Four ‘Phat’ Myths and Facts about Fat

Author Craig Fear at a Whole Food Expo

1.  Myth: Fat makes you fat 

Fact:  Processed foods make you fat. 

Fat is an essential nutrient.  You cannot live without fat.  60% of our brain is fat.  Fat is required for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K.  Fat plays important roles in digestive, immune, endocrine and cardiovascular function.  The low fat campaign of the past 40 years has done little except make us sicker and fatter.  During the past 20 years fat intake has decreased 11% while obesity has increased 32%.

Refined sugar was unknown in the human diet before 1600.  By the mid-1800s we were consuming between 10 and 20 pounds of refined sugar per person per year in America.  By the end of the 20th century the average American was now consuming between 120 and 150 pounds per year in the form of breakfast cereals, breads, cakes, candies, ice cream, pastries, pasta, jams, processed fruit juices, soft drinks, etc.  This has become S.A.D., or the Standard American Diet.  This is the root cause of our obesity epidemic.

2.  Myth: The best way to lose weight is to restrict fat and calories.                 

Fact: The best way to lose weight is to restrict processed foods. 

It is the QUALITY of calories we consume that will determine how our body utilizes them.  The caloric value of food does not differentiate between organic and non-organic.  It does not differentiate between processed and whole foods.  It does not differentiate between animals raised in confinement and animals raised properly.  Your body knows what to do with REAL food, as Nature intended.  REAL food will not make you fat.  Processed foods are known as ‘empty’ calories.  They not only lack vital nutrients, they actually withdraw nutrients from the body and promote fat deposition over fat utilization. 

3. Myth: Cardiovascular disease is caused by fat and cholesterol.

Fact:  Cardiovascular disease is caused by processed foods.

The rise of heart disease and many other chronic diseases in the 20th century coincided with the rise of processed foods.  The lipid hypothesis which is the theory that fat and cholesterol cause heart disease started in the 1950s and has since been proven wrong.  George Mann, former co-director of the Framingham Heart Study said, “The diet-heart hypothesis has been repeatedly shown to be wrong and yet, for complicated reasons of pride, profit and prejudice the hypothesis continues to be exploited by scientists, fund raising enterprises, food companies and even governmental agencies.  The public is being deceived by the greatest health scam of the century”.
  
4. Myth: Polyunsaturated fats such as corn, cottonseed, canola and soybean oil are the best cooking oils.

Fact:  Saturated fats such as butter, coconut and animal fats are the best cooking oils.

The degree of saturation of fats refers to their chemical bonds.  Saturated fats are highly stable and withstand high temperatures.  Polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and do not withstand high temperatures thus creating highly reactive molecules known as free radicals that promote cell death and therefore aging and disease.  Polyunsaturated oils should never be heated or used in cooking.  Extracting the oils of nuts, seeds and fruit should be done under careful conditions to preserve the nutritional integrity of the oils.  Modern industrial methods render them highly toxic through their mechanical extraction methods.  Proper extraction methods occur under low temperatures with minimal exposure to light and oxygen.

Sources:

1. Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes 

2. Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon 

3. The Weston A. Price Foundation

About the Author:
Craig Fear became certified as an NTP in May of 2008. He specializes in digestive disorders, weight loss, chronic fatigue and detoxification.  His private practice, Pioneer Valley Nutritional Therapy is located in Northampton, MA.   Craig educates his clients about the importance of supporting local sources of agriculture and chose the Pioneer Valley of western MA specifically for its rich agricultural character and strong ties to small scale, sustainable farms.  Craig is a volunteer with CISA, the Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, a non profit organization dedicated to connecting its communities with local food and agriculture.  His website is www.pvnutritionaltherapy.com.  He is also available for phone consultations as well.  You can contact him by email craig@pvnutritionaltherapy.com or call 413-559-7770.

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