Posts Tagged ‘Fake fats’
Fat Stomach and Fake Fats
Of course, the processed food manufacturers are making hundreds of billions of dollars, tickled pink, as increasing numbers of the 50 million overweight people in the US try to control their weight with fake fats like Olestra and Simpless and eating low-fat junk like Snackwell cookies.
Here’s why this approach doesn’t work:
The lure of fake fats from processed foods in boxes, bags, cans or jars is that they offer the sensation and pleasure of real fat, without all of the calories. So
theoretically, you should be able to feast on potato chips fried in fake fat and it would be just like eating a plain baked potato.
Doesn’t work. Read on.
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Your body will get what it needs…or make it
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While it’s true that fake fats are devoid of calories, and even taste like real fats, your body is not fooled. Your body (especially your brain and nervous system) needs REAL fat to function effectively, and it’s biologically programmed to get the fat it needs.
This means that eating processed fake fats makes you crave REAL fats…
And so eventually you will succumb to the cravings, often in a BIG way. Just watch the tide roll in at that point.
Plus if your body doesn’t get the fats it needs, it turns into its own fat-making machine. And the type of fat your BODY manufactures is saturated fat–the artery clogging bad stuff.
Eating fake fats also leaves you hungrier.
In one study, volunteers were given either a normal meal with real fats or a meal where a third of the fat was replaced with fat substitutes. None of the participants knew which meal they were given.
Those given the fat substitutes reported feeling hungrier than usual shortly after eating. Feeling hungry right after eating is a great recipe for overeating (and being overweight).
There’s more: The next day, all of the study participants were allowed to choose freely which meal they wanted, and the majority unconsciously selected the meal with the real fat. This is a perfect illustration of the body craving what it needs.
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The two-sided issue of bulk
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Another factor that’s “forgotten” in the low-fat/fake fat myth is bulk, and there are two sides to that.
Side one–too much bulk and boredom
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To explain this, I’ll use an example of cole slaw. Let’s say I gave you cole slaw made of one cup of shredded cabbage mixed with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise for a total of 130 calories. 110 of the calories come from the mayo and 20 from the cabbage.
Now, if we were to do the ultimate fat avoidance by taking away the calories from the mayonnaise and replacing it with 110 calories worth of cabbage, you’d need to eat 6 1/2 cups of cabbage!
Let’s face it–you’d drop a few sizes fast, but you’d be bored to tears by the taste.
But the big question is: How long could you stand eating this way? If your answer is “Not very long” you’ve just realized one of the shortcomings of a reduced-fat diet.
Plus you’ll yearn for REAL fat (like mayonnaise, cheese or butter) and be likely to ditch that low-fat diet in a heartbeat.
Side 2–those innocent little cookies add up
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The other side of the bulk issue is the fact that even though reduced-fat products like nonfat ice cream, low-fat cookies and chips are low in fat, they lack bulk or volume.
You can devour a low-fat cookie in about 10 seconds. When you swallow it, it takes up so little room in your stomach that your brain doesn’t receive a “stop eating” message.
So…you keep eating. But since there’s no volume in what you’re eating and you can eat these processed, refined pseudo-foods so quickly, chances are good that you’ll polish off the whole box before you feel satisfied.
Now you’ve just filled your body with hundreds or even thousands of empty calories. And since the cookies have no usable nutrients, your body will sound off the hunger signal again very soon.
So you’ll want to eat again and again.
This isn’t weight LOSS–it’s weight GAIN.
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The best way to take off weight
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First of all, it’s essential to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meat and fish, all in the correct combinations.
These are the foods that give your body the nutrients it needs so you get full and stay full (because you’re nourished). Plus with a wide variety of foods that taste great as well as provide bulk, you’re less likely to get bored.
And eating the right food combinations ensures efficient digestion with no build-up of wastes–which makes the scale number smaller too.
Next, it’s essential to acknowledge and accept that fat isn’t just calories–it an essential, life-giving nutrient. Your body needs real fat, and it will accept no substitutes.
What you need to do is just make sure your body is getting the good fats it needs in the right amounts. Food sources of good fats include olive oil, avocados, nuts, real butter (not margarine), dairy products and even lean meats in moderation.
Plus it’s crucial to ensure that you have a good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. This will help enhance your metabolism and prevent inflammation, and lessens your chances of developing insulin resistance and the resulting diabetes and obesity.
Don’t let yourself be caught in the “low-fat/fake fat” trap one minute longer. All you’re doing is making the food giants richer.
