Does Eating Fat Make You Fat?

[Antonio Valladares]

I copied this response from the Elimination Diet forum where I responded to a question about why fat is important in our diet.

Please note - I am not telling anyone to go hog wild on a full fat bacon, cheese and eggs 4 times a day diet!

But this may help some of you get over the fear of eating fat.

When examined honestly and accurately, the scientific evidence doesnt support the idea that "artery-clogging" saturated fats cause heart disease.

Saturated fats from healthy pastured animals play many important roles in our body chemistry:

They protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins, including pain killers

They enhance the immune system

Our hormones are made from saturated and cholesterol. So to have normal hormonal balance (which is required for burning fat), it is important to avoid 'low fat' foods.

Saturated fats constitute about 50% of the cell membranes. They are what gives our cells stiffness and integrity.

They play a vital role in bone health. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into our bones, at least 50% of our dietary fats should be saturated.

Saturated fats lower Lp(a), a substance in the blood that indicates greater risk of heart disease.

They have antimicrobial properties. They protect us against harmful microorganisms in the gut.

They are needed for the proper utilization of essential, omega fatty acids

Elongated omega-3 fatty acids are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats.

Saturated (18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid) are ideal foods for the heart, which is why the fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated. The heart requires these fat reserves during stress.

The fat in clogged arteries is only about 26% saturated. The rest is unsaturated, of which more than half is polyunsaturated which comes from crappy vegetables oils including salad dressings and unhealthy 'health'' food oils like soy and canola.

They make foods taste better and help w satiety and reduce cravings...saturated fats have sustained human culture for over 2 million years.

So don't be afraid of eating animals fats as long as tehy come from clean, grass fed sources ...but you may not want to eat 'low fat' foods for optimal health and fat burning.

Antonio

[Antonio Valladares]

i lost my hard drive and many documents including ED so Im not sure about sweets...but follow the EDprpgram to the letter....

but if you are going to have a sweet, honey is better than agave

you might be able to import stevia...Im not sure

agave will not help you lose fat

that bottomline is you want to eliminate or significantly reduce sweets of all type

ask around and see what others have found regarding stevia

it will not affect your blood sugar levels
a

[Sophia]

hey birigik, you can order stevia online - there's plenty of shops in europe that sell stevia. just google it..

[birigik]

Antonio, the ED manual says RAW btter is allowed. I've been eating regular organic butter. Is there a difference? I haven't seen RAW butter anywhere. I'd like to try the ED to the letter for 30 days, so I don't want to mess it up tomorrow by using my organic butter if that's a problem! Could you let me know wat you think?

[birigik]

Antono, one more thing: before I switched to the Agave (specifically for the Elimination Diet) I was using organic apple-juice-concentrate-fruit-spread as a sweetener. This is simply boiled down apples and nothing else. Of course it's alot of fructose but I figured it must be really healthy since a spoonful is like several cooked apples. It also tastes way better than Agave. I ask myself, is this really that much different than cooking up some apples myself in essence? Of course it's way more concentrated so the sugar level is higher too. it's similar to the no-sugar-added jams sold in healthfood stores, just fruit. Can you give your opinion? My impression that it wasn't allowed on the Elimination Diet, but it's really not clear because Dax does allow fruit.
Antonio Valladares said:

i lost my hard drive and many documents including ED so Im not sure about sweets...but follow the EDprpgram to the letter....

but if you are going to have a sweet, honey is better than agave

you might be able to import stevia...Im not sure

agave will not help you lose fat

that bottomline is you want to eliminate or significantly reduce sweets of all type

ask around and see what others have found regarding stevia

it will not affect your blood sugar levels
a

[Antonio Valladares]

it is not really the same as fruit simply because it is not the actual whole food
when they boil it down, it destroys the nutrients and concentrates the sugar

so its very sugary and doesnt have the same benefits as fruit,no fiber, no ezymes or vitamins

i know its hard, but giving up sweets may be the best thing you can do for your health and fatloss results

stick to whole fruit

you can slice up some fruit and warm it up in butter and add cinamin as a treat or dessert
you can also throw in some slivered almonds in it as well

dairy products that are RAW have not been pasteurized

this is the healthiest form of dairy

pasteurization destroys the enzymes, proteins and fats

you may have to do some work to find it, but search for a local weston a price organization or go to www.westonaprice.org & www.realmilk.com and search for info

a

[birigik]

