Atkins had the right idea about carbs, but he made a mistake with fat.
Although it’s true that the amount of fat we eat did not make us fat. You can’t now simple ignore fat and focus on lowering carbohydrate. Why? Because we have adulterated our dietary fat. Eating the wrong kinds of fat will have a terrible impact on your health.
In today’s Health Alert, I’ll show you how to tell good natural fats from the modern adulterated substitute fats – and how to make sure you get right ones into your diet.
Your body needs fat. Without it, you couldn’t survive. The good fats help keep your mind sharp and your body strong.
Here are just a few of the many benefits you get healthy fat:
- Low triglycerides and better heart health.
- Sharper memory, mental focus and brainpower.
- Better eyesight and a lower risk for macular degeneration.
- Better skin heath and hair luster.
- Anti-inflammatory protection from arthritis
In contrast, excess trans fats and omega-6 fats are inflammatory and can lead to heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. If you don’t differentiate (because they are so common in modern processed foods), your diet may have more than thirty times the omega-6s you need.
Trans fats are by far the worst. These fats are man-made and not found in nature. They are made by adding an extra hydrogen molecule to vegetable oils. Because they aren’t natural fats, your body doesn’t know what to do with them. As a result, they stick to your arteries and put you on the fast track to heart disease.
In spite of Atkins’ minimizing the role of fat in obesity, much of the fat we eat today contains the toxic by-products of our industrialized society. Hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and other chemicals all collect in the fat of the animals. When you eat the fat, you eat all the toxins.
By following a few simple guidelines, you can sidestep the worst fats and enjoy the benefits of the good ones.
- Know what kind of fat you are eating. Eat foods high in omega-3s, like fresh oily fish. Salmon and mackerel are good examples. And, here’s a real eye-opener … Grain-fed red meat is too high in omega 6’s but grass-fed red meat has a higher ratio of omega 3’s than wild Alaskan salmon. Eggs, avocados, walnuts, olives and olive oil are also good sources.
- Avoid processed foods and anything thing made with hydrogenated vegetable oils. This includes French fries.
- Supplement with foods that give you an extra boost of omega-3s, like fish oil, cod liver oil, flaxseed oil and pumpkin seeds.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
P.S. Here’s my formula: High Protein + Low Carb + Right Fat = Lean, Long Life.