A Different Approach to Weight Loss

Last month I wrote about dieting and why extreme diets create a state of stress in the body. Under stress, our body holds onto fat and does not release it to be burned for energy. Let’s look at other factors that influence our body’s fat burning ability.

Fat Facts

It may seem counterintuitive, but you need to eat fat to lose fat. Many people fear fat because it is higher in calories than are proteins and carbohydrates. But consuming fats helps us to feel grounded and content. When there is a healthy percentage of fat in a meal, it creates a lasting feeling of energy, fulfillment and warmth. Fat from high-quality oils or from whole foods is used by our bodies to help keep metabolism and mood steady. It is important for clear thinking and good memory —our brain is in fact made up of 60% fat.

Fat generally lowers speed in the digestive process. When a meal contains fat, your stomach slows down the passage of your food into the small intestines. The increased transit time enables you to feel “full” much longer after a meal. Another benefit of fat is its ability to slow down the breakdown of complex carbohydrates into sugars. This slowdown helps stabilize your blood sugar level and thereby assists in weight loss.

Our brain reacts to fat intake by producing a chemical called cholecystokinin (CCK). CCK stimulates the stomach, liver and gallbladder, thus helping with the digestion of fat. It also gives us the message that we have had enough food—in essence, curbing our appetite. A bit of fat in the diet hastens a feeling of satiety and satisfaction with what we have eaten, actually permitting us to save calories by eating no more than we need.

High-quality oils and fats are those that have been processed using the gentlest way of extraction, the cold press method. Oils extracted in this way do not become rancid during the manufacturing process.

Types of Fat

Healthful oils and fats fall into three categories: those that consist mainly of saturated fatty acids, those that consist mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids and those that consist mainly of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The saturated fat group is the most stable—these oils and fats do not turn rancid easily. Examples are butter, ghee, lard, coconut oil and palm kernel oil. Because of their stability, these fats are suited even for high-temperature cooking methods like frying.

The monounsaturated group is fairly stable and can take medium-temperature cooking methods like boiling, sautéing and baking. It includes olive, avocado and almond oils.

The oils in the polyunsaturated group are the least stable and should not be heated at all. They easily turn rancid when exposed to light, heat and oxygen. Examples are walnut, pumpkin, hemp and flaxseed oils. Keep these oils refrigerated at all times and use them only cold, in dressings or sprinkled over your cooked food.

Common vegetable oils like soybean, corn, safflower, grape seed and sunflower seed oils belong to the third group and are by nature very unstable. To their detriment, these oils are commonly processed using heat and chemical solvents simply because their source foods do not release their oils in the simple mechanical process of a cold press. The heat renders the oils rancid already during manufacturing. And because rancid oils smell bad, they are then deodorized, a step that kills the smell but does not undo the rancidity. Another drawback of these so-called refined vegetable oils is their high omega-6 content, which is a health threat to the liver. They are not a healthful choice and should be avoided completely.

Margarine, vegetable shortening and any other fat or foods that contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils are harmful to the body because they contain trans fats. The enzyme that breaks down fats during digestion is ineffective with trans fats. Our body is unable to metabolize or remove trans fats properly, so they remain in the body much longer and are consequently more prone to plaque formation than are any other fatty acids. Among a long list of illnesses associated with trans fats are obesity, liver dysfunction and infertility in women. Even if you do not use margarine or refined vegetable oils in your own kitchen, you might still be consuming them through commercially produced baked goods, candy, chips, junk food, fried foods and prepared foods. Therefore, keep these products down to a very low roar.

Also stay away from all no-fat and low-fat products. Any time food companies manipulate fat, the quality of the fat is compromised. And because fat adds taste to a food, the fat has been replaced with sugar or corn syrup in many of these products to make them taste better. You may think you are saving calories by eating no-fat or low-fat products, but instead you are exchanging the benefits of feeling satiated and satisfied with your food for a fleeting boost of empty calories that sets you up for weight gain and cravings for more sweets.

Enjoy foods that contain good fats such as nuts and seeds and their butters, olives, avocados, whole milk, full-fat dairy products, eggs and cold-water fish.

To hasten weight loss, do include some form of healthful fat in all your meals and snacks.

Marika Blossfeldt
Author . Speaker . Coach
[email protected]