Want to lose fat? Then eat fat.

On Friday I made the case for why you should eat plenty of protein and today I will make my case for why you should eat fat.  DO NOT eat a low-fat diet if you want to loose weight and be healthy.  I realize it has been the suggested way to loose weight for the last 25-30 years however I submit that a low-fat diet doesn't work.  As Americans we eat low-fat cheese, fat free milk, low fat salad dressing, 92% lean ground beef, and very little fatty animals such as duck. But guess what, as a nation our weight is going up, our waist line is getting bigger, we are not lowering our cholesterol, and most of us are over fed and under nourished.  In the book "The Schwarzbein Principle" by Dr. Diana Schwarzbein she explains how fat from animals, fish, nuts, and dairy can helps us loose weight  and be healthier. Below I will share some of the information I learned with you.

WHY EAT FATS:

1. Cholesterol and fats are used by the body as building material and this replenishment must come from dietary sources.
2. Cholesterol keeps your cells permeable so that nutrients can pass through, if you deprive your body of cholesterol your cell membrane structures can become hardened thereby increasing the risk of abnormal cell division and growth, raising the potential for cancer.
3. Cholesterol is also the structural material from which many important hormones are made and upsetting the delicate balance of hormones in the body can lead to a cascade of problems.
4. Cholesterol is essential for your brain keeping the neuro-transmitters functioning properly.

It's hard to believe we should eat fat, after all the company line for 30 years has been "eat less fat and watch your cholesterol". But think back 50-60 years ago.  The advice  back then for someone who gained a little weight and was worried about it was "cut back on the bread and sweets".  That is more accurate. Many of us are told by doctors and mainstream media to eat less fat in order to lower our HDL's and raise our VLDL's and therefore reduce the risk of heart attack.  Unfortunately, this advice came from a medical study done in the late 1979-1980 time frame  called the "Effect of Diet and Smoking Intervention on the incidence of Coronary Artery Disease"  It appeared in the December 12th issue of the medical journal "The Lancet".  the unfortunate part is that the study was interpreted wrong.  The fact that the control group was able to significantly lower their cholesterol had to do with the fact that they also cut back or quit smoking.  At the time it was not known that smoking had an effect on Cholesterol.

If you do not eat enough cholesterol then your body will begin to over produce cholesterol on it's own from the carbohydrates you eat.  Insulin is a very powerful hormone and is actually to blame for clogging arteries as well as fat storage.  A study "Effects of Intraarterial Insulin on Tissue Cholesterol and fatty acids in Alloxan-Diabetic Dogs" proved this point, dogs were infused with insulin into the femoral arteries and all developed plaqueing of the arteries.

There are plenty of things in our lives these days that can contribute to heart disease; stress, over the counter and prescription drugs, age, waist line circumference, lack of exercise, high insulin levels, tobacco, and stimulants, but not cholesterol.  So what I am recommending is that if you want to be healthier and loose body fat, eat a diet that is rich in good protein and fats.  I am not advocating damaged fats like fried foods or hydrogenated oils but simple nature made foods.  The simpler the food the better, eat up.