For decades we have been pummeled with the theory that eating fat makes us fat and increases our risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet these same studies that most use to promote this theory don’t even say what the authors say they say, and certainly don’t substantiate this no-fat/low-fat craze that we’ve enjoined for the past century.
To say a body, whose many parts are made of fat – and I don’t mean the spare fat most of us don’t like – I mean that most of our tissues are comprised of fat, to say that we don’t need fat is absurd. To say that we don’t need cholesterol is absurd. Fat and cholesterol are necessary components to tissue structure, hormones, brain cells, in fact, all cells are comprised of cholesterol/fat. And, especially, saturated fats.
Even though the fat theory was shot down 2 decades ago, we have a whole industry invested in keeping the lie going. It amazes me to this day how slow the media is to release the info that debunks it. Slowly they are. In 1984 Time magazine did an article which demonized cholesterol, only to do an article in 2014, both front page, vindicating it. The title? “Eat Butter”. In the March 2014 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, entitled “Association of Dietary, Circulating and Supplement Fatty Acids with Coronary Risk”, stunned the public by admitting that eating less saturated fats really has no impact on a person’s risk for heart disease.
In fact, in the 60 year period between 1910 and 1970, fat was restricted from our diets (dropped from 83% to 62% – butter dropped from 18 pounds to 4 pounds per person per year), obesity and cardiovascular disease went through the roof. During this same time period vegetable oils, margarine, shortening and other refined oils increased 400% and sugar increased 60%. Since 1970 those numbers have skyrocketed.
When the vegetable and other bad fats listed above became commonplace, hunger did too. Fat satiates. Carbs are short-lived. When we took away fats, we dove head first into sugar and high carb foods which gave immediate satiation to our hunger – it filled space, and seemingly helped to improve the energy lag we were feeling. Fats fuel energy. It is a slow, constant burn. Though carbs are a fast, high burn, quick energy, it also burns out quickly. So we eat more and more until our portions today are enormous! Still, we’re not satisfied. Still, we are constantly tired.
Evidence continues to mount regarding the need for good fats, and what that means. Good fats are fats that were in traditional diets since the beginning of time, not man or machine-made counterfeits. Good fats are avocados, olives and olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats (including lard), eggs, fresh dairy, raw nuts and seeds.
The old theory that fats make us fat has lost weight. As we begin to return to a diet of real, wholesome foods, we will find that we will lose weight as well.
©2015 Holly A. Carling, O.M.D., L.Ac., Ph.D.
