Do you go to the grocery and search for the good ‘ole heart healthy seal? The government's effort of stamping approval on food.
It’s been beat into your head that fat is bad. It raises cholesterol, clogs your arteries and kills you.
You may even have someone in your family that died from a heart attack.
I know I have.
Fat has been the evil villain in our movie of life.
There are hearty healthy seals on cereal, 100 calorie packs and sugary drinks.
Crappy food at it’s best.
Our foods’ nutrient density has hit a third world level.
But, worry not, the heart healthy seal of approval has your back.
Obesity has skyrocketed, peoples’ health is deteriorating, depression, autoimmunity and cardiovascular disease is “normal.”
Still, no worries, heart healthy is here to save the day.
Think again.
It all began with the lipid hypothesis.
In 1976, Ahrens first popularized the term "lipid hypothesis" to refer specifically to the hypothesis that increased levels of cholesterol in the blood increased the risk for heart disease.
Since then people, the government and medical community, have touted the ill effects of saturated fat.
Hence, the heart healthy seal of approval was born.
Scientists have debunked this causal claim for years but the low-fat campaign pressed forward and in some regard still does today.
According to Michael Pollan “the public health campaign was to essentially get people off of saturated fat or try to get them onto trans fats, and we’ve since learned that was really bad advice because the link between trans fats and heart disease is the strongest link we have of any fat to heart disease. They told us butter is evil and margarine is good, and it turned out to be the opposite.”
We’ve been duped on fat for decades.[CLICK TO TWEET]
The seal of approval is a joke and has pushed us to higher consumption rates of carbohydrates and sugar.
But fat is essential..
Grub on the grease, the benefits of eating fat
The benefits of fat are countless.
In a society who largely who advocated against it, all fats are not created equal.
To say “fat is bad” is silly. You may even be guilty of this yourself.
My dad says, I can’t eat that, it has too much fat.
He was talking about an avocado!
What?
As a big fatty brain species, we need fat to survive.
And no, not the canola oil, processed bacon, feedlot beef kind of fat.
There are plenty benefits of fat (the quality kind):
- Hormones: Eating more saturated fats increases your free testosterone levels. This helps you repair tissue, preserve muscle, and improves sexual function.
- Better liver health: Eating more saturated fat allows your liver to take a chill. It helps dump it’s fat cells and to work more efficiently.
- Increases immunity: Saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil help white blood cells to destroy invading viruses and bacteria. Talk about a boost.
- Healthy brain: Your brain is mainly made of fat and cholesterol. The largest portion of fatty acids in your brain are actually saturated.
Start chowing down on fat
Forget the hot dogs, cheap feedlot beef and processed vegetable oils.
As I said, not all fat is created the same, so don’t let saturated fat claims deter you.
Start today by reducing your sugar intake and supplementing it with saturating fats.
Here is a good list to start with:
- Quality grass-fed meat: Grass fed meat has higher levels of Omega 3s, better quality saturated fat, conjugated linoleic acid and has considerably more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
- Coconut oil: No stranger to the news, coconut oil reduces cholesterol, contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) for energy, and has positive antioxidant roles that help with aging.
- Grass fed butter: Grass fed butter is rich in fat soluble vitamins and has butyrate and more conjugated linoleic acid. Did I also mention it’s delicious? If you’re allergic to dairy try ghee.
There’s no need to continue to pay attention to the heart healthy seal of approval.
Have you seen these stamps on vegetables, fruit, grass-fed beef and butter. I think not.
There are no seals on the food you should eat.
Eat quality fats, cut your sugar and carbohydrate intake and begin to feel great.