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Saturated fats have been demonized for the last 50 years, but there are plenty of studies showing benefits when the source is nutritionally dense like grass fed meats, pastured eggs, healthier oils like coconut, etc.
No there aren't....and beef, grass fed or grain fed, is not nutritionally dense. Coconut oil is just empty calories, pure grease. Eggs are moderately nutritious, better than most meats, but even common legumes are more nutritious. All cattle in Australia is grass fed, yet they have the same problems as people in the US.
Studies that look at meat consumption almost always separate processed meats from whole meats, it is well known that processed meats (bacon, deli meats, etc) promote disease (cancer, etc) more than whole meats.
I Also think low carbs help keep weight under control, plus portion size. These are probably two areas where weight control is based on eating habits.
Carbohydrates are the macro-nutrient that is least likely to be converted into fat, so why would eating less of it keep weight under control? I would add that excess protein is converted into carbohydrates as well.....there are only two energy sources for the body, fat and carbs, and fatty acids can be directly absorbed by your fat cells....glucose cannot.
Fats are indeed more satisfying per gram than carbohydrates, but that is because they have more than double the calories per gram. Per calorie there is no difference, the body isn't stupid, it knows when it lacks energy and when it has energy.
Regardless, eating refined carbohydrates and refined sugars in addition to high fat foods can promote weight gain because the high fat foods promote insulin resistance and the increased insulin levels after eating refined carbohydrates promote weight gain. Removing either problem, the fats or the refined carbohydrates, can solve the issue but only removing the fats gets your body functioning normally again....a high fat/protein just helps manage the dysfunctional insulin response.
There are numerous societies, millions and millions of people of all ethnic groups, that subsist on very high carbohydrate diets and none of them are overweight.
There are numerous societies, millions and millions of people of all ethnic groups, that subsist on very high carbohydrate diets and none of them are overweight.
I'd love to hear about any one of the numerous societies where the entire society subsists on very high carbohydrate diets, with absolutely zero percent of the population being overweight.
Do tell!
No really. I want to know which society this is. Is it "the society of people who live in my house?" Or is it the Eskimos, or is it the Moors...or the hundreds of people living in neighboring kibbutzes near Jerusalem? Or is it Californians? Or maybe oh - I know - the society of people who live in Upper Manhattan!
I can't wait to hear about your mystical mythical society of high-carb zero-overweight peoples.
I am tired of the educated guessing, the lobbying, modern conventional wisdom, and the attempts at making healthier foods in laboratories. I eat what we have generally eaten for thousands of years and my health has greatly improved. Time will tell with periodic blood tests, and I am sure to tweak some ratios down the road. My total cholesterol is now 176, it was 232, LDL went from 145 to 82, HDL went from 62 to 82, triglycerides were 58. I have lost 51 lbs since the beginning of the year and am now very near my optimal body weight. (6'2 197 with higher than average muscle and wide shoulders, going for 190) I typically take in about 40-50 grams of saturated fat a day per fitness pal. My first Lipid panel was done just prior to Thanksgiving, the last about a week and a half ago. My body may just be responding to rapid changes in weight and cutting all the junk out my diet. I also spent my 20's in very good condition, so muscle memory likely comes into to play (I am 40 now and spent my 30's in bad form with lack of exercise and eating junk)
Just a few articles on saturated fats I found helpful.
Maybe some do, but some have metabolism problems as well. if you eat what you want, as you say and are thin, that is a clue right there. I still do believe, like I have said, heavy people do like fatty foods. I do question your other conclusions and mainly because of my family and friends with weight concerns: I do not eat junk or processed foods hardly ever. We can have chips, crackers or other snacks in the pantry and we usually have to toss them because they get stale. Because I love to cook, processed foods are something that you might find in our freezer to be eaten when we are really in a hurry or when we get home from a very busy day. We are talking once a month maybe. We usually have 2 veggies a night plus 5 nights a week we have a salad and normally the veggies are fresh even in the winter: we have fruit (fresh) daily, and only eat whole grain breads. We eat 2 to 3 meals a day and they normally are not huge, but probably bigger than we need. The exception is Sat breakfast which is the meal I always call our weekly fatty meal: hash browns, meat, a couple of eggs and toast or biscuits. This is the day we skip lunch.. Our fridge is not full of low fat anything, I rarely buy low fat, it is tasteless and usually filled with sugar. The exception is cottage cheese, I do buy 2% and I do buy hubby low fat yogart. I do agree about the exercise. I Also think low carbs help keep weight under control, plus portion size. These are probably two areas where weight control is based on eating habits.
