I know, I know, the topic of healthy fats is a really difficult thing to wrap your brain around. I still hear people complaining that their doctor told them to avoid foods like meat, cheese, and butter, and I hear it a lot. I actually just heard someone complaining about this on Saturday. She said, “I told him, if I can't eat all those things, then I guess I'd rather not be around.”
I tried to keep quiet, really I did...
To the annoyance of my family (“Here she goes again…”) I blurted out, “You don't have to avoid those things!” She looked at me like I was nuts. Where to begin? How do you sum up something like that and come off credible, when doctors have been saying these are taboo foods for years?!
The answer is that I can't sum it up.
You can't undo years of bad information with a couple sentences, which is about all the time you have in a casual conversation. Unfortunately the only thing I can do is encourage them to read more, and the rest is up to them. Sadly, most people won't do it, though. Here's what Kent & I came up with for why most won't keep researching (I love that I have a husband who will lament over these things with me):
- Many are too busy, too lazy, or too unmotivated to do any reading. (We're busy, lazy and unmotivated at times, too, but not ALL the time…)
- Some take everything their doctor says as gospel. Not that I want anyone to believe ME instead of them. Far from it, but I DO want what people read here to motivate them to keep researching. And I'm not saying all docs are bad or that they don't want us to be healthy. I love our family doc and know he really does have our best interests at heart. I just think that they can't be up on everything, and nutrition isn't something docs have studied much. It's a totally different world compared to the pharmaceutical world.
- The majority of people want their docs to give them a pill that will allow them to keep up their bad habits, and go on with life. They want to eat their fast food (cheap and convenient), they want to keep eating sweets (my weakness, too…I never said I didn't have my own issues), they don't want to give up pop, etc. (If only they'd “get it”, that traditional food tastes great, satisfies completely, and it will lengthen your life instead of shortening it…even more, it will improve the quality of the life you have while here on this earth. Read about how I've even taken some dessert recipes and made them a little less unhealthy, and more traditional, with natural sugars and healthy fats.)
- I also believe that some suffer from information overload – they're hearing different advice from all over, what “they” say is healthy often changes, and many just don't know who to believe or where to find the truth.
What else do you think keeps people from going after optimum health?
So often when people tell me they're on statins, or they've had heart problems, or they're trying to eat low fat and avoiding traditional foods like butter and meat, they're also overweight. And of course they think I'm the wacko. Understandable, since I'm singing a completely different song from what they've heard for years. I don't want to be rude, but I always want to ask,
“And how's that workin' for you?”
Read this from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition – “Saturated fat prevents coronary artery disease? An American paradox”:
In conclusion, the hypothesis-generating report of Mozaffarian et al draws attention to the different effects of diet on lipoprotein physiology and cardiovascular disease risk. These effects include the paradox that a high-fat, high–saturated fat diet is associated with diminished coronary artery disease progression in women with the metabolic syndrome, a condition that is epidemic in the United States.
(FYI: Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes. These medical disorders include obesity, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and more. Here's additional info.)
So here's where I need your help
Let's come up with some one or two-liners to explain to people why what they've been taught is a bunch of bunk. Then we'll be better prepared next time it comes up in casual conversation. Comment below with your ideas!
More you might like:
- The biggest myth in medical history
- Remember, not fearing saturated fats is only one aspect of a healthy diet that we should all be working toward. Wondering where to start? Read over these Rookie Tips
- Keep in mind, whenever I talk about healthy meat on my blog, I'm talking about meat from good sources<, and this rarely means meat from your local grocery store
- Also, re-read this about how the whole lie began in the first place
Harry says
I ate an abundance of foods high in saturated fats and transfats – sweet and salty snacks, doritos, fried chicken, pork and beef, dairy products, hot dogs, McDonald’s fries, etc. I was overweight so that contributed to my metabolic syndrome; I lost the weight. I eat the same foods now but a lot less of it, replaced with low saturated fat items, and more Mono and Poly fats. I have a limit on sat fats at 20 grams per day. I have had no problems in ten years.
California banned transfats in restaurants.
Harry says
No evidence that saturated fat can lead to a heart attack?? I’m a walking and talking evidence specimen right here, front and center. My massive heart attack was precisely caused by too much saturated fat. My diet was out of control. There was an acute and sudden build up of cholesterol in two of my arteries. I have since used mostly unsaturated fats in my diet, and my heart could not be any healthier. My arteries are clear. What kind of BS site is this?
I have also been taught by Dr Haring, who is a Phd in nutrition and metabolism at University of California at Davis, and I can take you through the process of lipolisis, metabolizing saturated and unsaturated fats….omegas, trans, etc. It is much more difficult to metabolize saturated fat, it takes more time and effort….that’s why cholesterol would be higher in the blood stream. Saturated fat is stiff like butter, like the white lard after bacon grease cools off. This makes it difficult for the body to “push” these stiff fatty acid chains into cells for storage or energy production….acid chains covered in cholesterol floating around looking for a place to finally rest. Conversely, “liquid” oils are not stiff, and the fatty acid chains are flexible, so the body (including insulin) has a much easier time of pushing these chains into cells, and therefore, cholesterol is not in the blood stream as long. Why do you think eskimos have the least heart disease? Deep and cold ocean fish have oils that do not stiffen, due to the cold water. These are “natural” fats.
Harry says
Too much saturated fat can also lead to diabetes, because more insulin is required to transfer stiff fatty acid chains form the blood stream into cells.
Rob says
What kind of BS site is this, you ask? Just one of many that push the false notion that the more saturated fat you can cram down your pie-hole the better. It makes people feel good about their bad dietary habits.
