Does Fat Make You Fat?
Fat has been demonized by healthcare practitioners for a long time, but the tide is finally turning. Not only does fat not make you fat, but it actually can make you skinny. That’s right! Fats Can Make You Skinny! The key is understanding the impact different kinds of fats have on the body. Once you can distinguish between the hormone health “good” fats and the inflammatory “bad” fats, you’ll be on your way to improving your health and losing any unwanted weight.
Fun Fat Fact: Fat is one of three macronutrients, alongside protein, and carbohydrate. Although fat is relatively high in calories, it is also a satiating micronutrient that actually promotes less caloric intake overall.
Does Fat Make You Fat? Eat good fat to lose bad fat is a true solution to increase health and vitality by going against the grain. We’ve been told for a very long time that fat is harmful to our health, but when we examine the studies - this theory crumbles. The low-fat movement that plagued the country for many years left us with high-sugar substitutes, and ingredients we know to drive chronic inflammation and disease.
Not all fats are created equal. Depending on the type of fat you’re consuming, you are either helping or harming your health. Good fats are crucial to hormone health. They speed up metabolism, decrease inflammation, and actually help you lose weight. Bad fats do the opposite. They drive up inflammation which ages your cells, creates oxidative stress, and promotes weight gain.
Good fats heal the cell membrane which holds the cell’s intelligence; therefore, optimal health starts with the cell. Hormone receptors reside on the membrane, and a diet high in healthy fat helps these receptors function properly and send the signals to your brain to burn fat for energy. Eating plenty of good fat is, therefore, very effective in treating hormone-related conditions like weight-loss resistance. If you don’t heal the cell, you won’t get well. In the case of weight-loss: if you don’t heal the cell membrane, you’ll never lose weight and keep it off. Regenerating the membrane with good fat is a core solution to today’s growing epidemic of hormone imbalances, obesity, and countless “unexplainable” diseases.
What are Good Fats? - Good fats are defined by the type of fat, as well as the quality of processing and quality of ingredients used. Use traditional fats and oils that are not highly processed or refined. Purchase high quality, organic, cold-pressed oils in glass jars, because fats are notorious absorbers, and will leach the BPA’s and other toxins from the plastic containers they are stored in. Good fats include cold-pressed olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter and ghee, grass-fed tallow and lard, cocoa butter, coconut flesh and fatty fish.
What are Bad Fats? - Bad fats depend slightly on the type of fat, but more so on the processing of the fat. You want to avoid trans fats, polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), refined/ bleached/ deodorized fats, or any label that reads “hydrogenated”. PUFAs in of themselves are not necessarily bad, but they are unstable fats that can easily become toxic during the processing/ refinement process. When they are exposed to heat, for example (bi-product of the refinement processing), PUFAs that are consumed will generate free radicals in the body and promote long term chronic inflammation. Bad fats include refined peanut oil, refined avocado oil, refined (deodorized) coconut oil, soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil, rice bran oil, hydrogenated oils, fake butter spreads, margarine, shortening, any fat taken to smoke point.
Become a Fat Burner - By increasing your healthy fat consumption, and decreasing your sugar (carbohydrate) consumption, you become an effective fat burner. This dietary shift helps the body move towards a state where it burns its own fat for fuel instead of sugar. Higher fat, moderate protein and lower carbohydrate meal plan, is exceptional for reducing inflammation and is very effective for weight-loss.
Larisa Belote, INHC, AADP, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and founder of Step by Step Wellness, is dedicated to keeping up with the latest research and creating individualized programs that fit best with our client’s needs. The 7 Week Makeover Program is a matchless tool for clients who suffer from weight-loss resistance, brain dysfunction, thyroid disorders, and many other conditions. Contact Larisa to set up an appointment or to learn more about the Seven Week Makeover Program. 732.490.5770, email: larisa@stepbystep-wellness.com or visit stepbystep-wellness.com
This article appears in the May 2019 issue of Natural Awakenings Magazine Monmouth Ocean edition. Click here to subscribe, thanks :)