The Skinny on Dietary Fats
In the 1980s, the dietary guidelines recommended by the United States government were horribly misguided and actually promoted ill health. Americans were told to eat 6-11 servings of grains and keep their dietary fat intake to a minimum because consuming fat would make them fat. As a result, Americans developed a fat-phobia and made every effort to eat a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet because this was the nutrition plan we were told would allow us to maintain heart health and stay fit and trim. This turned out to be far from the truth, as research has shown that this low-fat craze resulted in substantially higher rates of obesity and Type II Diabetes.
In the past 25 years, a plethora of research has refuted this low-fat model of weight management. The problem is that many American’s have not trusted that they were misled in the 1980s by these fallacious dietary recommendations and continue to believe that the consumption of dietary fat will make them fat. The research in recent decades supports the idea that healthy dietary fats promote health in many ways. Contrary to the 1980s notion that eating fat will make you fat, we now know that healthy fats actually support weight loss efforts, because the consumption of dietary fats increases metabolism and suppresses the hunger hormone, leptin.
Stabilization of blood sugar is a significant benefit of consuming healthy fats. A high carbohydrate meal or snack will result in a rapid rise in blood sugar, which will cause an overproduction of insulin to lower the blood sugar. The problem is that when blood sugar drops precipitously, it sends a hunger message to the brain to eat again to restore the blood sugar to a normal level. Eating dietary fat, along with carbohydrates, helps slow the speed with which carbohydrates are converted to sugar in the blood stream. This helps to prevent a spike in blood sugar and therefore mediates the subsequent overproduction of insulin by the pancreas. Remember that when there is excessive insulin present, the body goes into fat storage mode. To prevent this from happening, you can eat dietary fat along with the carbohydrates. As a bonus, fat is very satiating and will keep you feeling full longer because it stabilizes blood sugar, which suppresses the production of leptin.
Furthermore, healthy dietary fats help to regulate body temperature, support immune function, allow for absorption of fat-soluble nutrients including vitamins A, D, E, and K, and maintenance of healthy skin and hair. And the Omega 3 fatty acid decosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is critical for the optimal functioning of the retina and visual cortex.
Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter wrote a book called Brain Maker, which discusses the importance of consuming healthy fats and eliminating grains for brain health. Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs), saturated fats that contain 6-12 carbon molecules, are imperative for optimal neurological function. Our brain is 60% fat, and we need to consume fat to nourish the myelin sheath that surrounds our neurons, which is necessary for the electrical conduction of nerve cells. Furthermore, the fat in the brain is responsible for creating all the cell membranes in the body and is vital for healthy cellular function.
Omega 3 fatty acids have been widely researched in recent years, and the reports of their benefits are astounding. These fatty acids are heart-healthy because they reduce blood pressure, triglycerides, and help to maintain health cholesterol levels. Many people have been able to discontinue the use of beta blockers and statins by taking an adequate daily dose of Omega 3 fatty acids. These Omega 3s are also important for the prevention and mediation of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Because omega 3 fatty acids are the precursors to serotonin production, high doses of up to 4 grams per day are beneficial in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and even in reducing the frequency of psychotic episodes in schizophrenics. Salmon, walnuts, flax seed, and olives are good sources of omega 3 fatty acids, but you would not be able to get an adequate dose through diet. This would require high dose supplementation.
Pharmaceutical companies recognized the benefit of omega 3 fatty acids and developed a pharmaceutical grade fish oil pill that can be prescribed to those with risk factors for heart disease. If you cannot get this fish oil prescription, you can buy fish oil over the counter. However, the quality of the fish oil you buy is of the utmost importance. Fish oil can become rancid and cause oxidative stress in the body if consumed. Lower quality supplements may contain mercury. It is important to know where the fish oil is sourced. Nordic Naturals is a safely sourced fish oil, but the one I recommend most often is called Euromega, which is formulated at a higher dose, so you can take half the number of pills to get your daily requirement. It is packaged in blister packs to protect against rancidity, and it is not an oil-filled gel cap, which eliminates fishy tasting burps with this product.
