more fat intake = more weight. (duh?) ~ article

[Aura_Kitten]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/diet....eut/index.html

i couldn't help thinking... "wow, this is really stupid. they needed to do a whole new study just to find this out?"

one quote that really stood out to me was

Only 29 percent of the residents -- whom Thomas says are representative of the U.S. public -- met government recommendations of getting no more than 30 percent of calories from fat.

"Reasons for this trend are unclear but may include the aggressive marketing of dietary plans that recommend the liberal use of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet," Thomas said in a report to the meeting.

of COURSE aggressive marketing of high-fat diets will lead to more fat intake!

i'm torn between wanting to and :LOL

[lovebugmama]

I have read a lot that supports the idea that fat in and of itself is not a cause of obesity or heart disease, but rather the type of fat. High quality traditional fats such as animal fat, olive oil, butter, coconut oil etc. all of which are very high in saturated fat are more easily processed and used by our bodies and therefore are not problematic. The problem is trans fats which are partially hydrogenated oils and unsaturated fats that are used at abnormally high temperatures (i.e., for frying) and are not recognized or used by our body and are causes of a myriad of health problems.

I believe that the other HUGE problem with the American diet is the use of flours and sugars. Prior to industrialization, very little white flour and sugar were consumed and people were much healthier. Convenience foods introduced during world war II are the ruination of the American Diet.

I'm sure anyone familiar with Sally Fallon, Weston Price and/or slow food with be able to comment further on the fat issue.

[Aura_Kitten]

well, personally i think the overweight problem in america has a lot to do with lifestyle and food choices -- not really high starch, but low in whole-grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. people just aren't eating enough of the right foods, and they live too sedentary a lifestyle.

[MamaMonica]

I think so, too. I still can't buy that a lot of saturated fats are good for you. Sure, in moderation, I think they're fine.

I peg it more on a sedentary lifestyle, too.

[captain optimism]

I think the low-fat diets were supposed to reduce caloric intake, because fat has more calories than carbohydrates or proteins. Then, the higher-fat, high protein low-carb diets were supposed to reduce caloric intake, by making people feel more satisfied so they ate fewer calories.

But what good does this do us when we are all drugging ourselves with food as we slog through days with almost no time for exercise or even reflection?

the most important thing is to give people enough TIME and SPACE to prepare real food to eat in a relaxed way, exercise, and relax and sleep.

the author of the study discussed in this article says, "There are no good foods and bad foods. It is the overall diet we are interested in." YES.

[Aura_Kitten]

But what good does this do us when we are all drugging ourselves with food as we slog through days with almost no time for exercise or even reflection?

[MamaMonica]

Yeah- there is no good blaming people for what we eat- our culture offers little support for any healthy habits. It's all "more, more, more" and if you want less or to take a break, there's a stigma against that.

[Rebecca]

Good fats, bad fats, I used to be a dietitian, have a degree in nutritional biochemistry, and people get fat from...

<insert dramatic music>

Eating too many calories. Fat has more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates (twice as many, to be more precise). So yeah, if you eat lots of fat, you eat lots of calories, and you get fat.

Now the quality of fat certainly has effect on your health, but that's for a different thread. There are healthier and unhealthy fats, but they all have the same calorie content (approximately).

[Aura_Kitten]

** slightly off topic **

Rebecca, wasn't there a study done recently that showed that decreasing your caloric intake by something like 100 or 200 calories a day would lead to better health?

[Nathan1097]

Originally posted by klothos
** slightly off topic **

Rebecca, wasn't there a study done recently that showed that decreasing your caloric intake by something like 100 or 200 calories a day would lead to better health?

I recall reading something to that effect too.

I've upped whole grains, fresh fruit and veg. fish, cut out red meat and partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup (sometimes I cheat but not often!) and my cholesterol went from 256 to 144 in less than a year. I also exercise regularly.

[morsan]

I completely disagree that eating lots of fat always lead to weight gain, no matter how logical it may sound. I've heard from others, but mostly I just use my husband's experience as an example. He cut out most carbs while inreasing his consumption of highly saturated fats, like lard and beef suet. Suet is like 70-80 percent saturated. And he was eating lots of it, along with lots of fatty meats. He lost 40 pounds in just a couple of months.
The truth is that weight gain does not only depend on the amount of calories you consume. Overall health is crucial to how well your body use the calories. Hormones play an important role in weight management. Saturated fats are very important for the proper functioning of many bodily processes.
I eat *tons* of fat too and still don't gain much weight.
I agree with Dr. Mercola that some people loose weight on cutting out some of the fat, while others can eat it freely as long as carbs are out. We're all different.