Sometimes, everything you thought you knew may be wrong. Be open to new and sometimes old remedies for your health.
EatFat? Since the ‘80s, the mantra has been to eat low fat, no-fat. Fat has been deemed the enemy. Do you know that fat is a necessary nutrient? Do you know that since the low-fat movement we’ve had a huge jump in people being overweight and obese?
There are essential fatty acids we all need. Essential means our body needs it for health. Fat is needed for healthy skin, to build hormones, transport A, D, E, and K vitamins, store energy, protect organs, satisfy your hunger, and make food taste better. Some fats may be healthier than others. The fats considered healthy are monounsaturated fatssuch as those in nuts and olive oil. The other fats considered healthy are called omega 3 fats found in certain wild fish, such as salmon and sardines, and some nuts such as walnuts. There are another two types of fats not considered by most to be healthy, trans fats and saturated fats. We know trans fats (those you see on a food label called hydrogenated fats)are not good for you. In fact, trans fats have been banned in New York City restaurants. Although controversial, the verdict is still out about saturated fats, those are found in fatty meats and poultry, dairy foods, and chocolate.
Three studies were recently published that indicated that full fat dairy foods may actually help you reduce body fat. One of the studies was actually a review of 16 studies that did not support the hypothesis that high-fat dairy foods contribute to obesity and heart disease risk. The reviewers found just the opposite, that high-fat dairy was associated with a lower risk of obesity. The second study showed that middle-aged men who ate full fat milk, butter, and cream were actually less likely to become obese than those who rarely or never ate full-fat dairy. The same results were found in children in a study published last year.
Why do you think this was so? Some people think it has to do with the fact that fat helps satisfy your hunger. These higher fat products may fill us up faster, stay satisfied longer and therefore eat and drink less. It may also be related to the way milk fat may help our metabolism to use the fat and burn it for energy rather than store it for energy.
Whatever the reason for the above findings, it is interesting. This is not recommending you go against what your medical professional has prescribed or recommended for you, but it might be something you want to learn more about and discuss what’s best for you with your personal health care provider.
Please send us your questions about what’s new in health. Although we can’t answer all your questions, we’ll do our best.
EnJOY!
Joy Pape, MSN RN FNP CDE WOCN CFCN FAADE
