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A very popular misconception among those struggling to lose fat is that dietary fat is the culprit in the growing obesity epidemic in North America. Second very common myth is that it's just all the extra calories from big meals they consume. The truth is much more complex, however.
Yes, certain fats like refined vegetables oils/margarine (inflammatory fats) might be really bad for our health in excess. However, such fats alone do not cause obesity or cancer or diabetes, it's the fact that we are not eating enough "good" or anti-inflammatory fats that is the issue. And the reason why our diets lack "good" fats is because we are relying too much on manufactured food products (e.g. canned, packaged, jarred) or commercially prepared meals (e.g. restaurant food, take outs, frozen), instead of doing healthy cooking ourselves. Once in a while, restaurant food is not going to hurt you. Even McDonalds will not. But methods to store foods for long term outside of the freezer in packages, cans or jars were originally developed for emergency situations, travel, seasonal necessity or military operations, not as solutions to solve world hunger and certainly not for long term consumption.
"Good" or anti-inflammatory fats come from sources like olives, avocados, some nuts/seeds and fish. Even saturated animal fat from organic/naturally produced eggs, wild fish and meat sources (as opposed to those produced on the farms that only care for profit and undermine the health of their animals with hormone injections, excessive anti-biotic treatments and unnatural feeds in the process) is very important in moderation, but only if balanced with other nutrients.
As for the amount of extra calories we might be consuming, those usually come from empty or nutrient deficient foods we consume on regular basis such as refined grains (wheat, rice), drinks and foods full of refined sugars that are not even suspected to contain them like sauces, packaged low-fat dairy, juices, alcohol and bread. They are a cheap source of energy devoid of necessary to our health micro-elements and in excess amounts may keep us going for the day (same thing for other stimulants like nicotine, caffeine, alcohol and illegal ones, which have even more powerful addictive effect than refined sugars), but the consequences to our bodies for relying on them over long term are devastating. Combine those nutrient deficient foods with inflammatory fats consumed on daily basis as staple dishes and we have an epidemic on our hands.
Just like "bad" fats, refined sugars alone are not the culprit. Yes, you will find them hidden in all kinds of foods that you may have never suspected as unhealthy such as Ketchup, mayonnaise, low-fat dairy products, "heath" snacks and grain based foods, etc.. And yes, that is very alarming and irresponsible, making it a necessity to make sure you learn everything there is to know about the food you put into your mouth. Yet, if we fill our diets primarily with a variety of whole foods like vegetables (most important sources of minerals and vitamins), anti-inflammatory fats (important to process the vitamins and minerals), healthy protein sources (lean animal meat, fish, organic dairy, legumes, nuts, etc.), moderate amounts of fresh fruits and whole grains, we would not need or even want to consume empty calories from products filled with refined sugars and inflammatory fats or even get a caffeine/nicotine/alcohol rush... Another very important habit is to make sure you are cycling your foods all the time and not eating the same ones every day! Otherwise, you risk developing food intolerance/allergies/sensitivities and even become more susceptible to cravings for more calories or stimulants.
Does this mean that you might be better off excluding some foods and all stimulants like sugar/nicotine/caffeine/alcohol from your diet? In some cases it might be a good idea, and in some instances it might be a necessity. Each individual's history/profile is unique, and has to be considered as such. In general, however, excluding certain foods and stimulants completely from your life, especially if you are used to them, may not be the best solution. You might be able to do it for a while, but the cravings might still bother you and you might end up binging at some point. Or you might feel so bad/inconvenienced after a couple of days without your donuts/coffee/cigarette that you will give up the idea of making changes all together. So, the strategy of finding a variety of healthy substitutes to your most detrimental habits with assistance from qualified professionals might work best for some.
I know that all of the above sort of makes sense to you and ask that you take a look at the video and the article below that will give you more information. The article contains a slideshow that covers foods with hidden sugars as well as another helpful video at the end. Use this knowledge and share it with others in order to improve the lives of everyone around you and most importantly your own
VIDEO: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=…
ARTICLE: www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01…
