Do we need fat in our diet?

[Robbity]

Isn't fat (both dietary and stored ) supposed to be our main source of fuel for energy? Carbs are for limited quick fixes but fats are long term...

 

[Member496333]

Isn't fat (both dietary and stored ) supposed to be our main source of fuel for energy? Carbs are for limited quick fixes but fats are long term...

I think that depends largely on who you ask. Some say that fat is our preferred source of fuel, and that glucose is supposed to allow us to store it. From an ancestral standpoint, it seems likely that this is correct. Certainly it’s what we would mostly have been doing before the advent of mass agriculture. From a biochemistry standpoint, we default to burning glucose before ketone bodies, but it’s my understanding that this is because it requires less energy to metabolise, thus being ideally suited in evolution to quickly let us gain body fat during the summer months when carbohydrate would have been more readily available to us.

Most certainly we seem on the whole to function much better as machines when we are not constantly using glucose for fuel.

 

[Guzzler]

It is worth pointing out that fats are not exclusive i.e butter is not 100% saturated fat. There comes a mixture of all the natural fats (even olive oil has some sat fat in there) like the natural polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats and so on. The only fats imho that should be avoided is man made polunsaturated fats and trans (hydrogenated) fats. As processed foodstuffs are heavily weighed toward these unnatural fats then it follows that a fresh, wholefood diet is optimal.

 

[Member496333]

It is worth pointing out that fats are not exclusive i.e butter is not 100% saturated fat. There comes a mixture of all the natural fats (even olive oil has some sat fat in there) like the natural polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats and so on. The only fats imho that should be avoided is man made polunsaturated fats and trans (hydrogenated) fats. As processed foodstuffs are heavily weighed toward these unnatural fats then it follows that a fresh, wholefood diet is optimal.

Agreed. I have some coconut oil that is 86% saturated but I don’t think I’ve seen anything higher than that. The general rule of thumb is that fats are weighted thus;

Solid at room temperature = saturated.
Solid in refrigerator = monounsaturated.
Liquid in refrigerator = polyunsaturated.

 

[Guzzler]

Agreed. I have some coconut oil that is 86% saturated but I don’t think I’ve seen anything higher than that. The general rule of thumb is that fats are weighted thus;

Solid at room temperature = saturated.
Solid in refrigerator = monounsaturated.
Liquid in refrigerator = polyunsaturated.

I cover the bases by having a good mix of all the natural fats.

The FatEmporer's latest podcast on seed oils is a good one if a little long at just over two hours.

 

[NicoleC1971]

Zoe Harcombe is also excellent on this topic btw and does very good comments on the Public Health contradictory advice on the topic e.g. the advice to cut down on saturated fat citing examples such as ice cream and pastries or to eat oily fish for omega 3 e,g. mackeral (not sure if that is the correct spelling) which is relatively high in saturated fat.
I think the Fat Elephant in the Room other than the heart health misconception, is that many people still believe in counting calories thus many weight loss diets will advise cutting fat versus cutting carbs just because the fats are energy dense IF eaten with carbs where the body preferentially burns the carbs (rocket fuel) and parks the fat into storage. Therefore vegans with diabetic tendencies probably should stick to 10% fat if the mainstay of their diet are starchy carbs.
Incidentally Dave Asprey or Bulletproof Coffee fame reckons that our brains are mainly made of fat and that to replace all the cells therein takes 7 years. IN other words be careful to only build your brain from quality 'bricks' from natural sources (I do NOT include his brand of MCT oil in that group).
This little piggy likes her bacon anyway!

 

[Robbity]

I cover the bases by having a good mix of all the natural fats.
.

Me too. From meat, fish, poultry, dairy, and "fats" from nuts/seeds, vegetable/fruit sources - e.g. coconut, olives, avocados, and not to forget dark chocolate!

@lucylocket61 - consider the benefits associated with LCHF diets particularly for us diabetics: reduced/stable glucose levels from eating fatty foods and lower insulin requirements (particularly for T1s), less hunger, more (and sustainble) energy, mental clarity, even surplus weight loss... And also personally: somewhat lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, reduction in (non diabetic) meds and no diabetic ones... My years of brain fog disappeared on a low carb/ketogenic diet, and no more food related chronic migraines either, so my brain is definitely fond of fats!

I've always eaten full fat foods, though not in such "abundance" as now, and it was only when persuaded into eating many more carbs that I started to have weight (having been underweight for the first half of my life) and health issues - resolved by including less carbs and more fats in my diet.

All this tells me (at least!) that I certainly need fats more than I need carbs.

Robbity