Fat is an ugly three-letter word
The myth that fat is an ugly three-letter word probably started for a simple reason: People figured that if they were trying to lose weight, they had to shed fat. And it seemed logical that if you were trying to lose fat, you shouldn’t eat fat.
In 1988 the U.S. surgeon general set out to gather the data to prove that dietary fat is harmful. But after eleven years and four project officers, the project was disbanded, because there wasn’t enough scientific data to support the expect forgone conclusion.
Says writer Gary Taubes in the March 30, 2001, issue of Science, “Mainstream nutritional science has demonized dietary fat, yet fifty years and hundreds of millions of dollars of research have failed to prove that eating a low-fat diet will help you live longer”
Still, over the last thirty years, Americans have tried and tried to cut fat out of their diet, decreasing fat consumption from over 40% to 34% of our calorie intake. But the consequences of eating some of the 15,000 new low-fat foods on the market have been disastrous. The proportion of the population suffering from obesity has surged from 14% to more than 30%, and more that 65% of Americans are overweight.
Fat itself is not intrinsically ‘bad for us’ and, in fact, is an important nutrient with a host of important functions within the body.
Your body needs fat to function properly. Besides being an energy source, fat is a nutrient used in the production of cell membranes, as well as in several hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids. These compounds help regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting and the nervous system. In addition. dietary fat carries fat-soluble vitamins — vitamins A, D, E and K from your food into your body. Fat also helps maintain healthy hair and skin, protects vital organs, keeps your body insulated, and provide a sense of fullness after meals.
So the problem is not the fat but rather the types of fat you eat!