Health Alert 192
Have you gobbled down a low-fat “nutrition bar” as a convenient alternative to real food? Do you eat low-fat products as a way to curb your weight? These foods won’t help you lose weight or maintain a healthier body. Despite what the food industry has told you about low-fat products, they don’t work.
Behind the feel-good image of low-fat foods lurk products that are worse than their full fat counterparts are. Many low-fat foods still contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (PHVO) and trans fats. Today, let’s look a simple step you can take to reverse this modern problem.
* The Low Down on Low Fat *
The food industry has spent hundreds of millions to convince Americans that a low fat diet will prevent obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Yet in the past thirty years since we’ve bought into this, the rate of these diseases has skyrocketed.
The reason why processed low-fat foods don’t work is simple. They are not natural to your diet. The ingredients in these foods don’t fit your body chemistry. And, low-fat foods are even higher in carbohydrates. This worsens any problem with body fat.
Processed carbohydrates in low-fat foods are usually very high on the glycemic index. These foods cause blood sugar levels to surge after eating, which places stress on the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin needed to process sugars. This surge in insulin causes you to build more body fat.
Many low-fat foods contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (PHVO). This disease causing substance makes up 20% of the total fat in American’s diets.1 Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils can also contain trans-fatty acids. Our cells take up these abnormally shaped molecules, which disrupt cellular function and interfere with the cells ability to metabolize essential omega 3 and omega 6 fats from natural food sources. When your body becomes deficient in the essential fatty acids, you are susceptible to cancers, diabetes, and heart disease.
If that’s not enough, the process of making low-fat foods like margarine destroys the nutrients within it, most notably Vitamin E. Then, the manufacturers bleach, deodorize, and ship the margarine out to your supermarket shelf.2
When ingested, rancid oils in low fat foods like margarine generate oxidative reactions, which damage the tissues, especially the arterial walls. When the body detects the damage, it sends cholesterol and calcium to the area in an attempt to repair the damage. In this process, the cholesterol oxidizes, the calcium hardens, and hardening of the arteries accelerates.3
* Don’t Be Afraid of Natural Fat *
Not all fats are bad for you. In an effort to lower fat intake, many have inadvertently increased the processed fats they consume. The processed fats cause serious diseases. Trans-fats are the worse. Natural fats have been part of the human diet for millennia. They are essential for your good health. In fact, natural fats are the real health foods.
The easiest way to eliminate trans-fats from your diet is to eat only whole foods. Eat more home-cooked meals and avoid packaged foods. Think free-range animal fat, eggs, nuts, and seeds.
Al Sears, MD
1. http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/tranfat.htm, Health Issues and Trans Fat, Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., F.A.C.N. Director Nutritional Sciences Division Enig Associates, Inc.
2. http://www.risingwomen.com/arcrowe9.htm, Janet Rowe,Health & Natural Lifestyles
3. Wilson TA, McIntyre M, Nicolosi RJ. Trans fatty acids and cardiovascular risk. J Nutr Health Aging. 2001;5(3):184-7.