I don’t have a sweet tooth, I have a fat tooth. I don’t buy chicken breasts, I prefer the thighs. I eat a whole avocado, whole eggs, and bacon almost every day. I eat a handful of nuts with breakfast and again for snacks. If I consume dairy it’s the full fat variety. I’ve maintained these dietary habits for over five years, and no, I don’t exercise every day and I don’t count calories. My body fat percentage averages 10% or lower and my overall cholesterol has remained below 160. Am I one of those jerks blessed with ideal body type and a high metabolism? Nope, I used to weigh 220 lbs. (I dropped to 175 lbs. five years ago) and I’m only 5’11”.
What changed?
When I feel active I do something sweaty. When I’m hungry I eat. I keep it simple, but that doesn’t make it easy. Exercise gives me a 20% edge. The remaining 80% effort is in my nutrition and fat is a primary factor. Research human biology and we may be surprised how dependent our chemical processes are on fats. This is the daily fuel our engines require to stay alive and many nutrients cannot be absorbed and hormones produced without fat. Why would we want to restrict our natural energy source? Please don’t use this as an excuse to coat everything in butter. Let’s keep it real, i.e. all natural.
Chemical dependence
Every time we see the phrases “fat free” or “low fat”, let’s replace it with “chemical $h!t storm”. It takes a lot of additives and processes to remove naturally occurring fat from our food and even more to keep them resembling something edible. By products are rampant. Nonfat categories of dairy products contain oxidized cholesterol (a carcinogen) and many baked goods rely on hydrogenation which produces trans fats to retain texture and shelf life. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Would nature deliberately alter one of our food sources to slowly poison our bodies?
When we consume naturally occurring dietary fats our bodies use them effectively. Modified variations send our systems into panic as it fights to manage the toxins. This energy needs to be reserved for essential processes that become neglected while other areas such as our livers are strained. Over time this can lead to chronic diseases.
Good or bad
Most fats loved by our bodies are fatty acids, which we know as omega-3 and omega-6. Digesting them in their natural state, e.g. raw nuts, cold olive oil, and fatty fish, keeps our bodies happy. Most of us maintain adequate, if not high, levels of omega-6, but omega-3 is essential and often deficient. Real food is preferred but supplementation with fish or flax oil will bridge the gap. Excluding oil extraction, altered fats should be avoided. Even the heating of oil can cause fractionation which reduces the bioavailability and generates byproducts. This may seem an excessive amount of calories; however quality fats increase satiation so we eat less in the long run.
Keep it simple, keep it real, and let it be fatty. Have a favorite food or curious about a recommendation? Take 60 seconds to research it and don’t believe anything on the label except the ingredient list. Monitor how you feel, how you look, and what your doctor says. Cheers to a “fat” life.
