High Fat, Low Carb eating, Part 3 – The Fat

This is Part 3 of our series. If you’ve missed the first two you can find them at Part 1 – The Carb and Part 2 – The Protein.

Fat is bad right? After all if I eat fat then I’ll get fat. So it goes to show for the past 70 years or so fat has been the most demonized macro-nutrient, one that we must stay away from no matter how good it is. Fat isn’t bad(unless it’s on your gut), in fact it’s something to enjoy (on a girls ass) quite a bit of.

In other words, Dietary Fat = Good, Excess Body Fat = Bad.

Food History

Since 1916 the USDA has produced a food guide. For my generation the most recognizable food advice that we can remember has been The Food Pyramid.

Bread, Cereal, Rice & pasta group – 6-11 servings

Vegetables – 3-5 servings

Fruit – 2-4 servings

Milk, yogurt & cheese – 2-3 servings

Meat,poultry,fish, beans & eggs – 2-3 servings

Fats, oils & sweets – use sparingly (ohhh scary)

So fats and sweets are in the same category, riiiiight.

The USDA also suggests what we should eat based on Macronutrients:

So based on a 2000 calorie diet it would look like this for adults:

Carbs – 225-325 grams/day

Protein – 50-175 grams/day

Fat – 44-78 grams/day

You might remember from part one of this series that these numbers look very similar to weight watchers and Jenny Craig style diets. As we all know adherence to these diets is very low and the weight loss is in single digit percentile at around 12 months.

Why?

Carbs make you hungry.

Fat makes you full.

Proteins are the building blocks.

Why Does Fat Get a Bad Rap?

Fat is bad right? Just ask anyone, right? We all know that in order to lose weight we have to cut out the fat and lower calories, be constantly miserable all the time and get on that stair stepper. But what if all that we know is wrong?

You probably haven’t heard that name before, but his work is the foundation of the low fat and low dietary cholesterol food policies we have in the US. Much of the dietary advice, education provided to nutritionists, etc is all based on Ancel’s work. It leads to a disparity between what is taught in cellular biology vs what is taught in human nutrition classes. How often have you heard the term “heart healthy grains”? This is a marketing strategy pure and simple. A carb is a carb is a carb. They all affect the insulin response in your body.

Fat is just another energy source for your body to use, it does not trigger your body’s insulin response, it does not make you pack on and store excess fat, it does not provide an avenue for cancer cell growth. Pure and simple fat = energy.

Eat Real, Natural Food

Eat. Real. Food.

It’s very very simple. Eat anything that isn’t processed, refined, packaged, prepared.

Eat Meat.

Eat Veggies.

Eat Fruits.

Eat Eggs.

Pretty Simple. Anything else isn’t real food.

Don’t eat processed foods (in a box or a can in general are a no)

Don’t eat refined foods (if you have to do something to it for it to be edible, its refined)

• Grains (rice, corn, wheat, etc)

• Legumes (beans)

• Any processed sugar

Takeaways

Fat = reliable constant fuel

Carbs = quick burning, easy to go overboard, fuel

Eat real food, if it takes more work to make it edible than to gather it, it’s not real food. Just consider the fact that rodents won’t eat white flour, and most bugs that get into it and eat it, die.

Stay Superior!