There are two choices placed before you: a low-carb and a low-fat diet. Which one would you choose? Many people would choose a low-fat diet. Almost everyone in the wellness industry would recommend a low-fat diet. Everyone has heard about the dangers of fats. Even young children know that fats make you fat. Is this true? Or is it based on myths?
The Purpose Of Fats.
When many people hear about low-carb and high-fat diets think they must eat butter by the spoon or drink oils from bottles. This is not the case as humans have been eating them for centuries. Fat-phobia is driven by people not understanding the purpose of healthy fats for life and health.
Dietary fats come in the form of oils, butter, meats, fish, and nuts. They fulfil a couple of goals for our bodies and health. Firstly, they satisfy you. they make us fuller for longer and happier for many hours. Secondly, they provide our body with essential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins and help us reduce inflammation. Finally, they will give our bodies energy to support cell growth. Fats also help our bodies absorb some nutrients and produce important hormones. Our bodies need dietary fats. This is one of the reasons a low-fat diet is unhealthy in the long run.
Do Fats Make Us Fat?
When a lie is repeated for a long time it may sound like the truth. Many publications and people have said that all fats are bad and will make us unhealthy. However, is that term based on empirical evidence? In 2006, The New York Times published an article with this title, “Low-Fat Diet Does Not Cut Health Risks, Study Finds”. This was also supported by William Davis, the author of “Wheat Belly”. He said that cutting fat does not reduce the risk of heart disease. A low-fat diet causes metabolic distortions, like high blood sugar, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance.
The Truth Based On Facts.
The study that the New York Times covered was one of the largest of it’s kind. The aim of the study was to ask whether a low-fat diet reduces the risk of getting cancer or heart disease. The study cost $415 million involving 49 000 women, aged 50 to 79. These women were followed for eight years. Firstly, the study found that fats do not make us unhealthy. Secondly, a low-fat diet does not prevent heart disease. Another 21-year study of 8000 women found that there is no connection between fat intake and weight gain. A study of 43000 men found no connection between dietary fats or saturated and heart disease.
When I began my #90DaysWithouySugar journey and started eating a low-carb diet it was a great mind shift. I still had fat-phobia and could hear voices at the back on my mind screaming, “Fats will make you fat”. If you want to make healthy eating a habit than make dietary fat a friend. The foe is processed sugar and trans-fats which are ultra-processed and modified. However, healthy fats will give you the required fatty acids and will keep you satisfied for longer. We need healthy fats for living and to be healthy.