True or False?
Fat is bad for you and you should avoid it at all costs!
One gram of fat provides 9 calories. Talking about energy! While some fats are considered worse than others, healthy fats are thought to be good for your heart. Unsaturated such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are thought to play a role in lowering the LDL cholesterol which is commonly known as the “bad cholesterol.” Also, it turns out that eating a low-fat diet isn’t so great after all. According to Harvard Public School of Health:
“Well it’s time to end the low-fat myth. The low-fat approach to eating may have made a difference for the occasional individual, but as a nation it hasn’t helped us control weight or become healthier. In the 1960s, fats and oils supplied Americans with about 45 percent of calories; (1) about 13 percent of adults were obese and under 1 percent had type 2 diabetes, a serious weight-related condition. (2,3) Today, Americans take in less fat, getting about 33 percent of calories from fats and oils; (4) yet 34 percent of adults are obese and 11 percent have diabetes, most with type 2 diabetes. (5,6)”
On top of all this, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in early 2010 concluded that saturated fat is not linked with heart disease. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings and fat recommendations have not been changed overall.
What do I think about all of this?
I always tell my patients to eat fat if they want to. The key is to practice portion control. After all, a lot of nutrients can unhealthy when eaten in excess right? Portion control, portion control, portion control. If there is a diet that works, it would just be “a balanced diet that includes everything and anything in moderation.”
Conclusion: Don’t deprive yourself of anything. A healthy diet is a balanced diet. Make friends with fatty foods. Enjoy them in moderation!
Check back for an article about carbohydrates! How do you feel about them? Do carbohydrates make people fat?
References:
Patty W Siri-Tarino, Qi Sun, Frank Bi Hu, Ronald M Krauss. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. March 2010; vol 91, no. 3 535-546.
