If you have read my article on weight loss then you will know that I have had a couple of years of Yo-yoing. Â Trying out “diets” to see what does work and what doesn’t. Let’s face it dieting is hard work that usually leaves you feeling exhausted and often hungry. Breaking the cycle of the yo-yo diets starts with understanding what leaves you feeling hungry and what makes you feel full and happy.
Just when I was feeling doomed and ready to give up, I discovered Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for weight loss. Â And I’m not the only one. Â There is a lot of news out there at the moment about Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and it’s uses. What really tickled my fancy though was when I read this article by Dr Mercola.
Your Body NEEDS Fats for Optimal Function
Fats in general are considered the dietary villains, especially saturated fat, which many people still claim will increase your risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. However, this is simply untrue. The only really dangerous fat out there is trans fat (margarine, vegetable oils). Saturated fats are actually vital for optimal health as they are:
Building blocks for your cell membranes.
Needed for production of a variety of hormones and hormone like substances.
Useful antiviral agents (caprylic acid)
Carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and required for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes.
Effective as an anticaries, antiplaque and anti fungal agents (lauric acid)
Useful to actually lower cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids)
Modulators of genetic regulation and prevent cancer (butyric acid)
Provide a concentrated source of energy
When cutting down on carbs, you generally need to increase your intake of healthy (ideally organic, unprocessed and minimally heated ) saturated fats. Both carbs and fats are sources of energy, but saturated fat is actually the preferred fuel for your heart. Another metabolic bonus is that fat does not raise your insulin levels, whereas carbs do. However, it’s important to recognize the difference between grain carbs and vegetable carbs.
If you want to lower your insulin levels and reduce fat accumulation, reduce the amount of grains and sugars you eat; NOT your vegetables. In fact, you actually need to radically increase the amount of vegetables you eat when you cut grains, as by volume grains are far denser than vegetables. As for healthy fats, good sources include:
Olives and Olive oil
Raw Nuts, such as, almonds or pecans
Grass fed meats
Coconuts and coconut oil
Organic pastured egg yolks
Palm oil
Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk
Avocados
Unheated organic nut oils
Most diets that we know of today are either low carbs, low fats, or both together. Â Or if not that you have to be a maths genius in counting calories or points and worrying half the day about whether you have enough calories or points left before dinner is over! No wonder our bodies feel starved and unnourished and our will power would have no strength to say “no” to anything when the diet we are trying our hardest to stick to gives us no mental strength or ability to make smart choices with our eating.
When I read the highlighted section of this article, I went back and read it again and again because the light was growing brighter in my brain. Read it again now.
When cutting down on carbs, you generally need to increase your intake of healthy (ideally organic, unprocessed and minimally heated ) saturated fats. Both carbs and fats are sources of energy, but saturated fat is actually the preferred fuel for your heart. Another metabolic bonus is that fat does not raise your insulin levels, whereas carbs do.
When I was growing up I was raised in the country on whole milk that came in glass bottles with the cream on top, eggs, butter, fresh cream, and meat with the fat on it. Â My mother would have a jar that she kept the drippings in from roasts and this would be used to spread bread or cook another meal with. My porridge would be served with a good dolop of cream or melted butter, my toast would have home made marmalade and whipped cream.
I gave up all these delicious foods because I bought the lie or the myth that fats are bad for you. (By the way so did my mother) The funny thing is that whenever I had the chance I would be the one that would be scraping the dripping from the pan, eating the fat on the edge of the bacon and sucking the life off any bones that I could find. Â My body actually craved fat but because I had bought the lie I just thought I was being indulgent. Â I had no idea that it’s what my body needed.
It’s of great relief now that I’ve found a way of eating that incorporates all the good foods including the wonderful, nourishing and traditional food – fats and oils. I’m no longer struggling to lose the weight and feel nourished, satisfied and energised.
Another article you might be interested in: Where did the myth begin?
