Dear EarthTalk: What's the skinny on fat these days? I saw a major magazine cover image recently that was suggesting fat wasn't so bad for us after all? - Marcy Bellwether, Taos, New Mexico Going "fat-free might seem like an effective, safe way to lose weight when considering that fat contains nine calories per gram, compared to four calories per gram in carbohydrates and proteins. But if you take into account the fact that approximately 60 percent of human brain matter consists of fats, eating reduced fat or fat-free foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates no longer seems as appealing for our health.
"The brain thrives on a fat-rich, low carbohydrate diet, which unfortunately is relatively uncommon in human populations today, reports David Perlmutter, author of Grain Brain. "Mayo Clinic researchers showed that individuals favoring carbohydrates in their diets had a remarkable 89 percent increased risk for developing dementia as contrasted to those whose diets contained the most fat. Having the highest levels of fat consumption was actually found to be associated with an incredible 44 percent reduction in risk for developing dementia.
Granted, certain types of fats are more beneficial than others. "Good fats include monounsaturated fats, found abundantly in olive oil, peanut oil, hazelnuts, avocados and pumpkin seeds, and polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 and omega 6), which are found in flaxseed oil, chia seeds, marine algae oil and walnuts.
Publication information: Article title: EARTH TALK ; for Optimal Health, Lose the `Low-Fat' Diet. Contributors: E - The Environmental - Author. Newspaper title: The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV). Publication date: January 5, 2015. Page number: 12A. © Charleston Newspapers. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.