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.

Watch out there is a fat virus going around!

We humans are not to blame for being overweight, it's not my fault or your fault it's the virus, yeah right.

Yep, you heard me there is a fat virus going around, just check this link from Fox News, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,482788,00.html you know Fox News is never wrong. OK I'm probably going to get blasted if anyone reads this post but I've got to write it anyway. Virus or no virus we are what we eat. If we eat a sandwich as big as our head, chips and a soda or greasy hamburgs, fried chicken, french fries while flying down the highway at 70mph we are going to be in trouble.

OK the sarcasm is over and I am going to take a stand on what we should eat to be healthy and explain why. My statements may go against some pretty big organizations such as the American Heart Association, the USDA food pyramid, and some others but if you read the book “The Schwarzbein Principle” by doctor Diana Schwarzbein I think you would agree that what she says make scientific sense. Today I am going to focus on Protein and why it should be a big part of your diet. Tomorrow I'll tackle the issue of eating fat.

If you want to be healthy and achieve your healthy weight, What do you eat?

• Protein (Meat, poultry, fish, dairy, soy, limited legumes, select grains)
• Fats (from fish, meats, dairy, nuts seeds, vegetables) (Do not eat processed fats)
• Non-starchy vegetables (lettuce, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc.)
• Fruits and starchy vegetables (any fruit and carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, beets, corn, peas)
• Grains (only whole grains – Brown rice, Quinoa, wheat bread, rye bread, oatmeal)
• Desserts (in very small quantities)

What eat meat, dairy? Yes protein is important. Protein and fats are used in the body for rebuilding muscles and cells.  Insulin is the hormone that  directs the storage of excess sugar in the muscle and fat cells.  Protein and fats do not stimulate the secretion of insulin.   Insulin is produced when too much sugar enters the blood stream from carbohydrates (carbohydrates are fruit, grains, starchy vegetables, and sweets).  Below are some reasons you should eat a lot of protein,

1. Protein contains 20 amino acids, 10 of which your body can make the other 10 you must take in.
2. Protein and fat are the building blocks of our cells and we need a constant supply of protein for rebuilding and hormone production.
3. Proteins called immunoglobins are the substances of you immune system.
4. Your cells rely on proteins and fats in REAL food to replenish tissues within your body. Without real food you will damage the cells in your body. Real food is not man made and doesn't come in colorful packaging.
5. There is a difference between 100 calories of rice crisps and 100 calories of good protein. A calorie is measured as the amount of energy required to raise one gram of water one degree Celsius. To determine this scientists broke down the food chemical bonds completely, underwater and then measured the change in temperature of the water from the heat generated during these chemical reactions. The problem is that 100 calories of carbohydrates in you body have to be used immediately or stored but since proteins and fats can be used for building blocks not just energy their ends up being less energy that needs to be stored.
6. If you eat protein your body can build lean muscle mass and so you will have more insulin receptors in your muscles and less chance of being insulin resistance
7. When you don't eat enough protein and fat your body uses it's own protein for survival and bones, hair, and nails become dry and thin.
   
   So in case you missed the point here whether there is or is not a “fat virus” it is important to eat a balanced diet but a very different balance than the USDA food pyramid. Think of it as a square divided into 4 equal parts, protein, fat, vegetables, carbohydrates. You should eat 25% of your daily intake from each and you will be healthy, a healthy weight, and nourished as long as your digestive system is working properly.