Have you ever wondered why more and more of us are cutting out fats yet still gaining weight?
I have a friend who buys low-fat everything, and wouldn't be caught dead eating butter (like I do), or peanut butter (like I do), or full cream icecream (like I do). She always chooses lean meat, skinless chicken, and skim milk, and even low fat cheese (which as far as I'm concerned, tastes and feels like rubber).
Yet in all the years I've known her, this friend has never lost weight, and battles daily to keep from adding more.
True. She eats lots of highly-processed packaged foods (low fat, supposedly healthy weight watchers kind of stuff), and the occasional bakery good (if she can't see the trans fat, she doesn't believe in it!). And as for raw fruits and vegetables, well....
But the sad fact is that no matter how much my friend eats, she's always hungry.
So she becomes downright irritated when she sees me spreading lovely organic butter on my occasional bread, and thinks my habit of eating peanut butter with a spoon is plain revolting. She cringes when I drink leftover lemon-olive oil salad dressing (I tasted low-fat dressing once. Never again), and shakes her head in dismay when I cook with coconut oil. My icecream is full cream, usually Sara Lee double chocolate, and I eat more cheese (the good stuff) and nuts than are good for me.
No. Of course I don't lose weight eating this way. But nor do I gain it. I avoid anything that has 'low fat' on it; I am completely satisfied with a small meal, and rarely truly hungry.
What makes the difference? I believe it's the fats. Fats are good for you, and your body needs them. If you don't get enough fats (good fats, that is), your body is constantly crying out for them.
That's one reason that most overweight people crave fatty foods. Unfortunately, they don't turn to the good fats but instead, reach for baked goods and unhealthy snack foods or fast foods to try to satisfy their cravings.
I give my body the fats it needs, and I am satisfied with less!
Yes. I could be eating better to lose weight....not by cutting out my lovely fats, but by eating less of them. But right now, weight's not a priority. What is a priority for me is living more in the way nature intended: lots of fresh raw plant foods, organically and compassionately-raised animal foods, nuts and seeds, spring water, good sleep, loads of fresh air and time in nature, and regular exercise. And after many stops and starts, I'm almost there!! (If I find someone with a camera, I'll post a picture of healthy, happy me).
Am I always hungry? No way. Because I eat avocados, olive oil and nuts, fatty foods that have been proven to increase feelings of fullness (University of Irvine research). Something called oleic acid in those fats stimulates production of oleoylethanolamide(OEA), which gives hunger-curbing messages to your nerves endings. OEA also lowers cholesterol.
As for my friend, she's made her choices, and they're in the low-fat section of her local supermarket.
(Painting, The Olive Pickers, courtesy of Vincent Van Gogh)