Does Eating Fat Make You Fat?

Q: “I read so much that says we should not eat a no-fat diet. But I thought we were supposed to cut fat. Can you explain?” -- Susie S, Florence, OR.

A: Great question, Susie, and it can be confusing.

It is true that you should stay away from a high intake of certain fats.

These include animal-based saturated fats found in beef, pork, butter and other full-fat dairy products.

And trans fats found in hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are a known evil. These raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol, as well as up your risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

If that wasn’t bad enough, they’re also linked with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

A unique type of saturated fat is one found in coconut oil. I’ll be writing at length about coconut oil in an upcoming blog post, but for now I’ll just say that the saturated fat in coconut oil is mostly lauric acid. While lauric acid increases total blood cholesterol, much of its effect is on boosting good cholesterol. Consequently, oils rich in lauric acid can have a beneficial effect on heart health by improving the cholesterol ratio.

How Fat Can Make You Slim

One problem with cutting out all fats... When a manufactured food has no fat, it usually has no taste as well. And in order to force some flavor into the food, manufacturers often add other ingredients – like more sugar and salt. Not good for your heart or your waistline!

Fats can also help the scale numbers drop. How? Including good fats in your meals can help keep you feel fuller for longer. So you may eat less overall. Good fats come from olive oil, avocado, egg yolks, nuts, seeds and fatty fish such as tuna and salmon.

Interestingly enough, sometimes you don’t actually even have to eat the fat to feel the benefits! See my blog post on smelling your way to slim here.

Heart-Happy Fats

The good fats can also keep your heart healthy. In fact, the American Heart Association says that good fats have been found to lower your bad cholesterol and/or raise your good cholesterol.

These good fats can also help reduce inflammation throughout the body, boost brain health and improve mood.

In fact, Harvard research found that people who consume more of one specific type of good fat – omega-3 fats – have better heart health… almost 40 percent better.

Omega-3: The Super Fat

Unfortunately, we don’t get enough omega-3 fats, which can also help:

• Block chronic, low-grade inflammation associated with excess weight
• Increase adiponectin, the fat-regulating hormone
• Improve impulse control, so you reach for the broccoli instead of the chips

We thought long and hard about what to do about that. And we came up with a solution that is, if I do say so myself, darned good.

Our product, Super Critical Omega-3 TG™ contains one of the highest and purest concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids.

The American Heart Association notes that significant therapeutic benefits from omega-3's don’t come until you consume at least 2 grams in the form of EPA and DHA on a daily basis.

In fact, studies suggest the “sweet spot” where the optimum benefit occurs is at 2.4 grams daily of omega-3s. To be clear, this is not just 2.4 grams of fish oil, it is 2.4 grams of omega-3s per day.

And that’s exactly what you’ll get with our product. Three capsules a day delivers 2.4 grams of omega-3 fats from fish oil.

And Susie, because we’ve chosen your question to answer here, you’ve won a free bottle of RealDose™ Super Critical Omega-3 TG so you can try it yourself.

Remember, if your question is chosen as the winner and we use it, we’ll send you a free bottle of RealDose Super Critical Omega-3 TG.

Here's to your good health!

Steven Sisskind, M.D.
 

1. Danaei G, Ding EL, Mozaffarian D, et al. The preventable causes of death in the United States: comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors. PLoS Med. 2009;6(4):e1000058. PMID: 19399161.

RealDose Nutrition LLC, Phone: (800) 928-5580, 22100 E 26th Avenue #100, Aurora CO, 80019