Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there that continues to cause confusion for people with regards to what they should or shouldn’t be eating, e.g. butter or margarine ? I understand when people say to me, “Oh well opinions about these things change everyday, I can’t keep up!”

I understand that  sentiment, but if we look at progress and research more positively we can begin to understand that new information becomes available every day thanks to the scientists involved in finding out the truth about things.

If you are old enough  – think back to the days when doctors used to appear in print ads stating that smoking was good for you. Well, we know better now and have changed our behaviours accordingly.

We just need to approach new information with an open mind. Check the source(s) and do some of your own research until you are satisfied to accept or reject it . But please don’t throw it out from the get go just because it is new or different to what you have previously been told.

(1) Eggs are unhealthy:

For so many years we have been told to limit or completely eradicate eggs from our diet due to the cholesterol contained in the yolk. Egg-white only omelettes became very fashionable and we all felt better for being so health conscious?  But recently it has been proven that a higher consumption of eggs is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease . In fact, eggs primarily raise the “good” cholesterol and are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. I personally lowered my “bad” cholesterol and increased my “good” cholesterol when I started incorporating more eggs into my diet. I can easily consume around 8 to 10 per week.

(2) Red meat and saturated fat is bad for you:

A few decades ago it was decided that the epidemic of heart disease was caused by eating too much fat, in particular saturated fat. Saturated fat was described as “artery-clogging”. So we all started eating more ostrich and chicken instead of beef and of course we removed all the fat off our lamb chops. This was based on highly flawed studies and political decisions that have now been proven to be completely wrong. Newer studies have revealed that saturated fat does NOT cause heart disease. Natural foods that are high in saturated fat are actually good for you. Meat contains  all the amino acids necessary for life, all the essential fats and almost all of the essential vitamins in surprisingly large quantities.  Vitamins B12 and D are contained ONLY in animal products. So there is no need to avoid meat, butter, coconut oil and lard.

(3) Whole grains are healthy:

Grains are fairly low in nutrients compared to other real foods like vegetables. They are also rich in a substance called phytic acid which binds essential minerals in the intestine and prevents them from being absorbed. The gluten grains in particular may lead to a variety of health problems such as damage to the intestinal lining, pain, bloating,  tiredness and systemic inflammation. They also raise your blood glucose and insulin levels which we know causes weight gain, especially in those who are carb intolerant or have metabolic syndrome.

(4) Low fat foods are better for you:

When you remove the fat from a food, e.g fat free yoghurt, the food doesn’t taste good anymore. Food manufacturers know this so they add other ingredients to compensate such as sugar, high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

These replacements are far from healthy. Also due to all the natural healthy fats being removed we are left with a highly processed food product that is also highly unsatisfying.

Give full fat Greek Yoghurt a try and see how much more delicious and satiating it is.

“Fat is not the problem. If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we could wipe out almost all of the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases” Dr. Walter Willet, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health.

(5) Vegetable oils are good for you:

Vegetable oils such as Sunflower or  Canola contain very high levels of Omega 6.  Throughout evolution, humans never had access to such an abundance of Omega-6 fats. It is unnatural for the human body. Humans need to get Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats in a certain ratio. Eating excess Omega-6 from vegetable and seed oils upsets this delicate balance,  promotes inflammation and therefore raises your risk of disease. So rather opt for olive oil, coconut oil and butter. Also don’t forget that margarine (even those endorsed by the Heart Foundation of SA) are made from vegetable oils.  Besides, now that you are going to stop eating grains there will be no bread to spread it on anyway.

References:

• Most of this post is a summary of an article that Prof Tim Noakes retweeted a few days ago. If you would like to check out the full article, click here. The original author has included links to studies and other sites which you may find interesting.
• Why we get fat and what to do about it  – by Gary Taubes
• Don’t die early: The life you save can be your own – by Rocky Angelucci