No Fat, low-fat, reduced fat, even fake fat, our focus on the fat content of our food has been an obsession for decades. The funny thing is that our assumption that all dietary fat was the bad guy was based on some faulty science. In light of new research and a willingness to look at the past, it is finally time to reassess.
Where We Were
Fat has always been a flavoring agent that our taste buds really enjoy. When the food industry started down the low and no-fat road, they found that when you take out fat, most of the flavor goes with it. So the taste chemists got to work and developed all kinds of flavoring agents using both natural products and new synthetic ones. Problem was that many of these newer formulations are more harmful to a good diet than the saturated fats they
were designed to replace.
Saturated fats satisfy our hunger very quickly, so with the fats having been replaced, it took more food to get that same sense of fullness. We ate more calories as a result and developed degenerative conditions like Diabetes and obesity.
The original research on dietary fat and heart disease happened back in the 1950’s. The problem was the original study cherry-picked the information that was included in the study. The writers came up with just the right support for their favorite conclusion.
The scary part was that nobody challenged the accuracy of the popularly accepted theory that a high fat diet contributed to declines in the health of people. By the time criticism began to arise, the theory was so widely accepted, dissent was suppressed.
Like today, many scientists are expected to produce results that are approved by the corporations who pay for the research. If a scientist’s research starts to show that a product made by their employer is not as good as advertised, the researcher can publish the evidence and be unemployed, or the information can just not be let out. Science without greed and politics is just an ideal we aspire to. The reality is far more disappointing.
Where We Are
I have written about this before but it bears repeating – Nature is supremely indifferent to what mankind may want. So, while we talk about “good” fats and “bad” fats, no such things really exist in the natural world. Labels like these help some people understand certain concepts. Such labels really help marketers sell products, in the physiology we are discussing, they don’t really mean anything.
So keeping things real here, the old faulty science of dietary fat contributing to disease has been replaced with the idea that saturated fats can have a place in a healthy diet.
Remember, saturated fats are the denser fats that generally come from animal meats and meat products. Synthetic saturated fats (partially hydrogenated fats) are commonly used in commercial foods. The denser or more saturated the fat, the harder it is for the body to digest.
There are also naturally occurring monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that come from plant sources. There are obviously lots of sources of dietary fat possible.
Being Sensible About Fat
With this recent return to including fats in a healthy diet, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. We now have popular diets emphasizing high fat consumption over carbohydrate and protein intake.
If you are defining the word “diet” as a means to lose weight, high fat diets (high calorie too!) will likely help you accomplish this goal. However, when you are defining diet as a way to eat in maintaining Health, a high fat diet is unbalanced. Such a diet will not provide for you the sort of outcomes you want.
Fats still have a place in a balanced diet. There are no good ones or bad ones – just different ones. Meats will provide the densest sources of saturated fat, while nuts, nut oils, vegetables, and even some fruit provide a variety of fats.
Variety is the go-to word here. Rely on many and different sources of fat in your diet. The saturation of the fats contributes to their higher calorie content, so consume fewer fats in proportion to carbohydrates and proteins. If you are eating a balanced and varied diet, you will not leave the table hungry or feeling like you deprived yourself of something good. It’s all good.
Diet food is not a meal, it’s a medicine.
― Amit Kalantri
My second most favorite protein source (after my beloved peanut butter, of course) is tuna. Adding the smooth flavoring of an avocado is a knockout.
Tuna & Avocado Salad
Drain and combine one tin of your favorite tuna with the meat of one avocado. Mash the two together, add a little salt & pepper, or whatever spices you like. Complement with some whole grain crackers and you are rolling with a very satisfying meal.
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