Forget the Fat-Free Diet Myth; Just Eat the Right Kind of Fat

Being Kathy Smith is not unlike being a Catholic priest, in that part of my job is to hear confessions. Since New Year’s, I’ve had at least a dozen people rush up to me and complain about how much weight they put on over the holiday season. Then they promise me that “starting tomorrow,” they’re going to change the way they eat in order to lose the extra pounds.

I don’t mind these confessions. In fact, I find them flattering. What concerns me is the recipe for weight loss that they imply. Without exception, these motivated, well-intentioned people plan to reach their goals by eliminating fat from their diets. Dietary fat, they believe, is the culprit; no fat in the mouth, no fat on the hips.

They are, in a word, wrong.

But I forgive them. Given the fat-free mania that has overtaken America, it’s no wonder that people believe such flat-Earth notions. Every time a new fat-free product arrives on store shelves--from dips to ice cream--shoppers are once again led to believe that they can consume all they want without harming themselves or their figures. Guiltless, they gorge enormous quantities of nonfat foods thinking it’s healthier.

The truth is, fat is an essential nutrient. It is the catalyst for some important physiological functions, such as the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K; it provides our bodies with insulation; and it is also a significant source of energy. Every cell of our bodies contains fat. Without fat, our bodies would fail. The questions are: How much fat? What kind of fat?

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U.S. dietary guidelines state that no more than 30% of our daily calories should come from fat. Twenty percent to 25% is a good range for most people (though doctors often recommend 10% to 15% if you’re recovering from certain illnesses). But no diet should include less than 10% of calories from fat. For one thing, fat slows digestion and leaves us with a feeling of being satisfied. So including some fat in each meal can help you feel satisfied longer, thus eliminating the desire to snack on, say, candy bars or binge at meals.

To a large extent, the problem in the typical American diet is too much saturated fat, as opposed to unsaturated fat. Saturated fat is the kind found in meat, dairy products, coconut oil and most fried foods. Besides being very high in calories, it raises cholesterol, which clogs your arteries. Saturated fat should be no more than 10% of your total daily fat intake. This is where low-fat and nonfat foods make the most sense.

Unsaturated fats, which some people call the “good” fats, are divided into two groups: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.

Polyunsaturated fats are the ones found in such foods as fish, sunflower seeds, corn oil and walnuts. The healthiest polyunsaturateds are called essential fatty acids, or EFAs, which some researchers now credit for the exceptional longevity of many Eskimos, who eat a diet loaded with the kinds of fish (salmon, for example) that are high in EFAs. Other research suggests that EFAs may help to prevent heart disease and breast cancer, aid healthy brain function and vision, and control blood pressure.

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Even so, the master of the healthy fat remains the monounsaturated fat, found in such foods as olives, avocados and peanuts. (Peoples who live in the Mediterranean region are generally thought to eat a diet rich in such foods.) Recent findings conclude that diets high in monounsaturated fats can actually lower cholesterol levels better than the low-fat diets that some experts recommend. All of which brings us back to the reason most people think they should eliminate fat in the first place: weight loss.

The key to weight loss is balance. To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you expend. Calories should come from a healthy mix of protein, carbohydrates and fats. You have the choice of exercising more, eating less, or, my choice, a combination of the two since nobody can be really healthy or fit without exercise.

I also suggest a healthy diet--one rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish and beans. The fats found naturally in these foods will be unsaturated, both mono- and polyunsaturated.

So the next time you grab a nonfat snack, read the label. You may be getting more calories than you bargained for. Don’t shortchange yourself that wonderful feeling of satisfaction that comes from eating, or starve your body of the healthy fat it requires.

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Copyright 1999 by Kathy Smith

Kathy Smith’s fitness column appears weekly in Health. Reader questions are welcome and can be sent to Kathy Smith, Health, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. If your question is selected, you will receive a free copy of her book “Getting Better All the Time.” Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number with your question.