As I investigated my ‘wafer thin’ ham sandwiches…
I’d triple check that the bread was as dry as a bone.
Not that I liked it this way.
But because I KNEW (for sure) that butter would make me fat and wasn’t good for me.
UNLIKE…
The wholegrain crisps, Belvita Biscuit bar, and Nutri-Grain washed down with ENERGY (Lucozade)
After all, we need energy.
And as for fat…
Well, it just ‘causes’ (careful…) heart disease, right?
At least that’s what we’re told.
And I get it.
We have to make it SIMPLE.
If a high fat diet CAN:
* Lead to weight gain and heart disease
* Increase cholesterol levels and our ‘risk’ of heart disease
Then it does make sense to just say:
‘eat low-fat’
BUT…
Here’s the thing:
We need ‘energy’.
You have to fill the tank with something, right?
So, what do we replace the ENERGY we were previously getting from fat with?
Uuuuuuummmmmmm…
***Educated guess being processed ***
Carbs?
^^^ Cheap, cheerful, lower in calories than fat (so may help us lose weight) and they’re a sustainable food source (you seen the size of corn and wheat nowadays? At least it means the baby that me and the wife are expecting shouldn’t have a food shortage in their lifetime…)
And I love my carbs (popcorn, yoghurt, homemade chips, fruit, and rice pudding being my go-to!!!)
I mean:
* There a great source which helps me poop (something I’ve been writing about a lot recently…)
* They’re tasty
*They make my plate look ‘busy’ and ‘full’ which means I take a longer to finish my meal, feel more satisfied, and settle my screaming hunger hormones
^^^ whose first words were ‘chocolate’ by the way
BUT…as much as I love my carbs…
Does eating high(er) carbs help us to reduce our risk of heart disease?
Well, check this…
In postmenopausal women who followed the low-fat guidelines…
A higher saturated fat intake was associated with less progression of coronary artery disease
Whereas…
A higher carb intake was associated with an increased progression of coronary artery disease
What’s more…
A 2010 study of all studies (where they look at many studies and look to find a consensus)
Found ‘no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease’
Now…
Before you go dipping your bacon in butter and swapping your milk for heavy cream…
The case is not closed.
I mean, when you get rid of something…
You don’t really know if it was a good decision until you assess what you replace it with, right?
And you might have heard about the benefits of omega 3 fats (found in oily fish) and omega 6 fats (found in nuts and olives etc.)?
Well, it appears that increasing your omega 3 and omega 6 intake instead of saturated fats could also decrease your risk of coronary heart disease…
BUT…with all this info…
It can seem too confusing.
And I agree with you.
So let’s make things simple…
You can’t ignore:
* Your overall intake of food
* Your body weight
* Your body fat (especially around the stomach…)
* Lifestyle (exercise? Stress?)…Did Dr Atkins diet of a heart attack because of stress or diet (he was in his 70s after all…)?
* What works well for YOU (rather than Jane, Margaret, and Michelle…)
After all, high carb diets, the Atkins diet, Weight Watchers, and low fat diets have all been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease …
Providing that:
1) You ditch the excess weight (especially stomach fat)
2) You can stick to the diet and keep the weight off
And in my opinion…
You probably need to get point ‘2’ right, first.
Because we can all lose weight (at least in the short term)
But keeping it off is a different story.
Work, babies (as I’ll soon be finding out about), stress…all get in the way.
It’s not easy.
I get it.
Speak soon,
Matt
PS. Tomorrow (Wednesday at 8pm) is the deadline to apply for your free trial on my Fit For Life Body Transformation Programme.
You can apply here: https://frucifit.com/free7daytrial/
I’m only taking on one new member from this trial because – remember – I’m only a ‘one-man band’ so I simply can’t help everyone (unless I run myself into the ground…again!)
And the truth is, it’s really not for everyone. You have to do the work and give me feedback…Or I simply cannot help you.
Put it this way, I’m not one of those ‘nutritionolologysts’ who’ll tell you to eat low carb or low fat just because you have a ‘bony elbow’
If you want to guarantee your place on my body transformation programme send me an email today and I’ll set you up with your first task so that you can find the diet that guarantees you lose weight, keep it off (once and for all) and fit back into your favourite clothes!
www.FruciFit.com