Eat Fat, Get Thin_Why the Fat We Eat Is the Key to Sustained Weight Loss and Vibrant Health
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Clearing land for oil palm plantations has led to widespread deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia as well as other regions. This has pushed many animal species to the brink of extinction, including rhinos, elephants, orangutans, and tigers. The clear cutting of forests has also forced indigenous peoples off their land, depriving them of their livelihoods and damaging the ecosystem, depleting clean water and fertile soil. Globally, the destruction of tropical forests is a major contributor to climate change. The annual carbon emissions that result from the deforestation of much of Indonesia’s rainforests (which are then turned into palm oil plantations) exceed emissions from all the cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the United States combined.
Indonesia and Malaysia produce more than 85 percent of the palm oil in America’s processed foods. In 2014 Business Week published an investigation by the Schuster Institute of Investigative Journalism on the extensive use of child labor on palm oil plantations. Most of the palm oil found in America’s food supply, dubbed conflict palm oil, is produced in ways that cause large-scale rain forest destruction and human rights abuses.
The FDA has declared trans fats a nonsafe food additive that must be eliminated from the food supply. This has forced the junk food industry to frantically search for alternatives. Unfortunately, conflict palm oil is the main substitute for trans fats. Since 2006, when the FDA first required labeling of foods with trans fats, manufacturers started swapping palm oil for trans fats and its use has increased 500 percent in the last ten years and is found in over half of all packaged goods.
Practical Tips for Purchasing Palm Oil
Ensure you buy products that contain sustainable palm oil. Look for the CSPO (certified sustainable palm oil) label. You can recognize products made from sustainable palm oil because they carry the CSPO trademark. This mark assures you that the palm oil was produced using sustainable practices that address both social and environmental concerns. Around 15 percent of the world’s palm oil production was certified sustainable in 2013, up from 10 percent in 2011.
Nutiva’s Red Palm Oil is sustainably grown in Ecuador and doesn’t contribute to deforestation or habitat destruction. You can purchase vegan shortening from Spectrum or Nutiva, which use sustainably farmed palm and coconut oil in a blend that works well for baking.
OLIVE OIL: LIQUID GOLD
A trove of studies has shown that the Mediterranean diet prevents heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and even reduces risk of death. Many of the protective benefits seem to come from olive oil. And that’s a good thing because olive oil makes your food taste amazing and is a health-promoting fat that is easy to find and use.
Olive oil is produced by crushing olives and then putting them through a press to squeeze out the oil. The crushed olives can be pressed many times. The first pressing creates what is known as extra virgin olive oil, and it is the only type you should consume because it has the most benefits. It also has the best flavor.
Olive oil is made up of a blend of fats. Most of this (about 75 percent) is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. About another 20 percent are saturated fats, and olive oil also contains vitamin E, beta carotene, and squalene, an important antioxidant that is great for your skin.
But the unique feature of olive oil is the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients it contains, called polyphenols. As you know by now, most chronic diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and cancer, all have roots in inflammation. You don’t have to consume large quantities of olive oil to get these benefits. Just 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil per day has significant anti-inflammatory effects.32
Olive Oil and Your Heart
Olive oil has powerful antioxidant properties that are good for your heart and protect your blood vessels. Remember, free radical damage or oxidative stress is the main way that your cholesterol becomes damaged and is the actual cause of heart disease (only rancid fat or cholesterol damages arteries). Fat-containing molecules, including LDL (bad cholesterol), need to be protected from oxygen damage. One of the common mechanisms of aging and chronic diseases—especially atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries—is damage from free radicals and oxidative stress, which is why we need to consume a diet rich in antioxidants.33
Olive oil also helps prevent platelets from clumping together excessively, therefore protecting against blood clots. There are lots of polyphenols in olive oil—including hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, and luteolin. These help keep your blood thin and prevent your platelets from forming the blood clots that cause heart attacks.34
The oleic acid content of olive oil helps to improve your cholesterol profile, raising the HDL, lowering the LDL, and improving the particle size and the overall LDL to HDL ratio. When other vegetable oils were exchanged for olive oil, the cholesterol profile for research participants improved.35
Recent research also shows that the oleic acid found in olive oil can help lower blood pressure. The olive oil works its way into your cell membranes and changes the ways your cells communicate, leading to lower blood pressure.36
Olive oil and its polyphenols lower blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), therefore lowering inflammation, a risk factor in heart disease. Polyphenols also improve endothelial function (the health of blood vessels) in young women.37
Olive Oil and Your Gut
Not only is olive oil good for your heart, it is also good for your gut. Studies on cancer of the stomach and small intestine found lower rates of cancer in people who used olive oil on a regular basis. The anticancer benefits likely come from the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the polyphenols in olive oil.38
We have learned that some fats, like the refined omega-6 oils, can harm the gut bacteria. But the polyphenols in olive oil can help balance your gut flora and prevent the growth of bad bugs like Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for ulcers and reflux.39
Olive Oil and Your Brain
Olive oil is also good for your brain. A large French study found that older adults who used a lot of olive oil in cooking and in sauces and dressings improved their visual memory and verbal fluency.40 In studies of animals deprived of oxygen, which caused brain injury, olive oil helped their brains heal and recover.