If you have digestive issues, you will be interested in the news about Coconut Oil and Ghee (clarified butter), because the fats from these sources have been shown to aid in healing the intestinal lining. Coconut oil has also been shown to be very beneficial to brain function, because it nourishes the myelin that coats the neurons in our nervous system. It feeds the gray matter in the brain and there are numerous anecdotal reports that coconut oil has helped many people suffering from significant age-related memory loss.
One important discovery is that coconut oil supports thyroid health, the organ that regulates metabolism. Coconut oil consumption has weight loss benefits because it promotes healthy metabolism by improving thyroid function. It also supports health in other ways. Byron Richards, a board-certified clinical nutritionist, has a very informative article on this natural immune boosting substance that can be protective against the flu in addition to supporting weight loss. If you have ever been diagnosed with Epstein Barr Virus, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes virus of any kind, or fungal overgrowth, you may want to read the article at the following website:
http://www.wellnessresources.com/tips/articles/monolaurin_a_natural_immune_boosting_powerhouse/
While some dietary fat has many beneficial functions, the news about fats is not all good. Some fats have a positive impact on the body, and others can be detrimental to health. Good fats help to support neurological, psychological, and heart health. “Bad” fats can contribute to increases in LDL or “bad” cholesterol and can lead to increased triglyceride levels, which can cause strokes or heart attacks. Trans fats and saturated animal fats turn into inflammatory molecules in the body.
Trans fats (AKA: trans-fatty acids) are of most significant concern because this type of fat decreases your good (HDL) cholesterol and increases your bad (LDL) cholesterol. Trans fat is hydrogenated fat, which is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil. The practice of hydrogenating oil originated with the mass production of processed foods because it helped to prolong the shelf life of packaged foods that may sit on grocery store shelves for many months or years. When the dangers of trans fats were published, the government started requiring food labels to include the number of trans fats in each serving. As a result, many food manufacturers have tried to find ways to make their products without trans fats so they can state on the label “NO TRANS FATS.”
It is up to the consumer to read the labels of the food they purchase. If the ingredient list includes the words “partially hydrogenated,” this is synonymous for the presence of trans fats. It may state on the nutrition label that it has zero trans fats, but this can be misleading. The government standards have allowed them to say there is no trans fat if a single serving has less than .5 grams of trans fat. If you consume more than one serving, you could exceed the recommended limit. The Mayo Clinic website explains that “fully” or “completely” hydrogenated on the label does not necessarily mean that the product has trans fats, because the process utilized to make these fully hydrogenated oils does not result in trans-fatty acids.
Saturated fat from meats and dairy products are not the “healthy” fats you want to consume to get the positive benefits from dietary fat. These sources of fat can contribute to heart disease, while other types of saturated fat, such as that contained in avocados, olives, salmon, flax seeds, walnuts, and coconut are very healthy for us. Saturated fat is solid at room temperature, while unsaturated fat, derived mostly from plants, is liquid at room temperature. Let’s look at the different types of unsaturated fats.
If you lived through the 1980s, you were programmed to think that dietary fat will make you gain weight, and it requires a paradigm shift to believe that the opposite is true. The key is to eat the right kinds of fat. Altogether avoid trans fats that cause inflammation in the body, as they are deadly. Limit saturated fats from animal sources, and include more unsaturated fats from sources such as salmon, olive oil, avocado. Don’t be alarmed about the amount of saturated fat in coconut oil; it is a medium chain fatty acid. Remember it is safeguarding you against neurological illnesses, helping to keep viruses suppressed, and can actually boost your metabolism to help you lose weight.
In good health,
Valerie Folsom-Martin, MSW, LCSW, CIMHP, CCTP, FDN-P, CHHC
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