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myths
and truths about nutrition
True or False:
Saturated fat clogs arteries.
FALSE:
The fatty acids found in artery clogs are mostly
unsaturated (74%) of which 41% are polyunsaturated. (Lancet
1994 344:1195).
The
whole idea of fats in the American diet is a confusing issue for
most people. We hear about the dangers of saturated fats
in a news teaser or a headline in a magazine and we are warned
to stay away from sour cream, butter, and high fat meats lest
we put on unwanted pounds, or suffer clogged arteries; but we
are not getting the whole story. This may simply be those
who are writing the news do not understand the differences in
types of fats, and the vital roles fat plays in the diet. Fats
are essential for brain health, energy production, synthesizing
hormones and transporting certain nutrients in and out of cells.
Babies and children must have high quality fats in their diet
to develop properly. High quality fat is the key word along with
the quantity of fat consumed. Anything in excess is unhealthy,
even water. Saturated fat in and of itself is not a bad thing,
in fact, the contrary is closer to the truth.
We need to be aware of and concerned about the quality of fats,
quantity of fats and specific type of fats that we put into our
body. The fats we must avoid if we want to stay healthy are the
chemically altered variety found in convenience foods, fast foods
and processed cheese, margarine and most vegetable oils and anything
that is hydrogenated.
Animal
product consumption (saturated fat) should be the organically
fed variety (animals are supposed to graze not live their life
penned and fed unnatural diets to fatten them and antibiotics
to keep them disease free in a disease ridden environment) and
have access to outdoors and pastures. Fish and poultry should
be ethically raised and allowed to follow natural patterns of
eating.
Another confusing issue for some of us is the way cholesterol
is portrayed as a culprit. Cholesterol is found in animal
products, but saturated fat is not cholesterol. Our bodies
make more cholesterol than we are likely to get in foods and even
then some vegetarians have high cholesterol without eating
any animal products. Many current studies show no correlation
between high cholesterol blood levels and coronary heart disease.
The differences between the cave man lifestyle
and contemporary lifestyle are dramatic. We consume high amounts
of sugar and refined carbohydrates, we smoke and drink alcohol,
ingest preservative and pesticide laden foods and don’t perform
the same degree of physical labor. All these factors impact
our physical health but the culprit is not saturated fat. The
culprits in our society are refined carbohydrates, trans-fats
and lack of exercise. Heart disease and clogged arteries were
virtually unheard of before the 1900’s when lifestyle and
diet changes occurred in the population. The cave man certainly
ate saturated fats and did not suffer from heart disease as a
result. In 2002, a report from the National Academy of Sciences
concluded there was no evidence that a diet low in saturated fat
prolongs life.
Related
Articles:
Study:
Low-Fat Diet Big Letdown
Ten
Reasons to Keep Eating Healthy Foods Despite Today’s Headlines
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TO NUTRITION INDEX
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