Why are we so afraid of fats?
Not our fault actually! Dietary policies worldwide for decades continuously branded fat as a villain, a vile food ingredient responsible for all the bad that happen to our body. The message was: avoid fats at all costs.
In the '90s, in fact, the market was flooded with low-fat products: non-fat salad dressing, baked potato chips, low-fat milk and yogurt and more such.
And due to this conscious cutting off of fat from the diet, our consumption of carbohydrates increased substantially and our plate became unbalanced. This led to an increase in lifestyle diseases the world over.
Lately though the tide is turning as lots of studies have shown that a low-fat diet has no significant benefits to cut heart disease, stroke, diabetes or cancer risks, whereas a high-fat, Mediterranean-style diet rich in nuts or extra-virgin olive oil that usually exceeds 40 percent of calories in total fat can actually significantly help reduce cardiovascular disease, diabetes and long-term weight gain.
Now that it is decided that giving up fats is a bad idea, how do we decide how much fat to eat?
Last week in my column "Foods that make our genes healthier" I wrote about a research that found that the right way to feed our genes is to divide the plate like this: one-third protein, one-third fat and one-third carbohydrates. Fat clearly is as important as other macros for staying healthy on the molecular level.
In fact researchers of this study found that a diet with high (65 per cent) carbohydrates causes a number of classes of genes to work overtime, which affects not only the genes that cause inflammation in the body, but also genes associated with development of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, dementia, and type 2 diabetes — all the major lifestyle-related diseases.
There are many other reasons too to not cut off fat from our diets:
Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins. This means their absorption and proper use in the body depends of the presence of fat in our diet. These vitamins are essential for blood clotting, cell repair, growth and immunity. Yes, that’s why fat-free dressings for our salads is the silliest idea possible.
Low-fat diets are linked to depression. And for a good reason. Certain essential fatty acids Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are linked to the production of many hormones and chemicals in the brain, and their deficiency can play havoc with our mood.
Our hormones get affected too, as most hormones in our body depend on fats to stay the course. Very often hormonal imbalances can be traced to low-fat diets.
Opting for fat-free versions of foods (fat-free cookies, low-fat cakes, fat-free mayonnaise etc) is a really bad idea, as these usually have added sugars to make them tastier, so they leave you worse off. Reach for the full-fat options, in moderation. Your waistline, heart, and taste buds will all thank you.
Elimination of fat from the diet usually means eating more carbs and proteins, which is not a good idea. Too much protein has been linked to osteoporosis, and carbs in excess are any ways clearly bad for us.
We need fats to keep us warm, especially in winter, as the breakdown of fats create heat. Sample this: the diet of Eskimos is about 60 per cent fat, and on their traditional diets they don’t suffer from heart disease. How’s that!
Studies are now showing that good quality saturated fats (like those found in coconut oil and ghee) actually help boost our immune system, and protect the liver from the side-effects of drinking alcohol. Finally cutting down fat does not help in weight loss. Fat delivers a feeling of satiety as they keep our blood sugar levels stable longer and prevent excess hunger and cravings. Whereas with fat-free meals we usually end up eating and eating, and consume excess calories without realising.
It really is time to exonerate dietary fat, and to stop the aberrant "low fat is good for us" messaging. Fat is not a four-letter word, and a decent amount of good quality fat is in fact essential for us to stay healthy.