Thanks Antonio, I will lay off all the fructose for the 30 days just so I can say that I did it properly. But without the sweeteners I bought some bananas the other day! Bananas were off my shopping list for a year, so I'm replacing sweet with another sweet!
However I do have to eat for performance and in order to really jump higher than everybody else during the Combat class, with no break after the Spinning my performance does go down wihout a glucose drink. This forum seems all full of people who seem fairly sedentary and trying to lose excess weight but this isn't my situation. Of course I'd like to have 0% fat without trying but I know enough about the female body to know where I am now is considered on the lean side of healthy. I want to be super healthy, and super strong and look the best I can without depriving myself. Like an athlete I don't want cutting out sugar to make the diiference betwen 5 seconds and 6 seconds on my next sprint. That's the most important thing. So after the 30 days I think I'll include it again during sports.
Antonio Valladares said:

it is not really the same as fruit simply because it is not the actual whole food
when they boil it down, it destroys the nutrients and concentrates the sugar

so its very sugary and doesnt have the same benefits as fruit,no fiber, no ezymes or vitamins

i know its hard, but giving up sweets may be the best thing you can do for your health and fatloss results

stick to whole fruit

you can slice up some fruit and warm it up in butter and add cinamin as a treat or dessert
you can also throw in some slivered almonds in it as well

dairy products that are RAW have not been pasteurized

this is the healthiest form of dairy

pasteurization destroys the enzymes, proteins and fats

you may have to do some work to find it, but search for a local weston a price organization or go to www.westonaprice.org & www.realmilk.com and search for info

a

[Aimee]

I purchased stevia in the UK. It can't be marketed as food, but you can buy it. It's funny, at one point it said something like "if it happens to fall into your tea....."

Here's the company I bought mine from. http://stevia.naturallygreen.co.uk/

I was sure I couldn't go without sweetener, but actually, I haven't used it much at all. I even make desserts, and they are sweetened with dates.

[Aimee]

In response to Birigik about workouts, I went no sugar, and low-low carb with I first did this, and I continued with serious weight lifting and running. At the moment I'm doing kettlebell workouts and I have energy for workouts, and I'm losing fat! Before going completely off sweets (and even fruit at first, back in August), I would be very hungry and dizzy and all that (see my blog post for more if the story interests you), but now I'm much more even in mood, apetite and energy (blood sugar problems resolved, I'm sure) and have lots of energy for my workouts. You'll never know until you try! All the best....lean and strong is a good place to be!

[birigik]

Hi, yes thanks. But the problem is that I work as a class teacher. I systematically overtrain. It isn't healthy, but it pays my rent. I sometimes do 4 or 5 hours in a row. And I'm expected to go faster and harder than anybody else). Believe me, after an hour or two ones body needs simple sugar, but I can't eat a banana in the middle of the training. I teach 20 hours a week.

Aimee said:

In response to Birigik about workouts, I went no sugar, and low-low carb with I first did this, and I continued with serious weight lifting and running. At the moment I'm doing kettlebell workouts and I have energy for workouts, and I'm losing fat! Before going completely off sweets (and even fruit at first, back in August), I would be very hungry and dizzy and all that (see my blog post for more if the story interests you), but now I'm much more even in mood, apetite and energy (blood sugar problems resolved, I'm sure) and have lots of energy for my workouts. You'll never know until you try! All the best....lean and strong is a good place to be!

[J J White]

Great stuff Antonio.

Its really good to see people defending fat and talking about its benefits the way you are.

westonaprice.org is a site that has lots and lots of information about diet and especially fat.

Birigik you asked about honey and stevia in your post. I have ordered stevia from the internet, but could not find it in any shops. The honey i get is raw honey which can be found in a number of health food shops. This basically means that the enzymes and all the other goodness is still in there making it as healthy as it was intended to be.

Here is an article i wrote on raw honey....

The sweet super food.