Oh sure, metabolism makes a difference no doubt!
Unfortunately for those with slower metabolisms, they just have to eat a bit less to make up for that (or exercise more and work out to rev up metabolism.) I've owned dogs my entire life and with everything else being equal, some dogs are "easy keepers" and only require a little food to maintain a healthy weight, while others can eat twice as much and never gain an ounce.
By the way, I never have said I can eat whatever I want! I watch what and how much I eat because I prefer not to gain weight, and always have. Unfortunately now that I'm in my 50s I probably eat half what I did it my 20s; more would have me gaining.
I agree, you can become overweight eating the healthiest, most non-processed diet imaginable. I do believe the type of food makes a difference but the biggest factor is still not taking in more calories than you expend.
I have a friend who has battled being overweight for several years, even after bariatraic surgery. For her it's an eating disorder, a disfunctional, emotional relationship to food (and not celery). Also comfort food tends to be fatty like mac n cheese.
I think for some food is an addiction; in fact I have been told this by two very overweight friends (one who, sadly, died of a heart attack at 48.) The other is my very dear friend who I mentioned earlier...she did lose a bunch on Atkins but is still probably close to 100 lbs overweight
So for those for whom it's an addiction, I absolutely empathise. I was a smoker for over 30 years and there is no way I could ever have "regulated" or controlled my smoking; the only option was to quit cold turkey and that is ungodly difficult. So someone who is addicted to food/has a complex relationship with it has my full sympathy.
Ya, that's it. Thin kids conscientiously weigh the outcome of eating high calorie foods:
{public domain photos under creative commons}
The boy on the left does not know the correct things to eat.
The boy on the right is conscious of his daily calories. When he is offered any treats, the first question he asks himself is "Will my pants feel tighter on me if I eat this?" He has learned to make wise choices.
The boy on the left makes unwise choices: He chooses cookies, brownies, ice cream, crackers, pizza, fried chicken, and butter.
The boy on the right wisely chooses and measures out 1/2 melon, 1 cup steamed broccoli, 6 ounces lean chicken, 2 cups lettuce, 6 ounces of skim milk, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, one slice of whole wheat bread with no butter, and light dressing. His snack is a measured 4 ounces of apple sauce and one slice of cheese. On weekends he may splurge and eat two strawberries. He has learned to make wise choices.
The boy on the left watches TV and video games
The boy on the right uses his stop watch to get 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise on most days of the week. He measures his heart rate too. He has learned to make wise choices.
The boy on the left looks at a bowl of cookies and eats nine of them
The boy on the right looks at a bowl of cookies and walks away, realizing they will make him overweight. He has learned to make wise choices.
The boy on the left chews his food one time and then swallows.
The boy on the right chews his food 17 times then swallows because he knows it takes 20 minutes for his stomach to feel full. He has learned to make wise choices.
Do you personally know those children, that you made all those claims about them? Or did you just make it all up out of your opinions? I really dislike when people just make things up but present them as if they are facts.
I have a nephew who is even skinnier than the boy in the picture to the right. He lives on a diet of processed chicken nuggets, fried rice, French fries, Doritos, cookies, cake, etc. when my brother had a backyard BBQ, same nephew took a cup and filled it with aerosol whipped cream and ate the whole thing. This same nephew wouldn't touch a vegetable to save his life, he'd rather starve if he were cut off from his diet of 100% junk processed foods. Oh, and as far as drinks - wont touch water or milk, only drinks Hawaiian Punch and carbonated sodas.
I have a nephew who is even skinnier than the boy in the picture to the right. He lives on a diet of processed chicken nuggets, fried rice, French fries, Doritos, cookies, cake, etc. when my brother had a backyard BBQ, same nephew took a cup and filled it with aerosol whipped cream and ate the whole thing. This same nephew wouldn't touch a vegetable to save his life, he'd rather starve if he were cut off from his diet of 100% junk processed foods. Oh, and as far as drinks - wont touch water or milk, only drinks Hawaiian Punch and carbonated sodas.
My younger brother is the same. Fried chicken every week and several cans of soda (non-diet) and ice creamed topped with maple syrup every time at my place. BMI of 18. He eats 1 or two regular meals a day though.
Do you personally know those children, that you made all those claims about them? Or did you just make it all up out of your opinions? I really dislike when people just make things up but present them as if they are facts.
I regret you didn't recognize the sarcasm in my post. My post was in response to a quote which implied that kids are fat due to a lack of control.
Please go back and re-read my post.
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