Why you shouldn’t drink red top milk…

Start with this question:

Why DO you drink red or green top milk?

And a similarly, for any other low-fat choices…

Why do you pick low-fat yoghurt, or low-fat cheese, or low-fat spreads?

The answer will (probably) fall into one of the following:

• I prefer the taste
• I think it will help me lose weight / is better for my heart / is better for my health.

Now if you’re in the first category – sure go ahead. Preferences matter. However be aware that many “low fat” foods include a bunch of crap to make them taste better and to improve texture… So preferences matter but do be aware of the potential downside.

If you answered because I think it will help me lose weight, buckle up…

Let’s start with nutrition 101.

We all need fats for hundreds of processes within the body. Here’s a list:

• Proper functioning of nerves and brain – fats are part of myelin – a fatty material which wraps around our nerve cells so that they can send electrical messages. Our brains contain large amounts of essential fats – 60% apparently.
• Essential fatty acids are essential for growth development and cell functions but cannot be made by our body’s processes so they need to be ingested.
• Maintaining healthy skin and other tissues. All our body cells need to contain some fats as essential parts of cell membranes, controlling what goes in and out of our cells
• Transporting fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K through the bloodstream to where they are needed.
• Forming steroid hormones needed to regulate many bodily processes
• Providing energy to muscles and energy storage for future use.
• Keeping us warm…

But also fats make us feel good, it makes us feel fuller for longer and helps control blood sugar levels.

Removing fats from your diet is a bad idea…

And although there was a lot of confusion and misrepresentation ins the 80’s and 90s about fats we now know that:

• There is only one bad fat – trans fats. Found in margarine, many spreads, and bakes, packaged foods.
• Unsaturated fats – both polyunsaturated like nuts, seeds and oily fish and monounsaturated like olives, avocadoes and other nuts and seeds – are almost universally thought of as good fats.
• • Saturated – think animal and dairy fats – the controversy still rages on. This article provides a good summary. My position is that one food group is unlikely to be responsible for disease. Rather it is your whole whole lifestyle that matters.

There is no strong evidence that consumption of fats in an otherwise healthy diet and lifestyle contributes to excess weight.

Simply put, eating too much fat doesn’t make you fat.

But eating too much in total does. Total calories matter.

BUT and here is a really big BUT…

In my experience of working with hundreds of women over more than a decade I genuinely cannot think of a time when someone’s excess weight was caused by eating too much actual food. It’s normally the opposite: women have been told for decades to eat less and move more. 1,200-1,500 calorie diets are STILL mind-bogglingly prescribed on NOOM, myfitnesspal, WW and the fucking NHS.

My 9 year old eats more than 1,200 calories.

It’s not enough for a fully grown adult who, typically has a lot of stuff they need to deal with.

And it’s not sustainable.

So what happens is this:

• Stick to a ridiculously low diet for 1,2,5, or even 10 days.
• Feel crap and hungry throughout.
• Eat like a dickhead at some point…

The “eat like a dickhead” point will ALWAYS happen. Whether it’s at 3pm when the children are back and arguing. Or it’s a 9pm when they STILL won’t go TF to bed. Or on the weekend because, you know, it’s the weekend and you’ve been good all week. [eye roll]

The cause is simple, you’ve been too restricted all week. And now you end up overcompensating.

We all do it.

I do it. (Although I normally its because I’ve forgotten to eat or didn’t get time to eat rather than actively depriving myself.)

But the outcome is the same.

[Dang it… I need to track back to fats – seriously went off on one there!]

So let’s summarise

• Fats are a vital part of the diet.
• We often think we need to consume less fats. Because we have been told for decades that fats are bad for us.
• Or because we are trying to stick with ridiculously low calorie diets.
• But the outcome of over-restricting is ALWAYS, inevitably, over-indulging.

So the answer:

• Eat the fats. Enjoy the benefits they provide.
• If you’re trying to lose weight, start with a smaaall calorie deficit. One that you can sustain for a long time.
• And… you guessed it

[This is seriously my catchphrase going into 2023.]