Honey has been eaten for thousands of years. When some of the tombs were opened in Egypt, they found honey that had been put there for the entombed so they would have it in their next life. The honey had crystallized and was still perfectly good, even though it had been there for 5,000 years!
The majority of honey that you would buy in a supermarket is not the same honey that has been eaten for thousands of years. Only careful and minimal processing will preserve the many nutritive benefits of honey. Honey should never be heated during extraction or the enzymes will be destroyed, nor should it be fine filtered.
The fine filtering of honey removes much of what makes raw honey a healthy and desirable food. This would include particles of pollen, beeswax and propolis. When the pollen is still present in the honey it is said to provide relief to allergy sufferers. Small amounts of pollen act as an inoculant against large amounts in the air that trigger reactions like the runny nose and itchy eyes of hay fever. As honey is predigested it is very easy for the body to digest. When it is consumed with carbohydrates like porridge or toast, the enzymes in the honey help with the digestion of carbohydrates. Different honeys from different nectar sources are quite different. They have different combinations of sugars, minerals and enzymes. For example, very dark honeys have a high mineral content. Lighter honeys are lower in minerals and are usually milder in taste.
Another benefit to honey is that it is a good source of antioxidants so play a big role in the prevention of cancer as well as heart disease. It can also be used as a moisturiser to be later removed with splashes of water. Not only will it moisturise the skin but it will also help combat acne with only a small amount being needed for both uses. Bee keepers who regularly eat honey are said to live long and healthy lives.
Honey is a natural antiseptic. Medical journals cite more than 600 cases in which honey was employed to treat wounds by preventing infection. Honey contains a antimicrobial agent, which prevents infections by killing the bacteria in and around your wound. Many types of bacteria cant survive in honey so wounds heal, swelling eases and tissue can grow back.

Some interesting facts about bees are:
Honey bees are the only insect to produce food for humans, a healthy hive contains approximately 40-60 thousand bees. During the honey production period a bees life span is only 4-6 weeks.
Bees visit approximately two million flowers to make one pound of honey.
Bees travel an average of 1,600 round trips in order to produce on ounce of honey, each round trip being as far as 6 miles. To produce 2 pounds of honey bees travel a distance equal to 4 times round the earth!
Queens lay approximately 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day at a rate of 5 to 6 per minute. One queen lays between 175,000 and 200,000 eggs per year.
So don’t put their hard work to waste, go and get your self some raw honey and think about how much hard work has gone into that small amount you eat!

James white.

James is a level 1 coach at Dax Moy Personal Training Studios, Islington, where he works with clients to achieve rapid fitness and fat loss results.
To find out more or to contact James with questions related to this article, email [e-mail] or call 0207 354 3550

[birigik]

That's very interesting. I haven't seen honey at healthfood shops specifically labeled as raw: any brands you know are?
And...isn't honey forbidden on the Elimination Diet? I'd ike to be sure becauyse I'm starting my second round of ED tomorrow after a week off (because my 1st round had gluten probably from my quinoa). On the week off I ate milk and a little wheat but had no ill effects. I think honey is on the banned list because the diet is also directly to people with excess weight or blood sugar problems?

J J White said:

Great stuff Antonio.

Its really good to see people defending fat and talking about its benefits the way you are.

westonaprice.org is a site that has lots and lots of information about diet and especially fat.

Birigik you asked about honey and stevia in your post. I have ordered stevia from the internet, but could not find it in any shops. The honey i get is raw honey which can be found in a number of health food shops. This basically means that the enzymes and all the other goodness is still in there making it as healthy as it was intended to be.

Here is an article i wrote on raw honey....

The sweet super food.

Honey has been eaten for thousands of years. When some of the tombs were opened in Egypt, they found honey that had been put there for the entombed so they would have it in their next life. The honey had crystallized and was still perfectly good, even though it had been there for 5,000 years!
The majority of honey that you would buy in a supermarket is not the same honey that has been eaten for thousands of years. Only careful and minimal processing will preserve the many nutritive benefits of honey. Honey should never be heated during extraction or the enzymes will be destroyed, nor should it be fine filtered.
The fine filtering of honey removes much of what makes raw honey a healthy and desirable food. This would include particles of pollen, beeswax and propolis. When the pollen is still present in the honey it is said to provide relief to allergy sufferers. Small amounts of pollen act as an inoculant against large amounts in the air that trigger reactions like the runny nose and itchy eyes of hay fever. As honey is predigested it is very easy for the body to digest. When it is consumed with carbohydrates like porridge or toast, the enzymes in the honey help with the digestion of carbohydrates. Different honeys from different nectar sources are quite different. They have different combinations of sugars, minerals and enzymes. For example, very dark honeys have a high mineral content. Lighter honeys are lower in minerals and are usually milder in taste.
Another benefit to honey is that it is a good source of antioxidants so play a big role in the prevention of cancer as well as heart disease. It can also be used as a moisturiser to be later removed with splashes of water. Not only will it moisturise the skin but it will also help combat acne with only a small amount being needed for both uses. Bee keepers who regularly eat honey are said to live long and healthy lives.
Honey is a natural antiseptic. Medical journals cite more than 600 cases in which honey was employed to treat wounds by preventing infection. Honey contains a antimicrobial agent, which prevents infections by killing the bacteria in and around your wound. Many types of bacteria cant survive in honey so wounds heal, swelling eases and tissue can grow back.

