FACTS ABOUT FATS by Stephanie Wolfe, NBC-HWC
Let me offer a few facts about fats, since like carbohydrates, the nutritional category of fats has been misunderstood and mistakenly followed for years. Those of us who have been following the true science of nutrition and not trusted too much in the “generally recognized as safe” approach of our country’s recommendations, have known for decades that the “all fat is bad” message was wrong. We are paying the price for that wrong message since World War II.
At The Whole Food Health Coach, over the past 10 years, we educate and inspire healthy living, so we tell you the truth.
Fact 1: It is “man-made” fats that are the culprit, and we need to understand saturated fats, and we need to value unsaturated fat like we did toilet paper during the “pandemic.”
Fact 2: Saturated fat, found mainly in meat and dairy foods, contributes to obesity, clogged arteries, and cardiovascular disease. But monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, found in plants and healthful oils, actually protect our health by improving your cholesterol profile.
Fact 3: Omega-3 Unsaturated Fat is the type of fat needed for a variety of vital physiological functions. Your body can’t make these on its own; it must get them from food. Good sources of omega-3s include fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel. Walnuts, wheat germ, and flaxseed oil are also rich in omega-3s.
Fact 4: Fat is a major energy source for your body, and it helps you absorb certain vitamins and nutrients. (Especially Vitamin D)
Fact 5: Fat has little direct effect on blood sugar levels (unlike what was previously thought). In fact, right fats keep you fuller longer, so you eat less of the unhealthy “quick” fixes we often lean on.
Fact 6: Trans fats (man-made) are the worst fats for your health, especially brain health. These fats are made when hydrogen is added to (previously healthy) unsaturated fats to solidify them and make them less likely to spoil, which protects the MANufacturers bottom line but doesn’t nothing to protect our healthy brain cells, blood or heart health. Trans fats raise harmful LDL cholesterol, lower beneficial HDL cholesterol, increase inflammation, and make blood more likely to clot. (In case, you are new to the topic, that’s not good!)
Fact 7: And late to the party, the FDA (finally) ruled that “partially hydrogenated” oils, the main source of trans fats in the American food supply, are no longer considered “generally recognized as safe.” Thank you, Food and Drug Administration for finally weighing in on a topic that has been most unsafe for decades, increasing our weight, mental health issues, and even deaths.
Fact 8: Yes, it costs more to eat healthy fats and to avoid man-made fat-like substances – trans fats. Caring food companies never used them at all, and many food companies have stopped using them … now that we are on to them. But to be sure, 1) Eat whole food! 2) Read the ingredients and know what is in your food, then 3) be sure to look for products that have a zero on the “trans fat” line in the Nutrition Facts box. BUT OF COURSE, if you are a client of ours you already know all this, and so much more!
Live long and strong! We can help!
Stephanie Wolfe, NBC-HWC
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