If You’re Cutting Fat, You May be Missing More Than You Realize

By Suzanne W. Dixon, MPH, MS, RD

Are You Fat Phobic?

Lack of fat in the diet is not a major concern for most Americans. But for those of us who eat healthfully and make nutrition a key part of our wellness plan, watching fat may be second nature. The urge to limit our fat intake has a foundation in good science. One gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories. One gram of protein gives our bodies 4 calories too. One gram of fat contains more than twice that, with 9 calories. Fat is a very dense source of calories.

Low-Fat Has Its Place

Given the caloric density of fat, it makes sense that when we watch our waists, we should watch our fat intake. And by and large, a moderate calorie, low-fat diet is one of the few approaches to long-term weight control that actually works.

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) has tracked more than 5,000 people who have lost and kept off a significant amount of weight for several years. Registry members have lost an average of 66 lbs and kept it off for 5.5 years. To keep the weight off, a majority of participants followed a low-fat diet.¹

When Fat Phobia Goes Too Far

If limiting fat is an effective way to manage weight, why worry about going too far? Because how you go low fat can make a big difference in the nutrition you get from the food you eat.

One of the most important dietary tools for staying healthy is a plant-based diet. This pattern of eating is effective for protecting against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, and more, because it is rich in nutrients that keep our cells healthy. This includes the vitamins and minerals with which we are all familiar. But the number of vitamins and minerals is dwarfed by the number of other phytonutrients in these foods.

Color Code

Carotenes, also called carotenoids, give foods their bright orange, yellow, and red colors. Some 700 carotenes have been identified to date and at least 50 are found in the foods we eat.² Carotenes are potent antioxidants, they regulate cell growth, they encourage damaged cells to die, and they improve cell-to-cell communication in the body.³

Another group of nutrients, called flavonoids, are responsible for the bright purples and reds we see in berries, grapes, and other vegetables and fruits. You’ll also find flavonoids in tea, apples, onions, cabbage, and beans, among other foods.

There are dozens of flavonoids in a healthy, well-balanced human diet.⁴ While flavonoids are excellent antioxidants, they really shine in their ability to improve cell-to-cell communication. They improve this communication in a way that dampens inflammation.⁵

You eat your greens, yellows, reds, purples, oranges, and blues. You’ve got it covered with broccoli, papaya, tomatoes, blackberries, sweet potatoes, and blueberries. Not so fast. If you are snacking on these foods au natural, you may be missing out on the best benefits they have to offer.

A Fatty, Healthy Escort

In our zeal to keep to a healthy low-fat diet, we may be short-changing our bodies. Researchers at the Ohio State University have been studying the effects of fat on phytonutrient absorption.⁶ It turns out that without fat, many phytonutrients just pass right through the digestive tract without any hope of making their way into our bodies.

In a feeding study of about a dozen volunteers, researchers found that a red carotene called lycopene was absorbed 4.4 times better when salsa eaten with fat from avocado than without fat. Beta-carotene was absorbed 2.6 times more effectively with the fat than without. For salad, the results were even more surprising.

When a salad of romaine lettuce, baby spinach, and carrots was consumed with fat from avocado, study participants absorbed about 18 times the beta-carotene than when the salad was eaten only with fat-free dressing. Lutein, a superstar carotene in dark green and leafy vegetables, was absorbed 7 times more effectively with fat than without.

Quite simply, without their fatty escort, carotenes just don’t get into our bodies very well. This makes sense because carotenes are 100% fat-soluble. With flavonoids, the picture is a little different. These nutrients can have both fat- and water-soluble properties.

However, fat can play an important role in absorption of flavonoids too. Fat and flavonoids can mix together during digestion to create something called a micelle.⁷ A micelle (pronounced my-sell) is a little ball-shaped structure. The round shape helps the body absorb the nutrient more effectively.

Picking Favorable Fats

One interesting thing to note is that some fats may actually impede the absorption of some nutrients. Animal research out of Germany demonstrated that hydrogenated oils, which are a source of unhealthy, man-made trans fats, actually decreased the absorption of vitamin E.⁶ The easiest way to avoid trans fats is to avoid processed food. Crackers, cookies, cakes, pies, donuts, fast food, fried food, and anything with a shelf life of months to years tend to be loaded with trans fats.

Instead, opt for the healthier fats that you find in olive, avocado, sesame, and walnut oils. For the higher temperatures of cooking, go for the more stable “high-heat” oils. Two good options are canola and coconut oil.

Balancing Act

Meals

When you’re considering whether or not you should drizzle that full-fat, olive oil vinaigrette on your salad, consider your whole meal. If your meal is the salad alone, go for the fat. If that salad is a side to a typical, full-fat meal, go lighter on the dressing. At 9 calories per gram, you don’t need loads of extra fat to get those nutrients into your body.