Olive Oil and Cancer
Olive oil also seems to have anti-cancer properties. As little as one to two tablespoons a day lowers the risk of many cancers, including stomach, colon, breast, and lung cancer.41
Much of the research showing olive oil’s relationship to cancer focused on the polyphenols in olive oil and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. But other studies have found that olive oil improves the function of your cell membranes, reducing the risk of cancer and boosting your body’s own antioxidant system by turning on antioxidant genes. The myriad of antioxidants in olive oil protect your DNA from free radical damage. Your cells function better and the risk of cancer goes down.42
Olive Oil: Practical Considerations
Olive oil is good but it is easily damaged by exposure to light, air, and too much heat. If you buy a bottle of dark extra virgin olive oil and leave it on the counter, over time it will turn pale. That means it has oxidized or turned rancid. Buying better quality extra virgin olive oil and keeping in a dark place inside the cupboard will prevent this from happening.
You might be tempted to buy the cheap olive oil, and not get the extra virgin type. But studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory properties of the polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil are far greater than those from later pressings or non-virgin olive oil.43 Don’t be duped by health claims like “pure olive oil” on the label either. Only buy what says “extra virgin olive oil.” If a label says “pure,” it usually means that it is a combination of refined and unrefined olive oils.
Another term that you may see is “cold-pressed.” This means that very minimal heating (less than 81°F [27°C]) was used to extract the oil from the olives. This allows for more of the powerful nutrients to be pr
eserved.
Buyers beware: Much of the extra virgin olive oil sold in the United States is adulterated with other oils like soybean, rapeseed, or canola oil.44 In an expert taste and smell test, one study found that 69 percent of imported olive oil labeled “extra virgin” did not meet the standard for that label. Thankfully, olive oil expert Tom Mueller has compiled a list of extra virgin olive oils you can buy at your local grocery store (including at chains like Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods); see his website, Truth in Olive Oil: http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/2012/09/toms-supermarket-picks-quality-oils-good-prices. If you’d like to learn more about this issue, read Mueller’s book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil.
Look for extra virgin olive oils sold in dark-tinted glass bottles, as the packaging will help protect the oil from oxidation caused by exposure to light. If you purchase large tins of olive oil, pour out what you’ll need for a few weeks into a dark bottle so that you can avoid opening the tin often and exposing the oil to oxygen.
Once you’ve got your hands on a quality extra virgin olive oil, be sure to store it properly: store in a cool, dark place, out of direct sunlight and away from a heat source (do not store near the stove). Olive oil should be used within one to two months to ensure its healthy phytonutrient profile remains intact.
The take-home message is clear: Enjoy fresh extra virgin olive oil as part of your diet. It helps improve your heart health, helps you lose weight, reduces the risk of heart attacks and death, prevents cancer, and is good for your gut and your brain. Best of all, it makes your food taste delicious!
THE GOOD NEWS ON NUTS AND SEEDS
Cutting out nuts and seeds entirely from your diet because they are fattening is one of the worst pieces of advice ever offered to the American public. Study after study45 has shown that increased nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease,46 type 2 diabetes,47 obesity, cancer, and death.48 In fact, in one of the largest randomized trials ever done on heart disease, the PREDIMED study, those who ate nuts every day reduced their risk of getting heart attacks by 30 percent—equal to or better than taking statin drugs. In another study on weight loss, researchers compared a low-fat vegan diet with a high-fat vegan diet, including nuts, avocados, and olive oil. The high-fat diet led to more weight loss and better cholesterol.49
The results of a review of the evidence linking nuts and lower risk of coronary heart disease were published in the British Journal of Nutrition.50 In this review, researchers looked at four large prospective epidemiological studies—the Adventist Health Study, Iowa Women’s Study, Nurses’ Health Study, and Physicians’ Health Study. When evidence from all four studies was combined, subjects consuming nuts at least four times a week showed a 37 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared to those who never or seldom ate nuts. Each additional serving of nuts per week was associated with an average 8.3 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease.51
A study published in the journal Obesity showed that people who ate nuts at least twice a week were much less likely to gain weight than those who almost never ate nuts. The twenty-eight-month study, involving 8,865 adult men and women in Spain, found that participants who ate nuts at least twice per week were 31 percent less likely to gain weight than participants who never or almost never ate nuts.52
Nuts are high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Packed with healthy fats, they help reduce appetite. The key is to eat them in moderation. You want them as part of a healthy diet. But just like you wouldn’t binge on three bags of broccoli, you shouldn’t binge on three bags of nuts. You can overdo it and end up eating just too much food. A handful or two a day is all it takes to reap their potent benefits—and to satisfy your crunch desires!
How to Buy and Prepare Nuts and Seeds
I recommend purchasing certified organic raw nuts and seeds; that way, you will protect yourself from exposure to potential contaminants. Avoid roasted or salted nuts, as the high temperature used by commercial roasters damages the many delicate fats found in nuts and seeds. If you like, you can lightly roast them yourself at a very low oven temperatures (250°F).
