Health Alert 230
Dear Subscriber:
Walk through any packaged food section at the grocery and you’ll see shelf after shelf of low fat this and that. But fat in food is essential for absorbing fat-soluble nutrients like Vit A, Vit E, Vit D, Vit K, and coenzyme Q10. It’s the wrong kinds of fat that cause disease.
Today, you can give yourself a quick ‘fat check-up’ and discover how you’re doing with this important macronutrient. And you’ll see an easy way to maintain a healthy fat intake without counting fat grams.
Follow some diet gurus advice and you’d cut out most of the fat in your diet. Would you be healthier? Nope. A study published in The Journal of The American Medical Association found people eating very low-fat diets (14% fat) showed no improvement in body composition, blood sugar, insulin levels, or blood pressure. In fact, the study’s authors called very low fat diets “counterproductive” to health.1
Another problem I have with the low-fat diet is that it’s high-carb. Excessive intake of the wrong kinds of carbohydrates, not fat, is the central dietary problem in my patient population. (See Health Alert 224) What’s more, if you follow all this low-fat advice you could be robbing your body of essential nutrients.
Your body needs fat to absorb vitamins. In fact, some of the most important nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K and coenzyme CoQ10, are fat-soluble. Cut out all the fat, and you cut out these essential nutrients.
Is this license to load up on fatty sausage and luncheon meat? Absolutely not.
You should be focusing on eating good fats and eliminating bad ones if you want to stay young, strong and maintain a healthy weight. Let’s see how you’re doing on your own with a little ‘fat check-up’:2
- Do you eat fast food more than once a week? If so, give yourself 3 points.
- Do you eat fish less than once a week? If so, give yourself 3 points.
- Do you eat processed meats (sausage, hot dogs, etc.) more than once a week? If yes, give yourself 3 points.
- Do you eat doughnuts, croissants or sweet rolls more than once a week? If yes, give yourself 3 points.
- Do you routinely add store bought salad dressing and sauces to foods more than once a week? If so, give yourself 3 points.
- Do you eat fried foods more than once a week? If yes, give yourself 3 points.
Now add up your total. If you scored 10 points or higher your health is surely suffering from your fat choices. If you scored more than 3 points, you could benefit from some changes. It’s not that you’re getting too much fat, it’s that you’re getting too much of the wrong kind of fat-Omega 6s.
How much should you eat? Shoot for a ratio of Omega 3s to Omega 6s (good to bad fats) of 1:1. Most Americans fall far short. The national dietary average is between 1:20 and 1:50.3 Scary!
Omega-6s are in virtually every processed food. But cutting them out doesn’t mean you have to stop eating foods you love. Simply cut out the pre-made packages and stop using oils high in omega-6s, namely oils like corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower. Instead, focus on buying the wide range of natural foods rich in good fats or omega-3s. Your best sources of these are flaxseed oil, olive oil, nuts, avocados, eggs, grass-fed red meat, wild game and fish. To Your Good Health,
Al Sears MD
Sources:
1. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1997; 278(18): 1509-1515
2. Adapted from American Dietetic Association and Mosby Great Performance, Healthy Eating For the Whole Family, St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book, Inc. 1995, p. 5.
3. Sears, Al MD., Your Six-Week Anti-Aging Plan