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Does Fat Make You Fat?
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Michelle Pfennighaus
Michelle Pfennighaus is a holistic health counselor and registered yoga instructor based in Boston, MA. For many years she suffered from debilitating anxiety and digestive disorders until finally healing herself through changes in diet and lifestyle.
Michelle received training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a 200 hour yoga teacher program. Currently, she works with clients all over the country to improve their health and happiness. She also offers cooking classes and workshops for groups.
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Michelle Pfennighaus | Excelle
June 15, 2009
Imagine it. You’re watching Friends on prime time and wearing Doc Martins, Snapple iced tea in hand. In front of you is a box of fat free Snackwell’s cookies. Ah, the 90’s.
It made perfect sense. We were all going to get fat unless we stopped eating foods that contained fat! Perfect logic.
The fat free craze didn’t begin in the 90’s though. For decades, scientists were warning of the dangers of fats. Saturated fat was deemed a killer, clogging the arteries and causing our pants to get tighter.
Nevermind that for thousands of years indigenous cultures ate animal fat at nearly every meal and only in recent times had obesity become a problem and heart disease become a #1 killer.
So we ate less fat. I did, anyway. Snackwell’s cookies were super, right? Eat all you want — zero fat. The food industry had a field day, manipulating processed foods until they were marketable as Low or No Fat.
And we bought them at a premium! We declared with glee, “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter!” The century ended full of hope for trim waistlines and healthy hearts.
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what happened.
It didn’t work. We are fatter and sicker than ever before. Many of us — myself included! — ended up with dry skin, constipation and a cold feeling in our bones. Our bodies’ need for fat manifested itself in magnificent cravings we satisfied at 3 a.m. with french fries and Ben & Jerry’s.
Hey Science, what gives?
Here’s what happened.
DemonicButterfly
about 1 year ago
322 comments
The last line of the article is the key to pretty much all things in life.. "Everything in moderation". We have definitely become a nation of excess, no matter what is involved. It seems to be a case of "If a little bit is good, then a lot should be ever so much better".
Eat all the wonderfully tasty unrefined foods, what is now called health-foods. But, get off our butts and move more, much more, we are not only a nation of excess, we are probably one of the most sedentary nation.
Account Removed
about 1 year ago
[quote]Fat is a factor-I love ice cream and fattening stuff. I wish health food tasted as good! Most comfort food is loaded with fat. I do not get the same comfort from a carrot as I do from Ben & Jerrys! [/quote]
Ah yes my dear but it ain't the fat ........... it is all the other carby crap that comes with the fat that has made us a 'round' nation :0)
CWyrtzen1
about 1 year ago
40 comments
"Nevermind that for thousands of years indigenous cultures ate animal fat at nearly every meal and only in recent times had obesity become a problem and heart disease become a #1 killer."
Fat is a factor-I love ice cream and fattening stuff. I wish health food tasted as good! Most comfort food is loaded with fat. I do not get the same comfort from a carrot as I do from Ben & Jerrys!
But I think part of the issue because we are less active then past centuries. Our ancestors walked alot more than we do. 24 hour TV, computers/Internet and video games have decreased our activity.