Why I Find Low-Fat "Diets" Useless

  Today I began reading a book called Death by Food Pyramid and I couldn't put it down. (Well, I could put it down long enough to decide to write a blog post about it, but you get what I'm saying here.) I love reading about food and nutrition, especially when it tells me that the USDA got it all wrong. This isn't the only source on which I base my eating habits. I'll list a few extras at the end :)

     The author of this book used to think she was following the best nutritional guidelines. She went from following the typical food pyramid guidelines until she learned about Veganism and became a raw vegan. I'll cut out the middle part of the story and bring you straight to the conclusion. She wound up sick, had a mouthful of cavities, and felt like a zombie.
     The "Standard American Diet" (a.k.a. low-fat nonsense) made me irritable and hungry when I was doing it "right." Thinking about maintaining my health well into my 80s gave me anxiety. When I was eating "right," with all of the nutrients and calories where they belonged according to standard health advice, I didn't feel satisfied. I wanted to eat all of the time. I was paranoid about gaining weight. I felt like I had to go for a 10 mile run at least once a week in addition to 3-4 medium-length runs during the week just to keep off any potential weight gain. (And I never actually accomplished that busy running schedule...which gave me more anxiety.)

Let's start with the big question:
(And if any of this sounds preachy, please excuse my unintended tone. I just like to share what's helped me!)

What's the problem with low-fat diets?
      When you're trying to eat low-fat, you're (perhaps unintentionally) increasing your carb intake...which will make us fat. You can tell me that you eat both low-fat and low-carb, but I'm inclined to believe that it can't be maintained well into old age. I bet you're hungry :)
    Fat satisfies hunger. That much is simple. When you're consuming a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet, your body is hungry. You can call me crazy, but how many times have you "dieted" just to watch it all come back? I know so many people who are constantly struggling with their weight. Why do we keep trying the same unsuccessful thing over and over again? You may be getting the calories you need on your low fat diet, but your brain doesn't think you're satisfied. That's why you get that need to eat, or you get sugar/salt cravings even when you've eaten the "right" amount of calories.
      Low-fat foods are also making us sick. I'm not implying that your grilled fish or chicken is making you sick. I'm talking about things that don't come from the perimeter of the grocery store -- processed low fat foods that have only come about in the last 50 years. For example, vegetables oils, like the ones found in margarine and Smart Balance, are actually damaging your insides. Olive oil is fine. I'm talking about those under-priced jugs of generic "vegetable" oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, etc. There are no low-fat cows...and, no, skim milk is not an improvement on nature. Oatmeal breakfast cookies, granola, bars, and products like BelVita and Weight Watchers bars have strange ingredients and sugar, all of which will actually make us fat. 

Why grains aren't necessary:
  Whenever I tell people I avoid grains (I use the word 'avoid' because who doesn't love some cheats now and then??) they generally ask my why I would cast aside an entire food group. It's actually a food group that we made up in the name of not being hunter/gatherer nomads. Before the Agricultural revolution (which made people shorter, fatter, sicker, and have terrible teeth) bread and grains didn't make up an actual food group. We made it up. (Yes I know we don't have any desire to go back in time and hunt our own food and pick our own berries. Historical reenactment is not the point.)
   When I eliminate grains, I'm not eliminating anything remotely essential. Everything grains have to offer can be found in other food groups, and I can consume less of those other food groups to get the same effect. Fiber? Vegetables and fruit provide plenty of fiber. Vitamins and minerals? May I point back to fruits and vegetables? Or possibly meat??? Everyday I have at least one Big Ass Salad (Mark Sisson's terminology, not mine.) that's full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and fat. I also have more vegetables with breakfast and dinner, so I'm not sure grains are all that useful.

Fat doesn't make you fat.
   I know we've been trained to believe that whole milk and regular full fat yogurt and ground beef are going to make us unhealthy. Well...yes they will when you consume them next to bread, pasta, rice, and other grains. They don't make us unhealthy when consumed with a moderately low amount of carbs. Someone recently told me "I don't understand people who lower their carb intake. Carbs provide energy so we can do our jobs and workout." Um.....on what planet does fat not provide energy? It even has an abundance of nutrients. ::Gasp:: If humans needed to rely on grains and sugars to get energy, then how did our species make it? If we consume fewer carbohydrates and focus on protein and fat, our bodies will burn more fat. It's logical. If you ate chicken (with the skin!) and a veggie-topped salad with parmesan last night, your body will be burning fat when you wake up until you eat something. (That's assuming your other two meals were similarly low carb and high protein/fat.) If you eat spaghetti and meatballs with a "healthy" dessert of fat-free frozen yogurt, your body won't touch your fat stores. It's still working on those carbs. (Not all fats are created equal. Check out the links below to be sure you're getting the good stuff!)

     Try it for two weeks. You've given other  dietary changes a try, so why not try this one, too? I posted links below in case you don't want to take my word for it! I'm also including links about cholesterol, since you may be worried about all of those eggs consumed in these kinds of diets :)

Why Fat, Not Carbs, is the Preferred Fuel for the Human Body
Why a High-Fat Diet is Safe and Healthy (when combined with plenty of veggies!)
The Definitive Guide to Cholesterol
10 Things You Need to Know about Cholesterol-Part 1
10 More Things You Need to Know about Cholesterol- Part 2
"Big Ass Salads"
Not All Fat is Created Equal: Definitive Guide to Fat