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From ‘Men’s Health’, by: Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D. & Adam Campbell
A comprehensive post is planned to cover the general issue of fats and health, a vast subject, many variations in expert opinions, possibility of industry influence, more often than not, contentious.
In the meantime, this article provides some very impressive information.
For years you’ve heard that eating saturated fat is like pouring superglue into your arteries. But the fact is, this forbidden fat actually increases your HDL (good) cholesterol, which helps remove plaque from your artery walls, decreasing your risk of heart disease. So quit depriving yourself and start eating these eight foods—without guilt.
Eggs
Whole eggs contain more essential vitamins and minerals per calorie than virtually any other food. They’re also one of the best sources of choline, a substance your body requires to break down fat for energy. In addition, eggs provide lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.
They may even be the perfect diet food: Saint Louis University scientists found that people who had eggs as part of their breakfast ate fewer calories the rest of the day than those who ate bagels instead. Even though both breakfasts contained the same number of calories, the egg eaters consumed 264 fewer calories for the entire day.
However, you’ve probably been told at one time or another to avoid eggs because they’re high in cholesterol and fat. This is the same thinking that led to low-fat diets—and a mindset that has probably made us a lot fatter over the past decade. It’s simply a leftover recommendation from the low-fat legacy that was never forgotten.
In a recent review of dozens of scientific studies, Wake Forest University researchers found no connection between egg consumption and heart diseaseBeef
Most people consider turkey, chicken, and fish healthy, yet think they should avoid red meat—or only choose very lean cuts—since they’ve always been told that it’s high in saturated fat.
But there are two problems in that thinking. The first problem is that almost half of the fat in beef is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid—the same heart-healthy fat that’s found in olive oil. Second, most of the saturated fat in beef actually decreases your heart-disease risk—either by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, or by reducing your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol.
And besides being one of the most available sources of high-quality protein, beef also provides many important nutrients such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins. So the idea that beef is bad for you couldn’t be further from the truthPoultry
We probably don’t have to sell you on the virtues of chicken and turkey. After all, nearly all experts agree that these foods are healthy sources of high-quality protein. But unlike most nutritionists, we also say go ahead and eat both the dark meat and the skin. Because both are composed of animal fat, their fat composition is very similar to that of beef. Meaning neither raises your risk for heart disease.
Remember, eating more fat—not less—is the key in helping you automatically reduce your calorie intake, without feeling deprived.Pork
It’s true: Pork really is the other white meat. Ounce for ounce, pork tenderloin has less fat than a chicken breast. And food scientists are finding ways to make it leaner and leaner every year.
Of course, the downside to this is that fat is what makes pork taste so good—which explains why ham and bacon are far more popular than leaner cuts. (As Emeril Lagasse says, “Pork fat rules.”) But remember, there’s no reason to fear fat—especially when you follow the tenets of the TNT Diet.
Not everyone has a taste for bacon, pancetta, and ham. But you can make your choice based simply on what you love without worrying about the fat in these foods. When you follow the TNT Diet, your health and body composition results will be every bit as impressive with these foods as without—so why deny your taste buds?
One caveat: Bacon and other cured meats often contain sodium and other preservatives, such as nitrates, that may raise blood pressure or increase your risk for cancer. To limit your risk, choose fresh meats or packaged products that contain no preservatives—typically labeled “all-natural”—whenever possibleCheese
There are three reasons that cheese is a great diet food:
1. It’s packed with protein and fat, which keep you full.
2. Cheese is versatile and convenient. You can eat it right out of a single-serving package—making it a great snack—or use as a dip or to add more flavor to almost any dish.
3. Need another reason? Click here.Butter
If this delicious dairy product were the star of a sitcom on the Health network, the show would probably be called “Everybody Hates Butter.” The reason, of course, is that it contains a significant amount of saturated fat. But again, it’s animal fat, like the kind in beef, bacon, and chicken skin. This is a natural fat that men and women have eaten for thousands of years.
What’s more, fat, like that in butter, is necessary in order to help your body absorb many of the healthy nutrients found in vegetables. For instance, without fat, your body can’t absorb carotenoids—powerful disease-fighting antioxidants found in colorful vegetables—or fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. So go ahead, eat butter, and do it without guilt.Coconut
Ounce for ounce, coconut contains even more saturated fat than butter does. As a result, health experts have warned that it will clog your arteries. But even though coconut is packed with saturated fat, it too appears to have a beneficial effect on heart-disease risk factors.
