January 8, 2017
First let me back up and say that I’m just one of a LARGE, ever-growing population within the health, wellness, and medical communities that’s been doing John the Baptist imitations for YEARS (ie: wearing sackcloth and crying in the wilderness about the value of high quality dietary fats.) Then just when I’d become comfortable with the possibility my opinions will always be considered “fringy” by federal policymakers, on December 15, 2016 my mind was officially blown when I heard that the FDA finally reversed its 20 year old position that only lower-fat foods are healthy...WILL WONDERS NEVER CEASE?!
I guess the Food & Drug Association couldn’t stand the pressure any longer since the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health & Human Services published their 8th Edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans (a joint report considered the cornerstone of Federal nutrition and education policies and programs) close to 2 years ago stating that healthy fats (like those contained in avocado, almonds, and salmon) were absolutely vital to human health (BTW that report will remain valid until 2020 when the 9th Edition is released.)
And I literally couldn’t believe my eyes when the other day I came across a Washington Post article quoting the wonderful Dr Mark Hyman, director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine (HELLO…remember that’s where my boss Dr Tamara Blossic obtained her training in Functional Medicine!) In this excerpt you’ll see that Dr Hyman adeptly puts to bed once and for all the misguided notion that eating fat makes you fat:
"[A great deal of] misinformation…has been pushed on our population by the food industry and our government…that all calories are the same — that’s true in a laboratory, when you burn them,” Hyman said. “It’s not true when you eat them.”
In a blog post on his website last year, Hyman compared the effects of consuming 750 calories of soda vs. 750 calories of broccoli, pointing out the many adverse effects of the former, including an insulin spike, which increases the storage of belly fat. In our conversation, he noted, "Fat, on the other hand, does not raise insulin."
What healthy fats can do, Hyman wrote in his forthcoming book, "The Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook," is "shut down cravings, speed up metabolism" and "help prevent and reverse heart disease, not cause it." He points the finger at a long-standing and misguided obsession with calories, one that demonizes fats for containing more of them than processed carbohydrates and sugars, leading to '"dangerous low-fat diets.'"
So what’s the EASIEST way to make the shift to a healthier diet which, of course, includes plenty of healthy fat? (and by “diet” I don’t mean weightloss program, I just mean “what you eat”…remember that eating healthily improves your health and healthy bodies don’t like to carry around excess baggage…weightloss is often simply a side effect of improved health!)
IT’S SIMPLE…JUST DON’T EAT FOODS YOU CAN’T FIND IN NATURE!
Think about it: since the dawn of man our bodies have been functioning properly when fueled by meals composed primarily of vegetables plus some fruits along with healthy proteins and fats. Sugar, flour, processed foods and additives, on the other hand, are brand new “foods” (and I use that term loosely…some of the stuff in markets these days really doesn’t actually qualify as food!) yet today most of the calories on our dinner plates are sourced from foods composed primarily of these ingredients.
So instead of a bagel with cream cheese or a bowl of cereal with milk for breakfast how about a spinach omelet along with some sweet potato hashbrowns sautéed in ghee or coconut oil, a sliced tomato, some diced avocado, and maybe a dollop of salsa?
Or instead of crackers or chips for a snack how about an apple with a handful of raw nuts?
Or instead of a McDonald’s hamburger with fries for dinner how about a burger made of grass-fed free-range beef or even bison served open face on a portabella mushroom cap (my family loves these “knife & fork” burgers topped with a few strips of roasted red pepper!) along with a nice salad topped with a spritz of lemon and EVOO?
I promise you that with just a little practice, eating this way will literally set you free…no more counting calories, grams, or carbs! And, ironically, you’ll probably be eating MORE calories while losing weight (plus developing a healthier relationship with food along with improved sleep, energy, mood, and even self-esteem!)
Still a bit confused? Click here for more info on all the whole food nutrition instruction services I offer including:
• Food Diary evaluations
• “Smoothie 101” & “Paleo Made Practical” classes
• Cooking demonstrations
• Shopping tips
• Meal planning templates
• Ideas for healthy, quick (and even portable!) meals & snacks
Work with me and learn how easy it really is to hit your nutritional reset button once and for all!
The “The Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook” is expected to be released later this month. (Little, Brown.) Click here to read full article “Does eating fat make you fat? This doctor says no”
