Fat is good for you: But what about sugar?

Health tip of the week: Fat for optimal health

Hi All,

An article in the New York times on September 12th revealed that in the 1960s, the sugar industry paid researchers at Harvard University to promote that fact that saturated fat is the driver of heart related disease rather than sugar. This has led to years of miscommunication and flawed recommendations; people adopted low fat, high (hidden) sugar diets resulting in increases in heart disease rates and obesity.

Your body needs some fat from food, and it is recommended that you have at least 20-25% of your calorie intake from healthy fats. Why?

• Fat helps you to absorb some vitamins and minerals. Vitamins such as A, D, E and K are not water soluble and require fat to get transported and absorbed by the body. These vitamins are crucial for the health of the brain and vital organs.
• It is needed to build cell membranes such as the lungs; it is a building block of the vital exterior cell wall and the sheaths surrounding nerves.
• Fat is essential for blood clotting, muscle movement, and reducing inflammation.
• It stops food cravings as it is the building block of a hormone called leptin that suppresses your appetite.

It turns out our ancestors were right all along: Healthy fats can be good!

The Five Best Healthy Fats for Your Body

• Avocados
• Butter, ghee, or clarified butter,
• Coconut oil
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Omega-3 fatty acids from seafood

Fats to Avoid

• Processed trans fats and hydrogenated vegetable oils
• Vegetable oils in general, unless cold-pressed
• Excess saturated animal fat

For more information, see this link http://www.thankyourbody.com/why-your-body-needs-fat/

But what about sugar then?

The World Health issued a directive in 2015 about daily sugar limits. For optimal health, they recommend 25g, or 6 teaspoons per day. The maximum limit is 50g, or 12 teaspoons a day. Their advice is to watch out for ‘free sugars" which are all sugars added to food or drink by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, as well as the sugars naturally present in honey, jam, syrups, fruit juices and concentrates. All these sugars are associated with dental cavities and adverse health effects.  Note also that sugar is hidden in bread, noodles, sauces, salads, dressings and other processed foods.

So why is excess sugar so bad?

Research carried out in the 1960s and published as early as the 1970s showed very strong links between excess sugar consumption and many diseases. These include but are not limited to:

• Heart disease and strokes
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Cancers

So enjoy your olive oil drizzled avocado salad, with salmon, cooked in butter and some lovely sweet potatoes….

For more information, check this link out: https://authoritynutrition.com/10-disturbing-reasons-why-sugar-is-bad/