One reason: More than 50 percent of its saturated-fat content is lauric acid. A recent analysis of 60 studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that even though lauric acid raises LDL (bad) cholesterol, it boosts HDL (good) cholesterol even more. Overall, this means it decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease.
The rest of the saturated fat in a coconut is believed to have little or no effect on cholesterol levels.
We think coconut is highly underrated—if you like the taste, try it as snack, eating the unsweetened, shredded kind straight from the bag. (You’ll probably have to search the health food section of your grocery store to find it.Sour Cream
For years, you’ve been told to avoid sour cream or to eat the light version. That’s because 90 percent of its calories are derived from fat, at least half of which is saturated.
Sure, the percentage of fat is high, but the total amount isn’t. Consider that a serving of sour cream is 2 tablespoons. That provides just 52 calories—half the amount that’s in a single tablespoon of mayonnaise—and less saturated fat than you’d get from drinking a 12-ounce glass of 2 percent reduced-fat milk.
More importantly, sour cream is a close relative of butter, which means you’re eating natural animal fat, not dangerous trans fat. And besides, full-fat tastes far better than the light or fat-free products, which also have added carbohydrates.
I think this is a useful article, about an issue which, as I said above, is somewhat contentious. Readers need to make up their own minds, but at least they have plenty of good information on the internet, from qualified experts.
Read the complete article here.
Related articles
- They’re Fatty but OK for You? (bodandbeyond.com)
- Saturated Fats (nathanwjackson.wordpress.com)
- What You Might Not Know About Cholesterol (adamhuber888.wordpress.com)
The GOLDEN RULE 
Great Article and one which is close to my own heart (pun intended). Hubbies daughter recommends a TOFU Christmas…. arghhhhhhhh we shall be having lamb, with all the juices and fats associated with it….. Merry Christmas one and all…
And if I may….. a plug for a website and a yahoo group for people who have been coerced into taking dangerous cholesterol lowering medications, they maybe suffering side effects, or simply – they have learned that cholesterol is not an evil baddie and want support whilst coming off these drugs……. Stopped Our Statins Website – http://stopped_our_statins.webs.com/
and the Yahoo Group Stopped_Our_Statins@yahoogroups.com
Both/either will give you much more information about the dangers of drugs to control cholesterol, and the benefits of cholesterol to the human body.
Coconut oil has boosted
bymy HDL by 60%. However, it decreasesbymy LDL and I eat over 100 g of coconut oil a day.The powers that be are revising your Dietary Guidelines for Australians. Here’s what they say about saturated fats: “The Heart Foundation made submissions to the review arguing that the scientific evidence was now very clear that saturated fat, not all fats, are a primary cause of Australian s heart health problems.” http://ahha.asn.au/news/reduce-saturated-fat-not-all-fats
So I wrote to the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association:
By way of introduction, I am an independent nutrition researcher. Here in the United States, where the notion of a connection between saturated fat and heart disease originated, there’s growing realization that a mistake was made back in the 1950s. At the time scientists did not possess the means to properly test the diet/heart hypothesis. Unfortunately, after several decades of scientific debate, the government suddenly declared saturated fats a health hazard(1). The United States being the world leader, all other countries followed suite.
So now we’re having second thoughts. Over the past 10 years the saturated fat debate has been revived(2). There’s growing realization that saturated fats are healthy over a wide range of intakes as long as they are consumed in the context of adequate supportive nutrition(3). In addition, researchers are beginning to realize that saturated fats raise cholesterol comparatively little(4) and the effects are physiological rather than pathological and likely beneficial(5).
So, if saturated fats are not the problem, what causes clogged arteries. I’d say added sugars(6) and omega-6 industrial seed oils are a good bet(7,8). What are your thoughts?
Regards,
David Brown
1925 Belmar Dr
Kalispell, MT 59901
Ph/406-257-5123
Nutrition Education Project
References
1. http://freepressonline.net/content/what-has-government-done-our-health
2. http://www.cassandraforsythe.com/blog/The+Great+Saturated+Fat+Debate/
3. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-05/bu-dcd051811.php
4. http://www.theheart.org/article/1267163.do
5. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-05/tau-cn050511.php
6. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204660604574370851517144132.html
7. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201103/your-brain-omega-3
8. http://xcapnews.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/belly-fat-an-eating-experiment/
Hi David. A welcome comment.
Firstly, I have no credentials to personally assess medical issues but, in the interests of my own health and the desire to promote truth and justice, I publicise information that seems to clarify and/or correct misconceptions.
This particular post is attributable to “‘Men’s Health’, by Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D. & Adam Campbell”.
It seems authentic enough and the author has some credentials.
