I don't understand why fats are demonized

Quentin Mitchell

Aug 26 in General discussion

I’ve heard it my whole life from my parents.

“Fat is bad for you. It will make you fat.”

They used to always tell me to leave behind the fat on my steak.

They used to meticulously cut out the fat on my bacon.

And I respect them for trying, don’t get me wrong.

But I think they, and many people (maybe you), are just misinformed.

And that’s okay. I hope to educate you on something that is new, but welcomed to me (I love cheese).

Firstly, fat doesn’t make you fat. Fat is actually an essential part of your diet.

Fats are a great energy source.

They are necessary for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (like A, D, E, and K).

Fat is also fundamental for the production of hormones.

The brain is composed of largely fat, and consuming fat rich in omega-3 and cholesterol a crucial for brain health.

The list goes on.

What’s recommended for my diet is 50% fat, 30% protein, and 20% carbs. So I am eating a whole bunch of cheese, butter, tallow, and fat in my ground beef and on my steaks.

Secondly, there are more than one type of fat. Stay with me, this is gonna get scientific.

There are 4 main types of fats.

Saturated Fats

Found in animal fats and some different oils.

Monounsaturated Fats

Found in plant-based oils, nuts and seeds, avocados, animal products.

Polyunsaturated Fats

2 main kinds, omega-3 and omega-6. We will touch on this later.

Omega 3 is found in fatty fish, seeds, nuts, plant oils.

Omega 6 is found in seed oils, nuts and seeds, processed foods.

Trans Fats

Found in margarine, shortening, packaged snacks, baked goods (like cookies, cakes, and pastries), and some fast foods.

That’s great. But you may ask, what’s the takeaway?

Well, saturated and monounsaturated fats are extremely beneficial for humans.

Saturated fats are essential for optimal health, supporting brain function, hormone production, and cell structure. Populations consuming diets high in saturated fat, like certain indigenous groups, have low incidences of heart disease and other chronic illnesses. These ones are often vilified, not exactly sure why.

Monounsaturated fats are also healthy and beneficial, particularly when sourced from animal foods like beef tallow and from whole-food plant sources like avocados and olives.

Polyunsaturated and trans fats are where the issues usually lie when it comes to fats.

For polyunsaturated specifically, your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is what matters. Nowadays a normal ratio is 20 omega-6 to 1 omega-3. 20:1!

A normal and healthy range is somewhere in 3:1 or 1:1. Sometimes even 0.5:1. This can be seen in very healthy tribes from around the world, like the Pukapuka (look them up).

And as for trans fats. Well these you can completely remove. These can lead to increased risk of heart disease, inflammation, and other chronic conditions.

(There actually are some trans fats you can get from animal fats. These are fine. Just avoid any industrial trans fats. Those are horrible for you)

Anyway. Long story short. Get your fats in your diet! They are critical and should not be avoided.

Fat does not make you fat.

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