Fat - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Fat - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
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stevepb via Pixabay

“Sandy” sat across me nervously fidgeting with her fingers. It was our first session and I could almost read her thoughts. Could this nutritional counselor with a funny accent tell her why her weight had been on a steady rise and the memory lapses were ‘driving me insane!’?

She was committed, and when it came down to the fact that her diet was virtually fat free she was ready to try “the unthinkable”: add quality fats to her meals... In two weeks, Sandy’s forgetfulness had all but reversed and her weight began to drop.

If I had $5 for each client I see who is afraid of fat I’d have a pretty happy bank account. To eat or not to eat fat is such a consistent theme in today’s health concerns it would be irresponsible to gloss over it. Because this stuff matters.

So what’s up with fat? Old school science tells us that fat in food equals “fat on my body”. Fat means clogged arteries, heart disease and strokes. But today we know that we’re not an input - output calorie calculator, nor are all calories made equal and all fats alike.

The Good

Fat is a vital nutrient. Almost 2/3 of our brains are made of fat and 25% of all cholesterol in the human body is found in the brain. Not surprisingly, some of the most commons symptoms found in people with very low levels of cholesterol are depression and cognitive dysfunctions..

There’s more. Fat is what 80% of myelin is made of and myelination is the process of insulating the nerves in your brain. Insulation enables the brain to think and learn. Historically, there’s a strong case for the theory that our human brains grew larger when we upped our consumption of fat, particularly in locations where nourishing fatty acids from meat and fish were abundant. Fat is also part of the membrane of each cell in your body. Cholesterol too, did you know? Without it cells become fragile and lose their fluidity.

A few more tidbits: fatty acids help the body regulate the production of sex hormones in both men and women, as well as in and nutrient absorption. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble, meaning, we need fat in food in order to effectively absorb them. Hence the old wisdom of adding fat to a salad.

StockSnap via Pixabay

But not all fats are made equal. It’s becoming common knowledge that foods containing trans fats, or partially hydrogenated fats are some of the most toxic.

The Bad

Artificial trans fats are formed through an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil causing the oil to become solid at room temperature. This increases shelf life making it a cheap and less perishable substitute to other, natural fats.

Now, stay with me here: the chemical structure of trans fats is different from that of naturally hard saturated fats or naturally liquid unsaturated, on a molecular level they are also bent differently. Question is, can human cells really grab onto these odd shaped molecules? Studies suggest that when the body eventually manages to deliver these fats into the cell the membrane looses its natural integrity and function.

The ugly

Why does this matter? Because once the membrane is compromised it’s easy for insulin receptors to be tampered with. In other words, your blood sugar will be all over the place. Can you see the connection to diabetes? Adding insult to injury, soon you’re on the fast track to developing atherosclerosis, cancer, heart disease, inflammation, low immunity and weight gain.

From this point it’s not too far fetched to assume trans fats to be a highly ineffective source of energy. If cells are not being well fed it’s easy for the body to be malnourished yet, stay hungry, all part of the reason for us to have cravings after eating processed food that is typically loaded with trans fats. Further, because it’s hard for the body to use trans fats as sources of energy it does what it’s always done with anything that’s not only ineffective, but considered toxic: it prevents them from doing more damage by storing toxins as weight.

There is some veiled truth to the “fat makes you fat” paradigm, you see, but it’s not what we were originally led to believe. Artificially produced fats are the problem that make us fat, sick and tired.

What can you do?

  • Stay away from processed foods, these usually contain trans-fats, in addition to lots of sugars, preservatives, artificial colorants and MSGs.

  • Even if you change 1 meal in your week (1!), you’ll make a difference. 1 will easily become 2, then 3… But you have to start somewhere.

  • Read food labels and look for the words “partially hydrogenated” and “hydrogenated”, another way of saying: trans fats. Be specially careful with non dairy creams, margarines, shortenings and spreads.

  • Replenish yourself with healthy fats. You can find them in nuts and seeds, avocados, olives, wild caught fish, free range meats & eggs, organic olive, hemp, flaxseed and grapeseed oils, coconut oil, palm oil, coconut, and good old butter from grass fed cows. The key here is the quality of the produce and, if from animal sources, how they were raised and fed. It matters.

And remember, rather than a calorie calculator your body is a chemistry lab. It will gain the weight and vitality it’s meant for when it’s healthy and well nourished.

Lastly, be curious. Don’t take my word, question what you read, what you hear and do your research.

Now, over to you, do you regularly tend to stay away from fat? How has this information changed your perspective? I would love to hear, so please leave a comment below!

Catarina is a Transformational Nutrition and Eating Psychology Practitioner, Pilates and Qigong teacher. Using natural methods that help awaken the body’s own healing mechanism, she helps people transform their relationship with food and their bodies – once and for all.

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