A Double Edged Sword

In the local paper today, there was an article about low-fat diets offering many benefits.  This article does not mention anything about how important fat is in our diets. 

The “Double Edged Sword”?   We all want to reduce fat but if we do, we gain weight.   

Your body is such a smart machine.  It has a natural instinct for survival. If you deplete it of the necessary requirements to survive, it will devise a back up plan.  If you neglect to include fats and make up the difference in carbohydrates, you will go into “starvation mode” which will triger your liver to overproduce cholesterol and store it as fat.

Have you wondered, with all the popularity of low-fat diets and low-fat foods, why our society is putting on weight?  The reason is because the big words which are prominent on product labels are “NO FAT”. “FAT FREE”. “NO TRANS FAT”.   Consumers see those words and pick up the item thinking they are en route to a healthier, slimmer self.  No so.  What also should be written in big, bold letters are…”ADDED SUGAR.” “ADDED SALT”. “CORN SYRUP”.  “PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL”.  

Let’s give the manufacturer some credit. In order to make the product tasty and still be able to advertise less fat, something has to be increased or added (sugar and/or salt).  The sugar can add calories.  Salt, in excess, is not good for cardiovascular health.  If you do not have a means to work off added calories through exercise, you will soon discover that you are toting an extra couple of pounds, even though your diet choices have changed. 

Healthy fat makes you feel full. You will eat less.  The problem with no fat is more sugar, more calories and the result = an unsatisfied appetite.   Bingo!  You just broke the scale. 

 

 

 

We need fat for mental health. We need fat to lubricate our joints (in layman’s terms).  We need fat to deliver healthy nutrients throughout our bodies which come from the foods we eat so we will continue functioning in a healthy manner. 

Here is my unprofessional advice, merely offered as a nutrition enthusiast:  Fore-go the “Fat Free Chips” and grab  a handful of almonds.  If you need a little sweetness, dip a teaspoon into a jar of all natural peanut butter and lick it off… n  i  c   e        a   n  d      s     l     o    o    w    w    l    y. 

My personal daily fat intake is very low.  I supplement with EFA’s.   Essential Fatty Acids.  They provide just what the name implies:  Essential Fatty Acids.  Our bodies cannot produce these fats and therefore we must obtain them from outside sources.   The gel caps insure that I get my daily requirement of Omega 3’s, Omega 6’s and  Omega 9’s without the added calories. 

This seems like a long winded blurt about fats, but it really is important not to get wrapped up in the diet – slim thing.  Feel good about yourself and eat healthy.   There are TONS of great recipes out there and they include the use of butter and oils.  Give yourself a break.   Make something you’ve deprived yourself of this weekend and thoroughly … I mean THOROUGHLY enjoy it.

Here are some great resources for additional reading:

UPHS Nutrition

Women to Women

Kraft foods

Here’s to you!

It’s happy hour! Yahoo!

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All By Myself

It’s one of those lonely Fridays at work.  Sue has this Friday off and there will be no chit chat.  Ted is making a trip in with Shane, but that will be for about 15 minutes.  Just long enough for Shane to terrorize a few people and leave hair all over the front office. 

Speaking of Shane, he and I went on a 4 1/2 mile walk with a little sprint here and there.  It was a nice mild morning and we were up for it.  There were a few people out doing the same as we were.  We were home in just under an hour.

Breakfast grains this morning were Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats.  Is there any difference in taste between the GF and the regular?  Not in taste, but there is a very slight difference  in texture. The GF are less sticky.  You really have to be analyzing the mouth feel in order to detect it.

 

As for protein, again, another Spiru-Tein Shake. This one was Tropical Fruit. Ted saw the shake in the glass and said “Awe, Honey. What happened to your shake? Why is it so …….yellow? What’s in it?”

It was a funky looking yellow but not too bad. Not a favorite.

 

 

 

 

Tonight there is a Wine Tasting Event called “Jazzmatazz”.  It features wines, gourmet food stations, Jazz music, and a “unique” auction.  The event benefits the Arthritis Foundation.   We are hoping to get tickets but may be shut out. Here’s keeping our fingers crossed.

That’s it for this AM, have a super Friday.

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