Eat Fat to Burn Fat? The Wonders of High Fat Dairy
You may have heard the phrase ‘eat fat to lose fat’, sounds nice right? But is there any truth in it? Maybe it sounds too good to be true?
Well actually, there is a lot of truth in this saying. In this article we’ll be looking, not just at eating fat to lose body fat, but also eating fat as a central part of cellular and metabolic health.
Our ancestors ate a high fat diet, they didn’t need go on calorie controlled diets and they weren’t dying from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and Alzheimer’s… which, most of us modern humans are!
Come to think of it, before the low fat fad-diet (let’s call a spade a spade) even our grandparents were routinely making good use of tallow, lard, butter, ghee, bacon grease… the list goes on. But to top it off, there is one thing that they definitely were not doing and that is opting for low fat dairy!
It just didn’t exist… and why would it? More processing, more cost, less taste and less nutrition.
The low fat dairy-fad came about as a means of calorie control and fear mongering around saturated fat.
Now we know that calorie controlled diets rarely work for anyone in the long run and being scared of saturated fat makes about as much sense as a fish being scared of water, can we let this fad go?
Can we go full-circle… please?
Diary fat in particular contains high amounts of a short chain fatty acid called C-15 fat that is crucial in order to form cell membranes correctly. This means that cells better allow things in and out, that should be coming in and out, but also keep things out, that ought to stay out! (This includes such things as iron deposits which can build up in the cell and cause ferroptosis… or ‘iron death’ which sounds much better... maybe?)
If our cells are not functioning properly then, obviously, our body doesn’t work properly. Our cells don’t metabolise energy properly, they spew out inflammatory cytokines (eww!) and potentially even get obliterated like they’ve run into Ian Mckellen during one of his metal bending tantrums 🙄.
Low energy, brain fog, joint pain, weight gain, lifestyle related metabolic disease... these are all results of metabolic disruption, inflammation and inappropriate cell death caused by a cell membrane not being built with appropriate building blocks.
It's little wonder that obesity rates and chronic diseases linked to metabolic syndrome have coincided with the low-fat narrative (and the grain based, high carb trend that has accompanied it). The other really ugly side of this switch is that we ditched the old fashioned fats that we've evolved on for dodgy oils that are only available due to heavy amounts of processing (and profit).
Dolphin Doctors?
How do you fix a dolphin with metabolic syndrome?
No, seriously, there are actually dolphins with high blood sugar, high insulin levels, blood fats out of whack, fatty liver disease and high levels of inflammation!
How the heck do we know this?
Apparently the research was started on dolphins in the US navy - yeah, not totally sure how I feel about that - but I guess they want to make sure their 'recruits'(?) are in tip top shape.
From there, the trend was noticed across various dolphin populations who happened to be in places where sea temperatures are rising and fish are becoming less...
... you got it?...
...Fish are becoming less fatty!
The fix, for the dolphins, is more naturally occurring species-appropriate fat. The fix, for humans, is more naturally occurring species-appropriate fat.
Healthy Fats for Humans
Just to be abundantly clear, I’m talking about species appropriate fat coming into our diet, meaning:
high fat dairy (especially aged and fermented products from high altitude grazing animals)
the fat that comes with the protein from your meat, eggs and fish
Unhealthy Fats for Humans
And avoiding the inappropriate fats that end up inappropriately incorporated into cell membranes:
Nature Knows Best
I also want to be clear that these should come in as close to their natural form as possible. That way we get a good balance of nutrients overall and are more likely to get the species appropriate ratios of saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat to make up the right rigidity/fluidity of our cell membranes.
It’s also worth noting that taking large amounts of saturated fats and combining them with crappy carbohydrate sources is a great way to include inflammation and a cascade of disease.
This high fat, high carb combo is nearly always man made and is rarely found in nature.
