A struggle with weight is such a common experience now that we forget that it was not always like this. When you look at photographs from 50 years ago, or even 30 years ago, something stands out: ordinary people were a healthy body weight. Our grandmothers were not working out at the gym and counting grams of fat. Why was it so much easier for them?
Dr. Mary Enig, a nutritional biochemist, argues that we are now obese because we stopped eating saturated fat. She makes these points:
We’ve always eaten saturated fat.
- People from every culture traditionally consumed lard, cultured butter, cream, fish roe, eggs, organ meats, insects or coconut. There is no evidence that ancient people were obese, or that they suffered from high rates of heart disease.
- Fat has concentrated nutrition, which has always been considered important for child-bearing women and children. Even in western culture, pregnant women were advised to eat calf liver three time per week.
- Fat soluble vitamins A and D are necessary for the absorption of minerals, growth, brain, sexual development and reproduction.
The theory that saturated fat causes heart disease is a theory called the “lipid hypothesis”.
- When the lipid hypothesis was introduced in 1956, cardiologist Dr. Dudley White objected to the introduction of vegetable oils into the American diet. He said that he had never seen a heart attack (MI) before people ate refined vegetable oils. He said: “Back in the MI-free days, the fats were butter and lard and I think that we would all benefit from the kind of diet that we had at a time when no one had ever heard the words ‘corn oil”.
- The “lipid hypothesis” was actively promoted by the American edible-oil industry (soy and corn oil).
There are problems with refined vegetable oil.
- When vegetable oil is processed, it forms trans-fat, which causes heart disease and hormone-imbalance.
- If eaten exclusively, omega 6 fatty acids (in vegetable oil) disrupt metabolism because they replace saturated fat and omega 3 fatty acids.
Saturated fat is a natural part of our metabolism.
- Cells are composed of 50% saturated fat. This is necessary for proper cell membrane function, including insulin response. (Omega 3 is also important.)
- Medium-chain fatty acids (a type of saturated fat) increase metabolic rate.
- Fat is necessary for hormone production.
- Omega 3 fatty acids are also very important: Omega 3 fatty acids are founds in leafy greens, egg yolk, fish, and grass fed meat and dairy products.
Dr. Enig is at the leading edge of an important trend in nutrition, which is actually a return to the way people used to eat.
It will take a while to change the views of the medical establishment, but cracks are starting to appear. In 2005, the Australian Heart Association admitted that eggs are healthy. At a recent symposium on dietary fat, Dr. Kritchevsky (an original supporter of the lipid hypothesis) observed that low-fat diets “do not affect overall cardiovascular disease mortality,” and that “…as new findings appear, it may be necessary to reevaluate our conclusions and policies.”
The strongest supporters of the lipid hypothesis are actually the pharmaceutical companies eager to sell their cholesterol-lowering drugs. Eat Fat, Lose Fat cites mainstream research that questions the use of these popular drugs.
The book is exciting because it is common-sense.
The main problem with the book is that the references are omitted (although they are available from her website).
It is definitely worth a read.
Sally and Mary’s book is highly recommended by the Nourished Community and is available from their site: EatFatLoseFat.com.
About the Author...
Lara Grinevitch is a Canadian-trained Naturopath specialising in weight loss and hormone issues. She runs a busy clinic in Sydney. Visit her website for more informative health articles. www.sensible-alternative.com.au
Aug 1st, 2008 at 1:25 pm
This book is all about common sense. If we weren’t supposed to eat it, why did our Maker create eggs with a big bad yolk just to tempt us? Or why did he bother to make three types of fat to eat? Did he want to revel with glee at our confusion? Doesn’t MAKE SENSE. If we buy into the corporate juggernaut that tells us these fallacies, we are ignoring our own instinctual knowledge: food looks like, smells like and tastes like… food. Processed garbage from a box does not.
Oct 29th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Thanks for reminding me about this book and this researcher. I just ordered a copy so I can review it for my readers.
It’s long been my contention that food comes in the form it was meant to be eaten. That includes fat with all its wonderful
health giving properties.
Processed foods with added fake fats are going to do us in along with fake sweeteners, food dyes, additives etc.
I’m not a holy roller about food nor do I want to be the food police. I simply want people to enjoy their food and eat
for their health which includes fat while skipping the franken-foods as much as possible.
Nov 27th, 2008 at 1:09 am
I just read this book and it is great.
Alot of the recipes and healing tonics have natural sweeteners - maple syrup and molassess etc. Can those with insulin resistance eat these sweeteners? And oats? Bananas? I’ve avoided these things for such a long time, hopefully, with proper soaking and added good fats I can now include them?
Kate.
Aug 6th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
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Feb 11th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Hi,
I’ve been using parts of the Eat Fat Lose Fat diet plan for almost 1 month. Although my weight loss has been erratic, I decided to measure myself to see if I was losing fat. In about seven days I lost 2″ on my belly, and 2″ on my hips! This has renewed my motivation and I’ve reset my goals and will continue including this in my overall diet plan. I also have not increased my exercise much. Hope this helps encourage others to try the foodplan suggestions.
Apr 9th, 2011 at 6:49 am
I have been doing the CLO/ coconut oil for about a month. We’ve been trying to incorporate some of the suggestions in the book, but major changes in meal preparation methods, spices, etc are very difficult to follow. We are getting in some free range eggs, some pasture fed beef/free range chicken. None in my family is especially taken with Kefir or Kombucha. I’m using butter on vegetables, decreasing carbs, increasing eggs, cooking in coconut oil whenever possible…
Can someone help with suggestions for a more “generic” approach to this diet (ie X ounces chicken with garden salad) limit white potatoes to once a week, green vegetables at every meal, how much whole wheat bread/week, etc. Whatever has worked for you that’s more generalized, as some of these recipes just aren’t practical (like recipes that have recipes within them…where you have to make one thing from scratch to include as an ingredient in another recipe).
My daughter (19) and I have not lost a lot of weight yet, but the coconut oil seems to be great for controlling “snacking urges”, and improving energy level.