Many people
realize that excessive fat consumption is unhealthy. There are myriad ways that fat
consumption can be limited, but not all of them are the best way to help us reach our
goals. There are two basic reasons that people have for decreasing fat consumption.
The first is weight control. We know there is a
connection between fat consumption and body mass. Fat makes you fat because, for one, it
is caloric (there are 9 calories in a gram of fat compared to 4 calories per gram of
carbohydrate or protein). The other reason is that the body tends to store fat. Fat is at
the bottom of the body’s biochemical hierarchy; simple carbohydrates (sugars) are at
the top as they are metabolized quickly. While weight loss is rarely a simple undertaking,
the concepts themselves are quite simple. Basically, body weight is a balance of energy in
verses energy out. If a body consumes more energy (calories) than it spends it gains
weight; if less is consumed than is burned, it losses weight. Thus one logical course of
action that many people desiring weight loss follow is to try to change their diet. Most
dieters are aware of what I explained about energy and fat so they immediately start to
remove fat from their diets. Unfortunately, most people end up turning to fat substitutes
rather than making fundamental changes to their diets. Instead of limiting desert foods in
out diets, we switch to low fat deserts. Also, just because a
label says fat free, does not necessarily mean that the food is low calorie. Desert foods
usually replace the fat they leave out with large amounts of sugar: as sugar is a natural
flavor enhancer, the absence of the fat can often be replaced by extra sugar. In fact,
this method is used to lower fat in many processed foods and not just in deserts. Low fat
peanut butter, for example, simply replaces fat with sugar. Skippy peanut butter
contains 17 grams of fat per serving and 190 calories. Reduced fat Skippy, contains
only 12 grams of fat, but 8 more grams of sugar and exactly the same number of
calories per serving.
The second reason that fat consumption is
regulated is for general good health and disease prevention. Excess fat consumption is
associated with arteriosclerosis (hardening of the
arteries causing heart disease), stroke, diabetes, and many cancers. Some of these
problems are aggravated by high cholesterol, which is often consumed along with animal
fats. When we reduce fat for health reasons we should make sure that our substitutes are
themselves healthy. If we replace high fat fresh food with low fat processed food we are
often eliminating valuable nutrients stored in the fat. The refining processes that make
foods packageable and give them long shelf lives often remove nutrients that the food
naturally contains. Another reason that replacement of fat with sugar is deleterious is
that refined sugar contains no nutrients. Naturally occurring
fats contain fat soluble
vitamins such as vitamin E and A and K, while refined sugar contains no vitamins nor does
it assist in bodily processing of nutrients. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that
refined sugar consumption may elevate blood cholesterol levels.
Instead of dropping fats in favor of fat
substitutes, we should concentrate on making fundamental changes to our diets. Try eating
fruit in place of the deserts that are more commonly consumed, such as milk chocolate. If
you don’t eat much fruit right now, you may find that fruit is not sweet enough to
satisfy you. Be patient. After a short while on a diet that is not saturated with sugar
and fat, an orange will taste succulent. Another good substitute is fish and poultry in
place of red meat (beef, pork, lamb). Fish and poultry tend to be much lower in fat and
cholesterol than red meat, and are usually just as rich in
nutrients if not more so. Also, unless you are a body builder or a vegetarian, do not
worry about your protein intake. If you are consuming any animal products on a daily
basis, you are most likely consuming more than enough protein than is necessary for good
health and receiving all essential (8 in all) amino acids. Vegetarians are fully capable
of getting complete protein in their diets, but simply must be conscious of eating
adequate protein.
The best advice is to keep your goal in mind and
think about how the food that you eat is going to help you attain that goal. Please consult your doctor or nutritionist before making radical changes to your
diet.
Questions? Email me: If I don’t
know the answer I’ll find it!
okeeone@aikido-world.com
Bio and Disclaimer:
Matthew O'Connor is currently
finishing his work on his PhD in Molecular Biology at Baylor University and is a student of
Aikido. While he does make a hobby of studying (and practicing) good nutrition, he is
neither an MD nor a nutritionist. Please consult your doctor or nutritionist before making
radical changes to your diet.
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