Snacks

For snacks, most of us might do better to add a little fat. For example, instead of a non-fat yogurt and an apple, try an apple and a handful of walnuts or almonds. You’ll get both healthy fat and a healthy dose of phytonutrients too.

References

Nine Ways Resveratrol Beats Back Disease

By Eileen Coale

One of the most exciting dietary phytochemicals discovered so far is resveratrol. It’s found in the skin of red grapes, red wine, some berries, and peanuts. The French love their red wine, and many experts believe it’s the resveratrol that helps explain “the French paradox.” The French paradox refers to the fact that the French have lower rates of heart disease despite eating high amounts of saturated fat. But there’s more to resveratrol than that. With over 3,000 studies in the medical literature on this amazing nutrient, it’s impossible to list all its benefits here. Let’s look at how resveratrol can address three of today’s most pressing health concerns.

A boost for heart health

There are a number of factors when it comes to heart health, and resveratrol is a multi-tasker in this regard. Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant, reducing oxidative stress.^1-2 Oxidative stress occurs when unstable molecules, called free radicals, are formed. Free radicals cause damage to tissues, cells, and organs, including your cardiovascular system. Oxidative stress is your body’s reaction not only to stress, but also to normal metabolic processes. And it goes hand in hand with aging. As you get older, you’re more susceptible to oxidative stress. Resveratrol helps to minimize it.

But that’s not all. Resveratrol makes blood less “sticky,” which means there’s less risk of a deadly blood clot.^1-3 It decreases LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, a marker for heart disease.^2-3 It also helps fight against atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. ^1-3

A weapon to fight diabetes

When you eat too many starchy or sugary carbs, insulin escorts that sugar out of the bloodstream and into muscle cells. If you’re insulin resistant, your body is less able to accomplish that. Over time, insulin resistance can lead to diabetes.

In a recent Canadian experiment, researchers treated one group of muscle cells with resveratrol. A control group of muscle cells was untreated. Compared to untreated cells, cells that were treated with resveratrol promoted the uptake of 3 times more sugar. The bottom line? Resveratrol functioned much like insulin! ⁴

Animal studies are equally encouraging. In two separate experiments, diabetic rats were given resveratrol for 30 days. The result? A decrease in blood levels of glucose.^5,6 The researchers also noted changes that were favorable to better liver and kidney function.⁶ According to researchers, resveratrol’s effects were comparable to the diabetes drug glyclazide.^5,6 The researchers believe that resveratrol may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

A cancer fighter

Cancer doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a long process. Scientists often refer to three stages of cancer formation: initiation, promotion, and progression. Resveratrol stops or slows cancer at all three points.⁷ Here again, resveratrol works in multiple ways. It affects the cellular communication that controls cell division and growth. It encourages programmed cell death, also known as apoptosis. When cells go haywire and begin to grow inappropriately, their programming is supposed to instruct the renegade cells to commit suicide. Resveratrol helps make sure they receive that instruction.^7,8 Resveratrol is also a natural anti-inflammatory. It acts upon enzymes that help keep inflammation under control.⁸ This is significant because low-grade, chronic inflammation has been associated with cancer. Finally, resveratrol also blocks the formation of new blood vessels that feed tumors, which in turn may slow or stop the spread of cancer.⁷

So go ahead. Enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal. It’s not an indulgence. It’s therapeutic!

References:

Antioxidants Help Combat Insulin Resistance

By Eileen Coale

Health experts urge everyone to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you’re at risk for type 2 diabetes, that advice becomes even more urgent. Why? For years, the prevailing wisdom was that these foods help manage weight because they’re lower in calories and higher in fiber than other foods. But new evidence suggests there’s more to it than that. We’ve known for some time that antioxidants are good for your heart and your brain. They also play a role in lowering the risk for cancer. Now there’s evidence that they may help prevent diabetes. That’s because antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables may help combat insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is when insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugar levels. It often goes hand in hand with obesity. It’s also a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. Antioxidants, say Italian researchers, may help combat insulin resistance.

The recent study involved 29 obese, insulin-resistant adults who were split into four groups. During the course of the study, they all ate a Mediterranean-style diet averaging 1,500 calories daily. The control group ate this diet with no other intervention. A second group was also given metformin, a drug used to help control blood sugar. A third group ate the same Mediterranean-style diet, but the diet was structured to include an additional 800 to 1000 mg of antioxidants per day from fruits and vegetables. The fourth group ate the antioxidant-enhanced diet, plus took metformin. The results? All groups lost similar amounts of weight. The two groups that consumed high antioxidant diets had significant improvements in their insulin resistance as well. Clearly, antioxidants are an important part of why vegetables and fruit deserve a prime spot on your plate.

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