Monday, August 29, 2011

Conventional Wisdom On Fat and Weight Loss Is Keeping Many Fat

With so much conflicting information out there about diet and nutrition, it is not surprising that most people are confused. Food manufacturers and supplement companies reap the benefit of a confused and gullible public. So much of our government-supported nutrition education (food pyramid) has been based on poor/biased science. Slowly, better science has emerged, but the dogma of conventional wisdom is tough to overturn.

For decades, low-fat diets have been touted as the solution for weight-loss. Over the last decade, better scientific evidence suggests that actually, the higher percent of fat in the diet (and therefore lower percent carbohydrate), the greater fat-loss (even when total Calorie intake is not restricted). Total energy intake and expenditure are still an important variables. But, the point being, fat doesn't necessarily make you fat, and low/no fat doesn't keep you lean.

Sadly, the same, poor nutrition knowledge given to my generation, is being passed on to our kids. Just today, my seven year-old daughter told me how she had to explain to her friend that dietary fat is not necessarily bad. Check it out:

YouTube Video


Of course, my advice is to follow my Food Rules (click on the Food Rules page on the left side of the blog for more information).

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