Americans down a path of obesity and disease.
If you are like most who listened to those guidelines or followed the low-fat
dogma of the last few decades, you have unwittingly been set up for failure. You
have also been misled and have greatly endangered your health. The truth is that
low-fat diets embraced by most physicians, the American Heart Association, the
National Cholesterol Education Program, and other medical authorities are just
plain dangerous.
Did you know that the last time you drank skim instead of whole milk, you
shortchanged yourself of valuable vitamins? Did you know that the fatty portion
of eggs is where you find the highest concentrations of fat-soluble vitamins, such
as D, E, and beta-carotene? Many of these vitamins are essential to make many
of the hormones that preserve your health. But for most Americans fatfree milk
and egg whites are believed to be the soundest choices.
Did you also know that on the Mediterranean diet, which is widely considered
to be the healthiest diet in the world, fats constitute 35 to 40 percent of the
calories consumed? Yet, people who live in the Mediterranean region have
among the lowest incidences of heart disease and cancer in the world. I’m sure
you’ve heard about the health benefits of incorporating extra-virgin olive oil,
nuts, and fish into your diet. Even armed with this information, most are still
buying into the low-fat myth.
Lack of Willpower on Low-Fat Diets
Think about all the diets you’ve tried in the past. Chances are that every time
you decided to lose some weight or eat healthy, you followed a low-fat diet. You
switched from eggs to cereals, full-fat salad dressing to low-fat varieties, and
whole milk to fatfree milk. I’ll bet you felt miserable. You hated the taste of the
bland food, felt hungry and exhausted, and perhaps gained more weight. Have
you ever wondered why?
Don’t spend another day racking your brain and beating yourself up about past
failures. Fat is not the culprit in our diet: sugar is. Too few natural fats and too
much sugar are causing a surge in many of the diseases that doctors, including
myself, are treating today.
In countries where natural fats, such as olive oil, nuts, avocados, and butter
are commonly consumed, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are rare. Consider
countries like Thailand, Japan, and France. The French maintain their health and
slim physiques while consuming foie gras (animal livers, usually duck or goose),
escargots (snails) dipped in butter, and rich, creamy dishes. Most Americans
can’t wrap their minds around the idea that these can be healthy choices that can