Les Mills - Dont Fear The Fat

Forget everything you’ve ever heard about low-fat diets. Fat is essential to staying healthy. Find out what makes a good fat or a bad fat, it's pretty simple really.

Past populations have thrived on diets high in fat. The best known example is Greenland’s Inuit. They ate plenty of animal fats without heart disease. So when did we all get so worried about a little butter?

When fat comes from natural sources, and we don’t combine it with too many refined carbohydrates, we have no reason to fear it.

Most of us believe that carbs are the correct fuel for our bodies, in order to constantly ‘keep our blood sugar levels up’ so that we don’t pass out or starve. The truth is, our bodies are adaptable and we can also use the other macronutrients as fuel.

Fat is, let’s face it, delicious. But we’ve been associating it with unhealthy foods for many decades. So it’s hard to believe the thing we were taught to fear, truly is essential to our health. But over and over again, the science is showing that our fears were misplaced – lower carb, higher fat diets are winning out over traditional diets.^1-2

While we have been led to believe our bodies need a constant supply of carbs and sugars in order to function. This goes against how our bodies evolved to work. At the extreme we can survive on just proteins and fats, with periods of starvation in between. Even athletes can perform on low carb diets.³

So how can you add to your fat intake, healthily?

Let’s get one thing straight – we are talking about good fats here. It’s really pretty simple, good fats are from natural sources. They can be animal or vegetable fats, like eggs, avocados, nuts or fish. And when you cook, don’t forget those tasty solid fats. Coconut oil has great resistant to heat, as does clarified butter, called ghee. This heat resistance is important. When vegetable or seed oils get too hot, they can be a source of unhealthy compounds.⁴ But don’t throw out your extra virgin olive oil – this one is still great for lower heat cooking, and it is attributed to the amazing health of the Mediterranean diet.⁵

Let's talk about the Omega ratio

Another thing to consider in terms of fat intake is your ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3. Too much Omega-6 is pro-inflammatory – it may even be linked to disease.⁶ The diets of our ancestors had Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratios of one to one, whereas this is closer to sixteen to one in our modern diet.⁷ So, eat more Omega-3 containing foods and less processed oils. You’ll find Omega-3 from animal sources like seafood and meat, especially grass-fed meat. Omega-3 is also found in seeds like chia and flax – but it’s not in the form that is most easily used by our bodies.⁸ Luckily the best type of Omega-3 can also be found in algae, the source for vegetarian friendly Omega-3 supplements.⁹

When it comes to making changes in your diet, our message is simple: Don’t fear the good fats. Plant or animal sources are both great, just choose the ones that are closest to nature.

Article supplied by Les Mills International

1. Dyson, P. A., Beatty, S., & Matthews, D. R. (2007). A low‐carbohydrate diet is more effective in reducing body weight than healthy eating in both diabetic and non‐diabetic subjects. Diabetic Medicine, 24(12), 1430-1435

2. Brehm, B. J., Seeley, R. J., Daniels, S. R., & D’Alessio, D. A. (2003). A randomized trial comparing a very low carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted low fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women.Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 88(4), 1617-1623.

3. Noakes, T., Volek, J. S., & Phinney, S. D. (2014). Low-carbohydrate diets for athletes: what evidence?. British journal of sports medicine, bjsports-2014.

4. Grootveld, M., Silwood, C. J., Addis, P., Claxson, A., Serra, B. B., & Viana, M. (2001). HEALTH EFFECTS OF OXIDIZED HEATED OILS1. Foodservice Research International, 13(1), 41-55.

5. Covas, M. I. (2007). Olive oil and the cardiovascular system. Pharmacological Research, 55(3), 175-186.

6. Lands, W. E. (2005). Dietary fat and health: the evidence and the politics of prevention: careful use of dietary fats can improve life and prevent disease.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1055(1), 179-192.

7. Simopoulos, A. P. (2006). Evolutionary aspects of diet, the omega-6/omega-3 ratio and genetic variation: nutritional implications for chronic diseases.Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 60(9), 502-507.

8. Nettleton, J. A. (1991). Omega-3 fatty acids: comparison of plant and seafood sources in human nutrition. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 91(3), 331-337.

9. Doughman, S. D., Krupanidhi, S., & Sanjeevi, C. B. (2007). Omega-3 fatty acids for nutrition and medicine: considering microalgae oil as a vegetarian source of EPA and DHA. Current Diabetes Reviews, 3(3), 198-203.

COVID-19 Update

So how can you add to your fat intake, healthily?

Let's talk about the Omega ratio

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The case for plant-based

Diet myths vs reality

MAKE ROOM ON YOUR PLATE FOR THESE STEALTHY SUPERFOODS

THE DIET ADVICE THAT WORKS

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH IRON?

SNACKING… SHOULD WE OR SHOULDN’T WE?

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR H20

RAW VERSUS COOKED: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

FIVE RULES FOR BEING A VITAL VEGAN

MEASURING THE BENEFITS OF NON-DAIRY MILKS

PROS AND CONS OF RED MEAT

Should you skip breakfast?

LOW-CARB, NO-CARB OR PRO-CARB: WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS

Should you try a fasting diet?

Carbohydrates Are Overrated

Plant Based Diets

Animal vs Plant Protein

Seed and Vegetable Oils

History of Food

4 Salad Bowl Secrets

The Consumer Guide to Reading a Food Label

The Nutrition Basics

Gluten Check

Sweetness Without Sugar