Eat Your Way Right Habit 5: FAT is Not a 4-Letter Word

You are a Fathead.

Yes, you are, and no, I am not insulting you.

Your brain is comprised of approximately 60% lipids (aka fat), and our cell membranes are fat based as well. According to Dr. Ryan Andrews the fat we eat literally becomes part of our cells, and has a huge impact on if our nervous system communicates properly. I was amazed to learn that a properly balanced fat intake can affect how my entire body functions, from our brain power on down. You really are what you eat!

Here is what else Dr. Andrews has to say about the importance of healthy fats in our “diet”:

Why are healthy fats so important?

Fats exert powerful effects within the body and healthy fats have been shown to offer the following benefits.

Strong evidence

Cardiovascular protection (though there is less evidence for protecting against heart failure)
Improve body composition
Alleviate depression

Average evidence

Prevent cancers
Preserve memory
Preserve eye health
Reduce incidence of aggressive behaviour
Reduce ADHD and ADD symptoms

When it comes to healthy fat, intake amount is important. People are often concerned about excess dietary fat, but not getting enough fat may also cause health problems.

We need adequate fat to support metabolism, cell signaling, the health of various body tissues, immunity, hormone production, and the absorption of many nutrients (such as vitamins A and D). Having enough fat will also help keep you feeling full between meals.

(Read Ryan’s Complete Article – “All About Healthy Fats”)

So what the good doctor is saying is that we need healthy fats – to be healthy!

The first kind of fat is saturated fat, and if you eat animal protein, you usually have no problem getting that one in, maybe even a bit too much.

The other two are unsaturated fats – poly and mono. These include the Omega-3s which are found in fish such as salmon, as well as nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. Far from being unhealthy, all of these types of fats are crucial for optimal health.

It is also important to balance out the ratio of the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. The reason Omega-3 supplements are necessary for most people is that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids has been dumped on it’s head by the way our food is raised and processed. What used to be a 1:1 ratio of 6 to 3 is now more like 16:1, and this does not allow proper cell functioning and integrity. That’s why we recommend a good Omega-3 supplement for everybody. 3-6 grams of EPA/DHA per day is the recommendation. Super Omega-3 is what we carry in the gym because you are getting over 3 grams of the good stuff in one teaspoon, which is outstanding. You can read more about Super Omega-3 in this article: Fish Oil and Why You Are Getting Ripped Off

You have been lied to

Low fat diets stink. You aren’t getting the health benefits outlined above, but that is not all. Healthy fats cause satiety, or the feeling of being full longer, more than protein and certainly more than carbohydrates. You know it’s true. You can blast through 2 or 3 donuts and be hungry an hour later. Try eating a couple eggs and an avocado and see what happens – I can guarantee you will be fuller longer. Part of the reason is that it takes fat a lot longer to digest than carbohydrate, so it doesn’t empty from your stomach and travel through the digestive system as fast.

But won’t all that fat go right to my waistline?

Au’ contraire, mon ami!

Eating fat does not “make you fat”. Eating excess of anything will cause it to be stored as excess energy (fat). And an argument can (and is) being made because it is easier to overeat carbohydrate than it is fat or protein, increasing your fat intake is a good nutrition strategy when looking for overall calorie reduction. It helps keep you full longer and also avoid the huge blood sugar crashes that can accompany carbohydrate intake, particularly from simple carbs.

EYWR Habit 5: Eat Recommended Healthy Fats Daily.

If you track your calories, 30-35% of daily caloric intake is a good place to start. If you eat meat, particularly red meat, you are getting plenty of saturated fat, believe me, so we need to concentrate on the others, the poly and monounsaturated.

Here’s a partial list of things that are easy to add into our plan.

• Avocado
• Fatty Fish (salmon, sardines, herring, tuna, mackerel)
• Macadamia Nuts
• Walnuts
• Sunflower Seeds
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Flax seed Oil
• Fish Oil
• Omega-3 eggs

Don’t go crazy. As you may remember 1 gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories, while 1 gram of fat has 9 calories, so portion control needs to be paid attention to. Too much of something good is not good, and we all know how easy it is to overeat things like almonds and macadamia nuts (love those things!)

Caution: If you are taking blood thinners, have heart issues, or have a bleeding disorder you absolutely need to check with your physician before supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids (Fish/Algae Oils).  Just do it!

Healthy Fats. Every Day. No Excuses.

Make It Happen!