Team BLC

"Let Them Eat Fat" & Please Pass the Butter...

What I'm going to share will seem counter-intuitive so I'm just going to say it in as short a burst as possible: EAT FAT.

Eat high quality organic saturated fat with each meal. Best choices are organic butter, animal fat, coconut oil/milk (full fat only).

Now - this is not permission to eat a ton of butter and keep eating grains, sugar, fast food - that won't work! You'll be eating butter with your veggies and quality protein. Click HERE to read my detailed article on how to eat and what to eat.

It's also okay to add monounsaturated fats such as extra virgin olive oil and avocado (but limit amounts if you want to lose weight or are dealing with certain health issues.) Absolutely skip processed polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils such as canola oil-see the bottom of this article for why.)

It is difficult to discern the reality of what's healthy and separate it from the marketing of the food industry and lobbying efforts - but the information is out there if you are willing to dig deep enough.

Saying that it is all about "calories in vs calories out" is woefully inaccurate. Not all calories are equal. Even the same calories can be experienced differently between people due to individual biochemistry, hormones, etc. For example, two people can metabolize the same diet differently.

The public has been brainwashed into vilifying dietary fat, particularly saturated fat. (See below). Saturated fat is excellent for your health and will help you to detox your liver - which will start by dumping its stored fat - and help to decrease belly fat.

What most people are blaming fat for (ex. weight gain, diabetes, heart disease) is usually the result of eating sugar, eating a diet full of grains and chronic stress.

This is mainly a review post with large portions of the text below in quotes pasted directly from the Weston A. Price Nutrition Foundation .

I highly encourage those in doubt to read the full text on the website and click the reference links to read the actual research which comes from a variety of sources. Those that just want the short "skinny" on fats - read on here:

Why You Want to Eat Saturated Fats

"The much-maligned saturated fats—which Americans are trying to avoid—are not the cause of our modern diseases. In fact, they play many important roles in the body chemistry:

* Saturated fatty acids constitute at least 50% of the cell membranes. They are what gives our cells necessary stiffness and integrity.

* They play a vital role in the health of our bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated.

* They can lower Lp(a), a substance in the blood that indicates proneness to heart disease.

* They protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins, such as Tylenol.

* They enhance the immune system.

* They are needed for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids.

Elongated omega-3 fatty acids are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats.

* Saturated 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid are the preferred foods for the heart, which is why the fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated. The heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress.

* Short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids have important antimicrobial properties. They protect us against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.

* The scientific evidence, honestly evaluated, does not support the assertion that “artery-clogging” saturated fats cause heart disease. Actually, evaluation of the fat in artery clogs reveals that only about 26% is saturated. The rest is unsaturated, of which more than half is polyunsaturated." [from Weston A Price Foundation website, emphasis added]

Read everything you've ever wanted to know about fats, cholesterol and heart health HERE.

Why You Want to Eat Butter

"Butter is better for your brain! Yes, butter provides the brain with the nutrients it needs:

* Cholesterol: The highest concentration of cholesterol occurs in the brain, where it plays an especially important role in memory formation. Seniors with the highest cholesterol levels have the best memory function. Cholesterol also plays a major role in regulating serotonin levels in the brain – low cholesterol levels are associated with depression, anti-social behavior and even suicide.

* Saturated Fats: The brain contains high levels of saturated fats, both in the cell membranes and in the mitochondria. Saturated fats are stable and don’t create damage in the brain like poly-unsaturated fats do.

* Arachidonic Acid: Eleven percent of your brain is composed of arachidonic acid (AA), a type of omega-6 fatty acids found exclusively in animal fats like butter. A supply of AA is critical to neurological development in the infant.

* Vitamin A plays a key role in vision and all sensory perception. Butter is an excellent source of vitamin A.

* Vitamin D is critical to neurological function and protection against depression. Butter provides vitamin D.

* Vitamin K supports neurological function and learning. Butter provides vitamin K.

* DHA is an omega-3 fatty acids especially concentrated in the brain. Seafood is a good source, but butter provides it also.

*Choline is critical for the formation of glial cells. Butter is an excellent source.

Butter substitutes like margarine and spreads do not supply these critical nutrients (although many brands have vitamins A and D added); in addition, these industrial products contain rancid oils that can really damage your brain and interfere with learning ability in growing children." [from Weston A Price Foundation website, emphasis added]

Why Are Vegetable Oils Bad?

Aren't vegetables good for you? Yes - but vegetable oils aren't what you think.

The most common are canola oil (rapeseed), corn, soybean, peanut, safflower and more.

These oils are the product of industry and were created using chemicals as a cheap fat and we've been sick ever since.

Here's the short version of how canola oil is made: start with a genetically modified and pesticide-laden rapeseed, overheat it causing it to oxidize and go rancid (cancer-contributing free radicals), then extract the oils using solvents (petroleum which is essential gasoline), reheat and treat with chemicals for color and smell, now package and sell.

Canola oil is added to a huge percentage of foods (read the ingredient labels) and is often what restaurants use for frying (further oxidizing and creating a polymerized oil that helps form free radicals). Oxidation contributes to inflammation (pain, damage) and cell mutation which research has linked to countless health issues and serious illness (think cancer, heart disease).

Commercial vegetable oil is often taken a step further and turned into a trans fat (think margarine) which is a chemical process of manipulating the hydrogen bonds and placement (from natural occurring cis- which would alternate and create a fluid oil to artificially manipulate it to be trans- which lines it up on the same side and hardens it = this is why we call it a trans fat).

Trans fat is one of the true contributors to disease that good, healthy fats have been blamed for.

If nothing else - don't eat cottonseed oil! In addition to being a trans fat, cotton isn't regulated as a food crop yet the oil is added to almost all processed foods. It sounds dramatic, but cottonseed oil is truly a poison. Do your research for more information and then start reading labels.

Bottom line: Eat saturated fat to feel happy, to feel full, to support your immune system and as a key part in the digestive process - it does a body good!

Serving Hands-On Healing,

Dr. Zachary