is necessary for bile production 

Recent studies have shown that dietary cholesterol/saturated fat has little to do with blood cholesterol levels. The human body produces cholesterol. The less you eat the more it produces, the more you eat the less it produces. Cholesterol is so essential that the body is able to produce it if it is absent from the diet.

Fat from real sources is an extremely nutrient dense food. Healthy fat is a vital component of a healthy diet.

We can't talk about fat without talking about sugar. This is how sugar affects the body:

When sugar is consumed the body will:

• Release Insulin 
• Insulin's job is to shuttle sugar (glucose) out of the bloodstream and into your cells
• Insulin is a storage hormone. When the body has chronic high insulin (high sugar intake)  the body is always in storage mode                   
• Release excess insulin
• Often the body will release excess insulin. This causes the body to remove too much glucose from the bloodstream resulting in low blood sugar (the shaky, light headed feeling you may get between meals). 
• Release Cortisol
• When blood sugar levels become too low the body will release cortisol 
• Cortisol is a stress hormone (it tells your body that you need more sugar to balance your blood sugar levels) but also has the effect of making you feel stressed or anxious

The wonderful thing about fat is it gives you energy without causing insulin spikes and the output of excess stress hormones. It also provides many other benefits to your body besides energy that sugar does not. 


Healthy Fats:

Coconut Oil
Butter (grass-fed)
Beef Tallow (grass-fed)
Ghee
Raw nuts and seeds
Olive Oil*
Flax Seed Oil*

* these types of oils should never be heated. This will damage the fat. Look for these sold in dark containers that light cannot penetrate and are labeled cold-pressed.

Avoid these fats:

Margarine
Canola Oil
Vegetable Oil
Corn Oil
Soybean Oil
~These are all highly unstable oils and go rancid during processing. Avoid these at all costs!

Try adding some of these healthy fats into your diet while reducing your sugar intake. This will improve your energy level and stabilize your hormones.