Low-fat vs Fat: who’s who?
Excess weight is strongly associated with fat deposits, and through them — with fatty foods that we eat. As a result, for many, the diet has become synonymous with the ban on «everything fatty». Butter, cheeses, nuts, cottage cheese, non-dietary meats fell under the taboo… and then the era of low-fat products came.
Not so long ago, the concept of «low-fat» cottage cheese or «low-fat» cheese was simply absent. With what glee met their appearance those for whom the whole life is a struggle with excess weight. And, it would seem, everything is simple: switch from ordinary to low-fat products and the problem of excess weight will remain in the past. In America, almost the entire nation was hooked on low-fat products at that time, they were promoted at the state level. Not only dairy products were made fat-free, but even bread and cookies. So what? Americans were and still are among the fattest in the world. It turns out that switching to low-fat products also does not give the desired result?
And the secret lies in the fact that our body cannot function normally without fat. It has long been a proven fact: approximately 30% of daily calories should be obtained in the form of fats. Moreover, both saturated (such as butter — imagine, yes!) and unsaturated (the notorious Omega 3 and Omega 6). And if this does not happen, our already flawed metabolism begins to go to hell the faster the more regularly you lack fat in your diet. In a word, the daily substitution of products of normal fat content with low-fat or low-fat ones leads to … abnormal fat deposition.
And this is not the only pitfall of «low—fat» products. A holy place is never empty. Have you seen a cookie that, according to the label, is free of fat? It is worth reading, and you will find out that this very cookie almost entirely consists of sugar and other refined carbohydrates — substances that more than compensate for your buttocks lack of fat in the product.
But does this mean that low—fat foods are a useless invention? No! Low-fat cottage cheese or kefir can be a great finale of the day if you managed to «choose» your daily fat intake by dinner.
Of course, all of the above does not mean that you can now spread butter on bread with a clear conscience. Returning to 30% of calories from fat, it is worth mentioning that most fatty foods are very high in calories, which means that a small amount of product will give you a significant amount of daily calories. It is useful to learn more about this…
What kind of food is actually «fatty»?
The term «fatty» food appeared in America not so long ago. And this is not the food that contains a lot of fat, but the one that makes us fat. What is fatty food and what does it include?
Jay Kenny, a nutrition specialist at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami, identifies 4 signs of «fatty» food:
it gives a lot of calories with a small portion volume (example: nuts, butter, chocolate);
contains little or no fiber (example: cheese, meat, muffin, chocolate)
contains a lot of sugar or its analogues (example: sweet drinks, chocolate)
it is used for snacks, casually put in your mouth (example: any kind of «snacks», cookies, drying and, of course, chocolate)
These are the four main characteristics of those foods that contribute to overeating and, consequently, weight gain.
In short: foods that provide our body with less saturation for each calorie are fatty. In practice, it looks like this: approximately the same amount of calories can be obtained from 30 g of nuts and from 300 g of oatmeal porridge on water. But in order to feel full, you will have time to eat 2-3 times more nuts, which means you will get 2-3 times more calories with a small portion volume.
Based on Jay Kenny’s list, to be a «fat» product, it is not necessary to meet all four conditions. But if the product «coincided» by all signs, it is the first candidate for elimination or a sharp reduction in the diet if you want to have a normal weight. For example, we often use chocolate as a snack or dessert for tea. Absolutely not counting for food. As well as the butter that we smear on bread. Or olive oil, which is poured into a salad by eye. All these are high—calorie foods that have an incredible amount of calories per small portion. Tell me honestly, has it ever happened to you that you ate a whole bar of chocolate in a day? Certainly.
