Eating fat doesn’t make you fat! 📣 Fats are an essential part of a healthy diet and they serve as building blocks for:
🔹our hormones
🔹immune cells
🔹cell membranes
Fats also allow fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) to be absorbed from foods.
We were told for a long time to eat low-fat because fats are higher in calories and were previously thought to be linked to heart disease. This recommendation led us to eat more carbs 🍞🍪🥞 (and not the carbs from veggies!). Dr Ludwig from Harvard’s Department of Nutrition said that the encouraging a low-fat diet was “the biggest public health experiment in history” and we know it didn’t work as the incidence of heart disease and diabetes rose.
Fats stabilize blood sugar and insulin and keep you feeing fuller for longer. Fats don't cause insulin to spike like it would from eating refined carbs or high glycemic foods (high sugar, low fibre). 📈When insulin spikes after eating refined carbs, it brings sugar into cells for fuel but stores excess sugar as fat. Insulin also blocks leptin, the hormone responsible for telling us we’re full. Eating fats and proteins regulates insulin, blood sugar and metabolism! 🙌 A systematic review and meta-analysis of 53 studies concluded that high-fat, low-carb diets led to more significant weight loss compared to higher carb diets. Even more reason not to be afraid of fats 🤗
We should still avoid refined and processed fats like trans fats as they are damaging and increase the risk of heart disease. But incorporating healthy fats is essential! 🥑🌰 Talk to your naturopathic doctor about getting a healthy amount of fat for YOU and how to optimize your diet to reach your health goals!
Sources: Tobias, D., Chen, M., Manson, J., Ludwig, D., Willett, W., & Hu, F. (2015). Effect of low-fat diet interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 3(12), 968-979.