It’s a good idea to soak your nuts and seeds to reduce lectins, phytates, and enzyme inhibitors. These are considered “anti-nutrients” that can block nutrient absorption, cause digestive distress, and inhibit enzymes. While raw nuts and seeds are extremely nutritious foods, preparation is key in order to unlock maximum nutrient potential and deactivate any substances that could be irritating to the gut. The soaking process germinates nuts and seeds, allowing increased enzyme activity.53 Soaking also enhances the flavor.
Simply soak raw nuts or seeds in warm salt water overnight or up to twenty-four hours. Make sure there is enough warm water in the bowl to cover the nuts or seeds by an inch. Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to 4 cups of nuts or seeds. When they’re done soaking, rinse them thoroughly so that the rinsing water runs clear. Then it’s crucial to thoroughly dry them. The best way to ensure they’ll dry all the way through is to spread them out in a single layer in a warm oven at the lowest possible setting—ideally not more than 120°F.
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The Bonus Benefits—Fat Makes You Smart, Sexy, and Happy
Weight loss from eating good fats? Check.
Heart disease prevention? Check.
Revved metabolism? Check.
But the health benefits from eating more of the right fats don’t end there! Here’s a look at all the other good things healthy fats can do for your body, your brain, your mood, and more.
EATING FAT REVERSES TYPE 2 DIABETES (AND IMPROVES BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL FOR TYPE 1)
Of all of my patients, those with diabetes and pre-diabetes do the best on a high-fat, low-carb diet. One patient with type 2 diabetes recently told me she got off 56 units of insulin in four days on the Eat Fat, Get Thin program, and she went on to lose thirty-six pounds. Another patient with type 2 diabetes got off 48 units of insulin and all his diabetes medication and lost fifty pounds. Still another patient with type 2 diabetes got off her insulin in three days and lost eighteen pounds in the first ten days (she had been eating a lot of refined carbs and sugar).
I was taking 200 units of Lantus insulin daily and my hemoglobin A1c (average blood sugar) was still over the top. I came off insulin the third day on the program, lost thirty-five pounds so far, and my last hemoglobin A1c was down to 6.9 from over 11.
—Kerry Otteso
Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes together now affect 1 in 2 Americans and 1 in 4 kids. Eighty percent of the world’s type 2 diabetics are in the developing world. We now know how to prevent and reverse this global epidemic. Although the ADA and our government dietary guidelines still recommend high-carb diets for diabetics, the world leader in diabetes treatment and care, Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center, is moving toward a high-fat diet. It is my hope that the tide will continue to turn.
Comprehensive reviews of all the research in 20081 and 20152 both came to the conclusion that a low-carb, high-fat diet was the best prevention and treatment for type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. In these reviews, scientists document twelve reasons why high-fat, lower-carb diets are the way to go, even for better management of type 1 diabetes:
1. Restricting dietary carbs and increasing fat have the greatest impact on lowering blood sugar levels.
2. During the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemics, the increase in the number of calories consumed has been due almost entirely to refined carbs and sugar, while fat consumption as a percentage of our total calories has decreased.
3. You don’t need to lose weight to reap the benefits of lower-carb, higher-fat diets.
4. Even though weight loss is not necessary, no dietary intervention is more effective for weight loss.
5. People are much more likely to adhere to lower-carb, higher-fat diets because they reduce cravings and are more satisfying.
6. Replacing some of the carbs with protein is helpful.
7. Total and saturated fat i
ntake do not correlate with risk for cardiovascular disease.
8. Blood levels of saturated fat are controlled by dietary carbohydrates far more than dietary fats.
9. The best predictor of small blood vessel damage (the type that causes amputations) is the average level of blood sugar (hemoglobin A1c), which is better controlled on a high-fat, low-carb diet.
10. Dietary carb restriction and higher fat intake are the most effective way to reduce blood levels of triglycerides and raise HDL.
11. The best way to reduce or eliminate medication and insulin in type 2 diabetes is a low-carb, high-fat diet. And people with type 1 diabetes can use less insulin and get more steady blood sugars.
12. The diet has no side effects, as opposed to medications and insulin, which increase risks of heart attacks and death.3
Just a reminder: This approach of a higher-fat, lower-carb diet is so powerful that you should be sure to be careful as you eat better. You will need less medication and insulin and your blood sugars could bottom out when you dramatically change your diet, so be cautious. Be sure to work with your doctor before reducing any medication.
EATING FAT PREVENTS BRAIN AGING AND DEMENTIA
Low-fat diets have been associated with dementia and higher-fat diets shown to prevent it. In fact, leading Alzheimer’s researchers are promoting a very high-fat (or ketogenic) diet for the treatment of dementia. In his paper “Reversal of Cognitive Decline: A Novel Therapeutic Program,”4 Dr. Dale Bredesen, of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, reviews ten case studies where dementia was actually reversed in patients on a very low-carb, low-glycemic, low-grain, high-fat diet. This is groundbreaking. After $2 billion of research and 243 studies over the last few decades on the treatment of dementia with medication, none have shown this level of success. In fact, none of those studies worked except for one, and that one only very slightly.