I am working towards publicising a more complete information post, widely covering the ‘fats’ issue, but can only rely on health experts for data. Receiving comments such as yours is extremely helpful.
You may have noticed on my blog, other health-related posts, perhaps of interest to you, and perhaps that would benefit from your comments.
Also, a number of other related blogs are referenced as links under “Health Issues” (Right side-bar). The ‘Natural News’ guy fancies himself as an expert and has much information.
Once again, thanks for your interest and comment.
Hello David
I will add a thought or three if you don’t mind……
Personally I believe Ancel Keys (*) has a lot to answer for. The Diet/fat/heart hypothesis was created out of Cherry Picked data sets, and became a political argument to make it seem as if something positive could be done to stop the influx of cardiac events. When low fat became the ‘norm’ and no results were actually seen, other measures were incorporated, such as cholesterol lowering drugs, and still rates of CVD did not significantly fall.
Many respectable researchers (Uffe Ravnskov (1) and Malcom Kendrick (2) spring immediately to mind) published copious papers proving the hypothesis was seriously flawed – all to no avail. It is only in recent years that people who have been forced into taking cholesterol lowering medications and who have suffered serious side effects are being listened to. The human body needs these lipids to function properly and this includes healthy saturated fats. Older people with higher cholesterol live longer (3) on average. Low cholesterol can effect the brain as well. (4)
As to your question regarding what (if not saturated fats) might be responsible for the worldwide obesity epidemic…. how about lifestyle choices such as fast food, take away meals, frozen dinners in place of good old fashioned home cooking, and the television – x-box mentality. Lounge Lizards we call them in Australia, in the USA I believe the term is Couch Potato.
Don’t forget also the huge shift in processed foods containg soy, GMO’s and multiple unnatural chemicals.
I recently wrote to the Australian Government department that is conducting a survey in the area of health, obesity etc etc, and suggested to them that they consider reintroduing Home Economics into schools across Australia, for both sexes right through high school. As far as I can tell there are at least three generations now that have had no education in this area. Their mothers and possibly grandmothers have lost the ability to cook in the home from scrach. They have had no education in basic nutrition either. Bring this back (compulsory) and within ten years there will be a drastic improvement in my humble (not so) opinion.
One of my hero’s in this field (I have many) is Mary Enig Ph.D, are you familar with her work on the topic of fats – good and bad?
Articles by Mary Enig http://www.life-enthusiast.com/index/Articles/Enig
Mary Enig: Biography | Coconuts and Oil: Benefits | Coconut Oil: A New Look | The Great Con-ola | The Oiling of America | Truth About Saturated Fat | Health Risks from Trans Fats
Delightful reading your post, thanks to Ken for facilitating this topic.
Clare in Tasmania
1. http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm
2. http://www.thincs.org/Malcolm.index.htm
(*) http://justmeint1health.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/fat-cherry-picking/
3. http://www.thefastertimes.com/foodpolitics/2009/09/17/high-cholesterol-is-good/
4. http://news.healingwell.com/index.php?p=news1&id=525859
Wonderful comment Clare. Many thanks!
Your information is relevant and makes really good sense.
Excited to have your input included.
I hope David appreciates it. He might choose to follow your health blog.
Team work is a great thing. Ken.
Ken and Clare,
I’ve been a nutrition nerd for more than three decades so, yes, I’m familiar with all the people mentioned in Clare’s response. I’ve read their books and articles.
Most authorities think excessive caloric intake and sedentary habits have caused the obesity epidemic. I’d say the evidence suggests that excessive consumption of added sugars and omega-6 industrial seed oils constitute a perfect storm serving to derange appetite and slow metabolism by damaging thyroid function.
As for Ancel Keys, he was overzealous for his viewpoint that saturated fats clog arteries. But other factors got the anti-saturated fat campaign off the ground and perpetuated it.
I’ve decided that rather than blame government, academia, and the food manufacturing industry, it makes sense to simply confront all parties with the truth. Why? Because the food industry operates by rules set by governments. Government decisions are informed by academia. And academia is influenced by the food manufacturing industry. It’s sort of a closed feedback loop that inhibits change. Somehow the truth about saturated fats and omega-6s needs to find its way into the minds of scientists, politicians, and food industry executives. So I write messages and articles. For example: http://www.prweb.com/releases/david_brown/omega-6/prweb8933501.htm
I try to be respectful and helpful in all I do: http://freetheanimal.com/2009/11/saturated-fat-and-coronary-heart-disease-part-i-introducing-professor-rod-jackson.html
Thank you, Clare, for the cholesterol links. Good information.