Fat Rant

Okay here is my rant on fat... and it is a rant so bear with me and feel free to share your thoughts...

There are 3 macronutrients which are absolutely necessary for the body to run. These include protein, carbohydrates, and fat. When we hear the word "fat" we have been conditioned to instantly think of a wobbly, wiggly mass of flesh hobbling down the street. But this isn't its only definition. When used as a noun fat means "any of various compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that are glycerides of fatty acids, are the chief constituents of plant and animal fat, are a major class of energy-rich food, and are soluble in organic solvents but not in water" (Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fat).

Fat is a primeval food. When there were no grocery stores primitive peoples ate animal protein, plants growing in the ground and in the sea and they ate fat too, in abundance. Understand something very simple - fat is survival food. Without it we lose our ability to think, to make hormones, to function or to have a decent quality of health and life. If you want moist skin you need fat. If you want certain vitamins in your diet (think A, D, E, & K) you need to eat fat. If you want your metabolism to operate efficiently you need fat. If you want to stay warm you need fat. If you want to have sex you need fat. If you want to have food taste good you need fat. If you want to have cushioning and protection for your organs you need fat. Your brain loves fat - it is mostly fat and so are your nerves. By the way since we started avoiding fat,particularly in milk, and sunlight did you know kids are getting rickets again? Yeah. Crazy right? You see you can't absorb the vitamin D in milk unless there is sufficient fat. And there's more...

Fat is not the evil it is purported to be. Stop worrying endlessly about healthy fat. I have always told you what healthy fat is and how to eat it. Would I steer you wrong?  NO. So why are you still worried about it? I know why.  Because "someone" has freaked us out about fat. How many times have we heard "Eat margarine! Fat is BAD for you!! OMG are you eating an egg yolk?" Seriously!! And what about full fat Greek yogurt or milk.

Please people settle down and learn about the RIGHT KIND OF FAT TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE...  You don't want to eat the fat from concentrated feed lot cattle or animals; nor the fat from a french fry vat, potato chips; forget rancid fat; stay clear away from all hydrogenated fats = someone created these in a labratory and not even bacteria will eat hydrogenated margarine products or foods made from them - these little critters are smarter than us.

Try this test for yourself: Put a dish of butter on the counter and leave it there for a week or two. You will see organisms growing on the butter because there are nutrients in the butter they love. Smart! Now do the same with a dish of margarine. It will sit for a century growing dusty and melted into a puddle but nothing will eat it. No nutrients! Smart little bacteria. Why would you want to eat something even single celled creatures wouldn't touch?

Mono and polyunsaturated fats (from olive oil, pumpkinseed oil, grapeseed oil, nuts and nut butters, seeds, fish oil, fish, flaxseeds, etc) are excellent forms of healthy fat, which can be consumed on a daily basis in moderate amounts. Saturated fats (from red meat, coconut butter, and avocados) are also important, but should be consumed in much smaller amounts.

So when do you eat what kind of fat? Stick to mainly unsaturated fats. I use about 1 Tbsp of olive oil on my salads to ensure I am getting all of the vitamins out of the veggies, 2 Tbsp of flaxseed on my oatmeal in the morning for healthy heart and colon function, 1 Tbsp of nut butter or a handful of nuts and seeds as a snack most days of the week, and 1 Tbsp of coconut oil when cooking dinner. I also have fish once or twice each week, and fish oil supplements daily.

So you see you don't need to eat fat all day long, but you do NEED to eat the right kinds of fat in moderation on a daily basis for optimal health.

Have I cut the fat?