Eat Fat – Lose Fat – Get Healthy
In a perfect world, I’d like to think that we can all now see the value of eating fat to reach optimal health and lose fat as a by product…
But,
Sadly, this is not the case. We are still fed simply incorrect information from the juggernaut marketing companies with huge budgets behind them.
What I want to clear up today once and for all, is the benefits of fat in our diet and how it will benefit you in so many ways in your quest to reach optimal health.
On a more relatable level, what if I told you, it would help you function more efficiently, make your skin glow and give your hair and nails a shine and strength that will hands down beat any salon or spa treatment. Your mood will be better, your energy will be higher and oh yeah, you’ll fit into that wardrobe quicker and more comfortably than ever before.
Now, this won’t happen magically by itself, obviously it needs to be combined with exercise and my magic formula in my Complete System tm , that will help you get these positive effects, but eating fat is a start.
Unfortunately, money talks and still makes a large portion of the population listen when it comes to misinformation. We hardly stand a chance when the government get involved and have their food pyramids upside down and inside out, but that’s another day’s blog.
When we kick off our 8 Week transformations (soon to be no more and will change to “The Complete 6”), or any transformations for that matter, we educate and inform all incoming participants on nutrition, the whys, the whens, the hows, the how much etc. When it comes to nailing your nutrition into a positive platform for you to succeed with sustainable fatloss and health this is crucial.
When we ask newbies in our seminars to put a hand up if they are still ordering skinny lattes or are still dubious when they eat an avocado, there is unfortunately still a high percentage who lift their hands up sheepishly because they still haven’t let go of the fact (or fully believe) fat is ok.
On a deeper level, here are some more of the main benefits of adding more good fats to your diet. (stick with me here) :
- Dietary fats are essential to give your body energy and to support cell growth. They also help protect your organs and help keep your body warm. Fats help your body absorb some nutrients and produce important hormones, too. Your body definitely needs fat.
- Eating fat will increase good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce bad cholesterol (LDL). Carbohydrates are the culprit. Eating fat does not increase blood tryglycerides, carbohydrates do. High blood tryglycerides can contribute to a plaque build up and inflammation and a higher risk of heart disease.
- Cholesterol (yes the supposed dreaded Cholesterol) that comes with fat, helps to make the production of hormones and the regulation of them. The balance of androgens such as Oestrogen and Testosterone find their balance through taking in fat. So, eating a higher percentage of fat in your diet will help with this.
- The action of lypolosis (fat burning) is stimulated through genes that are produced when eating fat and not only that, turning off the genes that store fat
- Eating fat is going make up the outside layer of the cells of your body. This lipid layer is mainly made up of Omega 3’s and makes it more sensitive to insulin allowing for more energy production and less inflammation
- By increasing your fat intake and reducing your carb intake you can Improve insulin sensitivity that will in turn, help reduce inflammation and boost metabolism.
- Omega 3s also have a large part to play in the regulation of your thyroid. Your thyroid, if under active, can play a significant role in you getting restricted fatloss results.
- Eating more saturated fats such as coconut oil that contains lauric acid which is responsible for better immune health. It does this through being anti-viral and anti-fungal and are found to decrease infections and killing bacterial by killing the candida yeast.
- Your eyes can deteriorate when a reduction in fat occurs, as the eyes are made up of mainly fatty acids. Adding Omega 3’s and Saturated fat sources will help the eyes to self lubricate.
- Mental clarity and concentration increases when you consume more fat, because fat and cholesterol is what the brain is mainly made up of and what it primarily uses to function.
- Not including fats in your diet will have effects on your reproductive health. This is the case because when your major hormones aren’t regulated properly they reduce in production. The last thing you want when trying to conceive is a reduction in your testosterone levels (for males).
- Losing more fat as a result of eating more fat, is a by product of reducing inflammation, increasing over all hormone function, increasing lypolysis and increasing satiety, thus reducing overall calorie intake.
- You will gain Increased muscle mass if resistance training, through hormone regulation (testosterone) and recovery after intense exercise.
Is that enough reasons to eat fat..? 🙂
So, we have all most likely been on a low fat diet. (Me included when I was a tubster of a teenager and didn’t know any better). Now you don’t really notice energy levels, hair, skin, nails when you are a hormonal teenager, but I guarantee now, if you went on a low-fat diet, you’d soon see:
- Your hair becomes straw-like
- Your Nails are weak and break
- Your concentration is flaky
- Your Skin becomes irritated and dry
- Your mental clarity is cloudy
- You feel quite lethargic
- You never feel satisfied after meals
Now to clarify, which fats to eat and which are to be avoided, are just as important as the reason to eat fats in the first place, so let’s dive into the types we should be eating.
Before we start, I just want to mention I love eating a high fat diet (with a lower carb intake – Below 100g a day) as I function on over drive and it suits my body type down to the ground (I’m an endomorph – A tubster deep down).
Eating butters, avocadoes, plant fats, animal fats, coconut oils, olive oils, oily fish, Nuts, seeds, Cheese, Animal rind, Rapeseed oil, Chocolate etc Ooohhh I nearly forgot eggs, I have at least 5 whole ones a day. Now I am 115kg and 6’5 so 5 eggs is fine for me.
So, these gems of nature are ones we can consume and enjoy on a regular basis without worry and can be 100% sure they are having beneficial effects on our health.
What we do need to worry about is the human made fats, (Trans fats) that are generally bad ones we shouldn’t consume. Ones that have been refined and chemically altered at high heats. What these cause is inflammation of your gut mainly and are something that if consumed on a daily basis, can be a platform for ugly diseases to rear their ugly heads, not to mention cause you to have to wear your big girl/boy pants long term.
What we want from these good fats is primarily Omega 3 fats and Omega 6 and 9 in smaller amounts. The issue becomes real when we are eating the said manmade fats that contain mainly Omega 6 fats that cause inflammation on their own.
Now these fats include your Vegetable oils, Canola oils, Soya oil, Corn oil, Margarines, Peanut oils, Sunflower oil, everything deep fried (Except if it’s deep fried in Rapeseed oil or Coconut oil)
You might wonder where these fats actually lurk. Anything you find in a packet on the supermarket shelves that is long life, that makes processed foods “Tastier” it is in. Anything deep fried in takeaways, chips, long life biscuits, cakes, muffins.
An easy way to avoid this is, to
Keep foods clean through choosing one ingredient foods as close to their natural state as possible.
Prepping food yourself, so you know what’s in them.
Finding eateries that make food that doesn’t contain these harmful fats is also a good way to avoid them.
Avoid the middle aisles of the supermarket, where things are in packets, or have a tonne of ingredients you don’t recognise.
Any questions please just shout.
Damian Hall
Dalkey Fitpro
South Dublin
