More low-fat ranting

Quote from Dr. Jennifer Shults

We are at the end, I hope, of an unprecedented experiment in nutritional human history – voluntarily eating very little fat. During this time obesity rates have skyrocketed, as have levels of Alzheimer’s Disease, infertility and mood disorders. It can be a bit scary to buck the low-fat trend, but there is no contesting the fact that many neurotransmitters and hormones that affect mood are made from fat, and that our brain itself consists largely of fats. How fat got so demonized is a complicated story, and part of the confusion has to do with the fact that not all fats are the same. Here is my simple breakdown to help you think about fat. Fat with sugar (ice cream, donuts) is a bad combination, and should be MUCH lower in most of our diets. If fat is not combined with sugar then our body will give us a signal when we have had enough.

Quote source 

That's why recipes like this one or this one make me want to bang my head against the wall. Because I know that there are people who look at recipes like this and and think, "Well, it has LOW FAT ingredients, so it's healthy, right?"

NO! No! NO!

(I decided to rant here rather than at my 51 friends who post these crap recipes on facebook all the freakin' time.)

Fat doesn't make you fat (Or: Why I'm angry at Burger King)

Burger King made big news recently with the announcement of its latest product: Satisfries.

The company claims that the new style french fries have "one-third the fat and 20 percent fewer calories."  I am so weary of the low-fat craze. The carb content is nearly the same as regular fries (small Satisfries has 41; small regular has 49) and....guess what? That's where the actual problem is! FAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU FAT. CARBS MAKE YOU FAT. *headdesk*

Don't believe that carbs are more evil than fat? Read this article or this one.

And this article on sparkpeople explores the idea of whether or not Satisfries are "healthy."

Portion sizes

Before I began this weight loss journey, I really had no concept of correct portion sizes. When I began weighing/measuring/calculating things, it was definitely a bit of an adjustment. (And I was shocked to realize what an enormous amount of food I'd previously been consuming.)

On Tuesday afternoon I went for a run and when I finished I was hungry. I decided to skip having a snack and just wait an hour and eat dinner. By the time I'd taken a shower and the meal was prepared, I was ravenous. Like, hungry to the brink of craziness. And I looked at my plate of food with two little chicken drumsticks and six asparagus spears and the Old Food Voice whispered, "There is no way that is going to be enough food."

But I sat down and enjoyed every morsel. Juicy flavorful chicken glazed in a fabulous balsamic-mustard sauce. Fresh from the farmer's market asparagus roasted until it was tender-crisp. So very very very good. And not only was my mouth happy, but my tummy was satisfied. Barely 300 calories of quality healthy food was all that was needed to vanquish the Hunger Monster. Old Food Voice was very wrong. Lesson learned.

E Coli Poop

Supposedly, aspartame is made from e coli poop. Ewwww! I'm not even sure what that means but it sounds disgusting. Even if it is just conspiracy propaganda, there's no denying that aspartame is NOT a healthy food choice.

But I seriously love Diet Coke. And Diet Dr. Pepper. And Diet Dew. I don't drink a lot (one can a day, max) but I'm not quite sure I could live without it. I love the flavor and I love the bubbles. And I just want to drink something besides water all the time.

I recently discovered Zevia, a soda that is sweetened with stevia.

Supposedly stevia is a healthier no calorie sweetener because it's plant based instead of chemically manufactured. (Of course those conspiracy propagandists have nasty things to say about it as well). Zevia comes in a ton of flavors - cola, cherry cola, lime cola, fake Dr. Pepper, fake Dew, ginger ale, rootbeer, orange, grape - but it's not cheap (about $5 for a six pack). I think I might just have to try some Zevia as an alternative to my diet soda enjoyment.

Wheat free and me

I've been mostly wheat free since the beginning of the year. (By "mostly" I mean I did eat some wheat products at the beginning of January as I eased into the transition, and I haven't been vigilant about avoiding secret wheat that may be lurking in products.) I feel amazing.

No more tummy issues.
No more bloating.
No more aching joints.
No more blood sugar craziness.
No more headaches.

And I haven't missed it at all. No cravings for bread or pasta or sweets. (I do occasionally get a mad lusting for brownies. Which is weird because that was never my go-to thing.)

None of this is a surprise. I've wheat detoxed before and I know my body loves it. In the past, though, I've always slowly gone back to it, reasoning that as long as I controlled how much I'd be okay. (One serving of pasta is okay. A loaf of bread is not.) But this time, I'm not quite sure what to do.

• Did allowing myself "just a little bit" lead to "way too much"? I mean, is it like drugs or alcohol where you build up a tolerance and need more and more for the same effect and enjoyment?


• Should I just save it for a now-and-again special treat? Like, I can't imagine not eating a reuben on St. Patrick's, or having a BLT with the first tomatoes out of the garden, or enjoying a gooey toasted cheese sandwich on a blizzardy day, or having a slice of pie at Thanksgiving.  Or is that just "old food thinking" that I need to deal with on an emotional level?


• Is it just wheat or is it all grains? Could I do gluten free? Is it just wheat that makes me feel awful and gain weight, or is it grains in general?

I guess I'll just have to experiment and find out. I'm feeling so great and the weight loss is going so well that I really don't want to mess with it. On the other hand, St. Patrick's - and the requisite rye bread - is next week so I need to make a decision. 

You don't need carbs

I found this graphic on Mark's Daily Apple, the website of Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint.

In the article in which this graphic is included, he states, "There is actually no requirement for any 'essential dietary carbohydrates' in human nutrition. It’s possible to live a very long and healthy life never consuming much – if any – in the way of carbs, provided you get adequate dietary protein and fat. The same can’t be said for going too long without protein or fat. Cut too far back on either of those macronutrients and you will eventually get sick and die."

That's a pretty bold statement that contradicts several other sources, but it's certainly what I've been found to be true about my body and carb intake.