Some interesting facts about bees are:
Honey bees are the only insect to produce food for humans, a healthy hive contains approximately 40-60 thousand bees. During the honey production period a bees life span is only 4-6 weeks.
Bees visit approximately two million flowers to make one pound of honey.
Bees travel an average of 1,600 round trips in order to produce on ounce of honey, each round trip being as far as 6 miles. To produce 2 pounds of honey bees travel a distance equal to 4 times round the earth!
Queens lay approximately 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day at a rate of 5 to 6 per minute. One queen lays between 175,000 and 200,000 eggs per year.
So don’t put their hard work to waste, go and get your self some raw honey and think about how much hard work has gone into that small amount you eat!

James white.

James is a level 1 coach at Dax Moy Personal Training Studios, Islington, where he works with clients to achieve rapid fitness and fat loss results.
To find out more or to contact James with questions related to this article, email [e-mail] or call 0207 354 3550

[Christopher Warden]

Antonio --

GREAT post to share w/ everybody. Hit the nail square on the head. . . and even gave me a few more articles to refer to that I hadn't read yet! :)

Thanks!

Antonio Valladares said:

Lyn

What you said is quite common --> 'Avoid real food and eat synthetic man made foods to heal or prevent a disease'....hmmm.

When your on meds, you need to follow the advice of your doctor.
However, doctors know very little, if anything, about nutrition.

The real issue is sugar.
Sugar isn't just white table sugar. Its cereal, bread, baked goods, processed foods, sodas and juices.

I suggest you educate yourself on the topic
Ask your doctor if they have ever studied this information....

You can also ask your Ddoc if he is doing Dax's 'Look Great Naked Challenge' and assuming your doc is a man, ask him to take his shirt off to show you his 6 pack... (Kidding of course)

I have posted some links below so you can learn more and make your own informed decisions that are best for you.

A few questions to ponder regarding this topic are this:

If saturated fat and cholesterol are so bad for us, how did we evolve over 2 million years on a diet primarily of fat and protein from animal sources? Wouldn't we have died by now if saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for us?

In the past 80 years, the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol has radically declined in our diet, yet the rates of heart disease & cancer have skyrocketed. So how could animal fats be causing heart disease?

How come certain indigenous cultures around the world, eat according to nature, eat all sorts of animal fats and have never had cancer, heart disease, obesity, arthritis, diabetes and all sorts of other diseases that are plaguing modern man (or woman)?

Here is a video from a good friend of mine on the topic:

Is God Stupid? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjdy0n_gJq8&feature=channel_page

The Myth of Cholesterol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUSEbEB7z3k&feature=related

Truth About Saturated Fat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAy_yjk3XAE


Articles:
The Hidden Truth About Cholesterol Lowering Drugs article: http://www.health-fx.net/eBook.pdf

The Skinny on Fats http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/skinny.html

Cholesterol and Heart Disease: A Phony Issue http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/fats_phony.html

Cholesterol: Friend or Foe http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/cholesterol-friend.html


Books:
The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy That Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD

The Great Cholesterol Con: Why everything you've been told about cholesterol, diet, and heart disease is wrong! by Anthony Colpo

A list of over 20 experts and their commentary and research on saturated fat and cholesterol
http://www.thincs.org/links.htm


If this is too much info for you.
Dont worry about it. You dont have to read it all or any of it...

Just follow your heart and use your head do what is best for you.
Education is the key when it comes to improving your health.
You cant rely on your doctor or on a web forum, so do some research yourself.
As far as meds, follow your docs advice and get him on the Elimination Diet if he doesn't have a 6 pack.

Antonio