Our ancestors would have, seasonally, had very low carbohydrate stints throughout the year where their body had to rely mainly on fat as a fuel source. The body actually does this really efficiently. One of the key principles of the primal/ancestral lifestyle is that the body actually prefers to burn fat for energy. It's just that for most modern people, this is often interrupted by lots of high carb meals and snacks each and every day. If you want to get off this carb dependent train and learn to use all energy substrates efficiently and become a fat burning beast, book a FREE health strategy call today.
Incorporating Healthy Fats into Your Kids Diet
Kids are explorers and they learn through play and adventure. Part of this adventure, certainly when young is putting nearly everything they find in their mouth.
"Is it food? Nope, that's dirt, I'll carry on anyway..." anyone?
Try diverse flavours with kids, allow them to scratch that play itch with species-appropriate foods.
We've been told (largely by market forces) to give babies 'baby porridge' or 'baby rice' or 'rusks', biscuits floating in their milk bottle (FFS!). All of these are a cheap beige gloup that are almost totally devoid of nutrients... oh and rather addictive.
Instead, opt for slow cooked meat that falls apart before moving on to tougher meats as they grow - so they actually have to chew and develop a strong and competent jaw. Give them some salmon and avocado (if you really want to create a totally middle class baby), veg sticks dipped in olive/avocado oil-mayo or guacamole. Feed them straight up olives.
HIGH. FAT. DAIRY. Try yoghurt with various berries, seeds and nuts.
EGGS!
Cook curries with meat and coconut then introduce different spices along the way.
I grew up on curry and I turned out... on second thought, I won't pursue that line of argument 🙃
If you don't believe that children, toddlers or babies will eat such things, try restricting the hyper palatable garbage that's out there and their tastebuds will come alive. They also won't develop such a strong food addiction, using it to nourish rather than as a crutch, and we can then celebrate that we have done our best to pass on a abundant health to the next generation.
One of our TRIBE members eating his favourite food... steak!
How can Whole Life Health help you?
At Whole Life Health we take a holistic approach to health coaching, focussing on cultivating tip-top nutrition for the whole family, alongside the other lifestyle factors that contribute to longevity and heath-span.
1-on-1 coaching
Work with me, 1:1 and I'll help you become a fat burning beast! We'll get your nutrition on point, where you love everything you eat! It also leads to your metabolism firing on all cylinders. We'll also be taking a deep dive into movement and exercise as well as every other lifestyle factor that contributes to lifelong health.
The Tribe Community
Our health and wellness community for busy parents who want set up their whole family for success. This is genuinely a community of foodies, who regularly share amazing recipes that have fuelled their family to health and wellness. We also get together regularly for our Primal Celebration Meals. Alongside the amazing food, you get access to year round programmes focussing on nutrition, fitness, sleep, gut microbiome, breathwork, mindset alignment and more.
Find out more about the TRIBE now and get signed up for the next intake and kickstart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best fats to eat?
A great way to think about this is to take whatever fats come along with your protein sources. A diversity of meat, fish, eggs and dairy will provide brilliant human-appropriate fats. Then for additional fats, concentrate on monounsaturated fats from olives, avocados and macadamia nuts as well as their oils.
What fats should I avoid?
Avoid fats that your great grandparents would have been puzzled by. Rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, canola, fry-light and anything else that would have been unrecognisable to someone pre World War 2. Instead opt for frying and baking with good old fashioned tallow and butter and then drizzle olive oil over salads.
Is fat bad for you?
No! Having an abundance of fat in state of over nutrition (too much food in general) is bad for you. But the truth is that your body actually prefers to burn fat for energy most of the time, in a very efficient process. There is no need to be afraid of fat from natural sources that are part of a well balanced diet that mimics the diet we've evolved on.
Should I go Keto?
Keto can be a great tool as part of a health supportive strategy. Keto has many advantages for fat loss, mental clarity and some specific health issues, but it doesn't necessarily suit everyone. Keto should be approached as a targeted intervention within a wider health supportive lifestyle. To explore implementing Keto in this way book a FREE Health Strategy Call today.
