Do you ever feel full – maybe even bloated – yet totally unsatisfied after a meal? Are you anxious and on-edge, or buzzing and scattered? Having trouble focusing at work and reaching for more chocolate and coffee after lunch?
If it feels like you’re in a hamster wheel, doing all the “right” things but still feeling bloated, foggy and plain terrible, I have something to tell you today. It may be shocking, scary, and some of you may be downright resistant to it:
Eat more fat.
Yep, the stuff that mimics adipose tissue in our bodies. The stuff we automatically equate with weight gain, specifically, fat gain.
The low-fat craze started in the 1980s, with two scientific studies showing that dietary fat needed to be nixed for us to achieve optimal health and ideal bodies.
The catch?
Food manufacturers started replacing fat with sugar, an addictive substance equated with cocaine. This was – and is – good for the food industry, because we keep buying more processed foods to fuel our addiction. It’s bad for our mental and physical health, sparking weight gain, cognitive issues, diabetes and so much more.
Since this modern nutrition wave, countless studies have disproven these archaic, industry-fueled studies, proving that we actually need dietary fat to maintain proper organ function, mental calamity and ideal body weight.
The truth is, dietary fat leaves us feeling deeply satisfied and calm, allowing us to eat smaller portions and feel more satisfied than ever. Don’t be afraid to add nuts, fatty fish like salmon, avocado and coconut into your meals and snacks liberally.
Moral of the story? Fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar makes you fat. Healthy fat is at the core of the post-modern food revolution, going on right now. Get involved!
A lot of health professionals will tell you to fill up on loads of fruits and vegetables and other high-volume, low-calorie foods when you’re trying to lose weight. The real secret is to integrate a good amount of high-quality fat into your diet, and keep your portions reasonable.
Keep in mind that not all fats are created equal.
You definitely want to stay away from trans fats, which are created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them solid, for a super long shelf life.
These suckers are impossible to digest, raise your bad cholesterol levels (LDL, the stuff that collects on the walls of blood vessels and causes heart disease), and lower your good cholesterol levels (HDL), which are essential for all organ functions. Trans fats also increase your risk of diabetes and stroke – no big deal.
Top villain aside, there are some more subtle distinctions to be made, namely between omega 3 and omega 6 fats. Both of these fats are essential to the human body, but can’t be produced by the body, so you have to get them from food. It’s important to strike a balance between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
Omega 6 is abundant in the American diet, found in vegetable oils like safflower and grapeseed, sunflower seeds, and even popular processed, packaged American snack foods like cookies and crackers.
Too much omega 6 increases inflammation in the body and disrupts hormonal balance, while omega 3 decreases inflammation, supports optimal hormone function, reduces the risk of heart disease, improves cognitive function and supports optimal weight.
We have to actively seek out omega 3 in order to get enough. It can be found in salmon, sardines, avocados, chia seeds, walnuts and flaxseeds, to name a few popular sources. Aim for at least one serving of omega 3-rich food daily.
Key take away? Bump up your omega 3 foods, and cut down on processed food, fast food, and vegetable oils. You’ll feel more calm, focused, light and satisfied than ever. If weight loss is your goal, healthy fat is the key.
This week I have a delicious, satiating smoothie for you, filled with friendly fats. I love to have this smoothie as a snack when I’m going easy on sugar. It can also be a great breakfast, by itself or along with some nuts or hardboiled eggs, depending on your protein needs. Enjoy!
Side note: A very smart and sexy man taught me that a pinch of salt is key to a perfect smoothie. He may have brought me one in bed, and gently explained the secret to me in the warm light of dawn. Trust.
How will you bump up your healthy fats this week? If you do choose to integrate more fats, what’s your goal? Do you want to lose weight, finally feel satisfied, protect yourself from disease, or all of the above?
Share in the comments below.
Calming Green Smoothie
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
½ avocado
3 cups spinach or kale (spinach will give a milder flavor)
2 T chia seeds
¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 t raw honey
1 t apple cider vinegar
½ t sea salt
Method
Blend all ingredients on high speed until very smooth and creamy.
Photo: Alex Turshen