I just finished reading the book “Eat fat – get thin(*!) ” by Mark Hyman. An intriguing title – we are supposed to eat fat!?
I do believe something is wrong with our way of looking at food – being told to eat and drink all the low to non-fat products! Thankfully I mainly lived in countries where it is not that dominant, advertisement is limited and overall we are not as affected as for example in the US, but still the message that fat is bad is out there! Look as well at the famous food pyramids and eat well plates and where they leave the fats!
So when reading the first chapter of the book I got hooked, as I do believe that we are often being fooled by the food industry and a lot of people out here just follow the latest trend without even considering something else, yet alone listen to their own body! If you read my earlier post on “That Sugar Book” you will realize that this all goes hand in hand.
Simply put – taking fat away changes the taste of a product, adding sugar often makes it taste better. Go and have a look at those non / low fat yogurts and see the amount of sugar in there! Replacing fat by sugar?! And despite of all the low fat foods, people are get bigger – is it really to blame on the fat, a lack of movement and less excercise only?! I doubt that!
At times it seems we are treated like fools, don`t you think? Read this out of the “Eat fat- get thin”:
Throughout the book the author backs his findings with a lot of scientific validation. It is a great source of information and questioning what we should believe and what not. The second part of the book goes more into the differences of fats, what are the healthy ones and where to find them. Leaving the reader with a wide range of recipes, too. And talking about recipes and home cooking – have you ever thought about that all the low and non fat products must have been processed and manipulated from their original state! And is it not healthier to stick to the natural source, instead of something refined?
While I love the no-nonsense talk about the food industry and proving where we are being fooled the book lacked the strength all to the end and became too one side for my liking. As often with such books it shows a very black-and-white approach. But we are all different and react differently to different food!
Having said that, read this story from a friend of mine! By pure coincidence I spoke to friend while coming to an end of this book, and her husband had read this book, too, how exciting! He was given 6 months by his doctor to reduce is extremely high cholesterol, if he would not succeed he would be put on medication. He came across this book and got deeper into the subject and followed a diet high on fats. And indeed within 6 months he drastically reduced his cholesterol to a level that even left the doctor speechless! And he enjoys the food and drinks given! For him it worked! On the contrary – his wife tried some of the foods and drinks but couldn`t even swallow it due to all the fats! She felt disgusted. What works for one does not have to work for the other!
So where does it leave us? I would say we should question what we hear and what the food industry is telling us and go back more and more to the natural source and core of the foods we consume! And to listen to what our body tells us!
Our body and mind often give us clear signs of what makes us feel good and what not. Yet we decide to overlook it, to not take the time to `listen`, to not pay attention! Wouldn`t it be nice if we all increase our awareness again to make us feel healthier!?
When you eat, sit down, take time and really taste the food and after a meal pay attention on how you feel. Did the food make you feel good and satisfied?! With practise and awarenss you will find signs on what food leaves you feeling good or bad!
As you may know I am not a fan of diets, but a healthy awareness and a balance (yes that includes as well eating not so healthy food at times), mixed with being active takes us all a long way towards a healthier life already!
Stay healthy, be aware and
Have a lovely day
AK
(*!) On a side note – I am not a fan of the title as the “get thin” leaves the message that being thin is the goal. But what does thin mean, it leaves us with a stereotype thinking – the goal is to be healthy, and that comes in various shapes!