Karen says
Oh, silly boys. You are aware that traditional Inuit lived in the Arctic? Very little plant material available. Also frozen solid several feet deep a good portion of the year. Must have been a bit tricky for them to launch those deep sea fishing vessels to catch all those deep cold water fish you think makes up the majority of their diet. They ate seal blubber (74% saturated fat) and whale blubber and every single part of any land mammal they were lucky enough to hunt. All animal sources of saturated fats. Over 70% of their diet.
Yes, butter is “stiff” – straight from the refrigerator. But what about on the counter on a 90 degree summer day? Body temperature is in the high 90’s. The naturally occurring (not dietary) saturated fat in a human body is not rigid either.
Yeah, I remember hearing about the great Inuit diabetes epidemic that happened BEFORE processed foods were shipped to the Arctic. Not.
Rob says
The traditional Inuit diet was very high in MUFA and PUFA from all the marine animals they ate. Btw, osteoporosis and heart disease is not that uncommon amongst the Inuit and that was even before they got off their traditional diet.
p.s. And how much whale blubber do you eat? How about seal? lol
Harry says
@Karen. The whale and seal blubber are created from cold water fishes and plankton, etc. which contain Omega 3s mostly…it’s what’s for dinner.
Seal oil has a ratio of 3 grams of sat. fat to 28 grams total, about 11%.
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/ethnic-foods/8113/2
Seal meat has zero saturated fat.
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/ethnic-foods/8111/2
On the other hand, dairy fats are long chain fatty acids, but melt a little faster than something like bacon fat. Melted are not, liquid or not, they are still the same fatty acid chain configurations when melted, and your cells have a hard time assimilating long chain fatty acids, compared to an Omega 3 or 6, which will slip right into your cells (due to a break in the chain). When the fatty acids take more time to get into cells, they float around the bloodstream longer, all covered with cholesterol in order to make them water soluble, and then they have more time to stick to an artery wall, and hence, you get plaque….the main cause of a heart attack or stroke. If you never eat saturated fat, nothing will happen, except that your bloodstream will have less cholesterol in it.
If you do eat fats, the best scenario is to eat short chain or Omega 3s or 6s, and then exercise right away, so that the metabolism will use up the fats quickly, without having to store it as “human blubber.” lol
Actually, the lowest heart disease was had by the aforementioned Eskimos AND the vegetarians of the Andes in Peru. Their veggies were found to have a base of Omega 3s. That’s not to say there was no heart disease there, just the lowest. Did I already mention that earlier? I’m nine years clean now without a recurring heart attack. I’ve healed my health problem with this research. Thanks.
Harry says
Clarification: Omega 3s and 6s are also long chain fatty acid molecules, but they are mono and poly “unsaturated.” The Omega 3 has one break in the chain (mono), and the Omega 6 has multiple breaks (poly).
KitchenKop says
Harry,
I’m curious what ELSE were you eating before you cleaned up your diet?
Kelly
margaret merkel says
Studies have been done with saturated fat AND transfats together and the saturated fat gets just as bad press as the transfats. We are now just getting the word out about transfats so I tell people that they should avoid transfats at all costs and eat real food. It is hard though – one of my sisters just put her 2 year old daughter on skim milk on the advice of her doctor. I told her that they add skim milk powder to skim milk which adds transfats – not good! She just told me that she was happy to not have to buy two types of milk in the store now – what can I say? She knows what I think but isn’t willing to think about it or to accept it.
Anna says
I always tell people that the only thing that worries me about saturated fats and cholesterol is “not having enough, because low cholesterol levels are associated with dementia and cancer!” That usually stops them in their tracks and starts the questions. I know it’s hard for them to wrap their brains about such contrary notions, and some of surely think I’m already demented, but more than a few have made some better food choices (or at least felt less guilt while eating butter and beef) after our “chats”. Many have also noticed some benefits to reducing their sugar and starch intake, too.
Harry says
There are many types of cholesterol, good and bad, so if you want high cholesterol and have lots of bad cholesterol, you’re not doing so well. I have lots of bad cholesterol so I cannot reduce my total cholesterol very much or I will wipe out the good cholesterol completely.
Rob says
Good grief! You do realize that low HDL is irrelevant when TC < 150mg/dL?
Harry says
LDL of 70 and HDL of 20 is irrelevant? Apparently my doc says that I should not lower my TC below 100.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Wow, that is amazing! Great link, thanks Ann Marie.
cheeseslave says
I always tell people the lipid hypothesis has been disproven. There is no evidence whatsoever that saturated fat is bad for us.
A picture says a thousand words —
Check out these photos of Jack LaLanne (promoted saturated fats) and Ancel Keys (author of the Lipid Hypothesis).
https://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/low-carb-diets/jack-lalanne-vs-ancel-keys/
Keys was only 7 years older than LaLanne in these photos but he looks 30 years older.
Rob says
What on earth are you talking about? Jack Lalanne did NOT promote saturated fat. All you have to do is look at his diet to see that. Does someone who ate fruits, vegetables, fish and egg whites sound like someone who “promotes” saturated fat?
Harry says
You don’t need a hypothesis to know that saturated fat could be unhealthy. Fats are not soluble in blood; they are not water soluble. Therefore, can you just imagine all that sticky, gooey butter and lard floating around in your arteries? No wonder arteries get clogged.
Mary says
I think the best thing to say in a short amount of time is: “Not all fats are the same…some are healthy and some not so healthy. It’s important to understand the difference.” Hopefully we can get people interested in knowing more.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
When we say that, though (about how some fats are healthy fats), most people think we’re talking only about olive oil. When you mention butter and lard, and that’s where you lose people!
Henriette says
It is difficult !!!