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Debunking Myths: Not All Salt is Created Equal! Which Kind of Salt is Healthiest?

February 12, 2012 in Debunking Myths, Evidence-Based Science, Health News, Nutrients

Introducing … the “Debunking Myths” Series

I’m fed up. So many things touted as ‘healthy’ are in fact, responsible for robbing us of our health (ahem, low-fat yogurt, anyone?). So I’m launching a series. A lifelong series on My Life in a Pyramid, that I will call “Debunking Myths.” Every time I come across a health-related topic that is widely accepted by the general public as being true, even though it is in reality an unproven myth, I’ll write a post about it. If you follow me on Facebook, you can see a lot of the articles I read and share about health and nutrition, and a lot of them go against the conventional wisdom. A couple of days ago I posted a Harvard study I came across that explains the importance of a substance in dairy fat that can significantly lower the chance of getting Type 2 diabetes. (Yes, that means Paula Deen really should keep eating her butter, as long as it’s from pastured cows … but she should probably cut down or eliminate the refined carbohydrates and excess sugar). Politically incorrect recommendations (that go against conventional wisdom)  are often scientifically correct!

The Myth that Sodium Is Bad

Himalayan_Pink_Mineral_Salt

Let me tell you the problem: People want simple, easy answers. Either sodium is bad for health or it isn’t. Everyone wants to see the science. What do the studies say? Does salt increase blood pressure or does it not? Most people know what they’ve heard through media for the past 25 years: Sodium increases blood pressure and should be decreased in the diet … well, if you want to avoid heart disease and an early death. But what the media pundits, scientists, physicians, and statisticians don’t tell you is that the correlation isn’t that clear cut:

Consider, for example, the Intersalt study, one of the largest observational studies that medical journals cite to this day as being proof that there’s a strong relationship between salt in the diet and high blood pressure. The study, done in 1988, was based on a sample of 10,079 men and women aged 20-59 from 52 populations around the world. As renowned science writer Gary Taubes writes in this piece titled “The (Political) Science of Salt,” the results from the study (and many others before and after it) were not consistent, not significant and misrepresented. “In fact, the population that ate the most salt, about 14 grams a day, had a lower median blood pressure than the population that ate the least, about 7.2 grams a day” (Scientific American). The misrepresentation of the results happened in several ways. For the first edition of the study, the 20-29 age group had no difference in blood pressure from the high-salt diet, but this data was dropped from the conclusion because it did not support the scientists’ hypothesis.

Somehow, after statistical manipulation, the authors of the study concluded that  the correlation between high-sodium intake and hypertension is a strong one. Misleading and unscientific? Yes. But does it mean that there is a correlation there or not? Possibly, but it has likely been exaggerated. Could it be that salt has little or no effect on blood pressure, and that blood pressure increases with age in those who live sedentary lives and eat an otherwise unhealthy diet? Could be. We’ll never find out because many of these studies can’t be controlled easily. Changing the amount of salt on the diet invariably leads to eating more fresh foods and dairy (the DASH diet)… which can be related to the decrease in blood pressure if a decrease is indeed observed. Generally, it’s extremely difficult in these kinds of studies to control or account for other variables and confounding factors in the diet or lifestyle.

According to this article by Joseph Mercola, there are many other studies that have failed to show any correlation between high-salt diets and cardiovascular diseases and deaths. In fact, some studies, like this one from 2011, have shown the inverse to be true!

Sodium is Necessary for Human Health

In other words, don’t wait for a study to prove that our bodies need salt. Basic science and human pathology show us that sodium is a necessary substance in our bodies, for a variety of vital functions:

  • Taking nutrients in and out of your cells
  • Regulating blood pressure
  • Regulating nerve impulses
  • Helping the brain and muscles communicate efficiently, so that your muscles can move on demand
  • Proper thyroid and adrenal functioning
  • Digestion of proteins and carbohydrates
  • Maintaining electrolyte and osmotic balance

It probably has other functions that we are just beginning to discover, but the truth boils down to one fact: we cannot live without sodium. So, if we can’t live without sodium, it can’t be an evil substance. Water and oxygen are both things we cannot live without, but that doesn’t mean that more of them is always better. There is a limit and a balance to what we can consume without hurting our health. It’s the same for salt!

In fact, just as extremely high amounts of salt are damaging, several studies have shown that a diet too low in salt can be damaging for health. Here are a few of the effects of a too-low-salt diet:

So How Much Sodium Does the Body Need to Function Optimally?

So how much salt should we consume? According to the FDA, the sweet spot is between 1,500 to 2,300 mg (about 1.5-2.3 grams a day, or 2/3 to 1 teaspoon).

This remains up for debate, but based on some of the latest research, somewhere between 9 and 18 grams a day is recommended by the WAPF and The Salt Institute, except for those who are salt-sensitive. WAPF publicist and health food blogger Kimberly Hartke shares Sally Fallon’s answer and Morton Satin’s answer (of The Salt Institute) to the question “How much salt should you eat?”

“Yes, our consumption prior to the ‘50s was around 18 grams salt (almost 3 teaspoons) per day because salt was the primary means of food preservation. As refrigeration quickly took over that function after WWII, by the end of the 50s, our consumption dropped to approximately 9 grams (1-1/2 teaspoons) of salt per day and has remained there ever since. [...] And, in fact, the latest study (JAMA Dec 2011) by O’Donnel et shows the dose-response curve and indicates that the area of lowest risk to negative health outcomes is  between 9 and 18 grams of salt (equivalent to 3,450 – 7,000 mg sodium per day, or between 1-1/2 to 3 teaspoons salt daily). Anything below or above that range poses a much higher risk to health” (Hartke is Online).

The FDA has been on a mission to significantly reduce sodium concentration in foods for the past few years. There is even talk about using an untested salt substitute from the biotech company Senomyx to mask the blandness of foods without adequate salt seasoning. This substitute falls under the “flavors” category, so it’s not required to be specifically labelled on foods. The Weston A. Price Foundation has warned the FDA in a press release, that changing the dietary guidelines to reduce salt for the entire population (and not just for the salt-sensitive minority) can have negative implications on the health of many. The Salt Institute’s Morton Satin discusses some of the implications of a low-salt diet on health, in a statement on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. This detailed article from Sally Fallon Morell of the Weston Price Foundation explains why we need salt, and discusses some of the mix-ups that have led may to believe in the myth that sodium is inherently an evil substance.

I believe that the body self-regulates. If you end up eating too much salt, your body will tell you. You might feel excessively thirsty, bloated (fluid retention), irritable, or feel lethargic. If you eat too little salt, you might start craving salty foods, and feeling fatigue, headache, muscle cramping, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Make sure to listen to your body in each case, and respond accordingly.

Here’s the Caveat: The Quality Makes All the Difference

I’ve known for a while now that — despite what doctors and conventional nutritionists will tell you — the quality of a real food determines whether or not it’s healthy or unhealthy; not the type of real food itself. Consider the egg. Not all of them are created equally. The nutritional profile of a truly pastured, cage-free egg is completely different (and looks different!) than that of an “organic” store-bought egg or even a factory-farmed egg from an abused and antibiotic-pumped hen. It’s the same with salt, and virtually every other real food (and by real food, I mean foods found in nature, not those manufactured in a lab).

The problem is that sodium (and it’s derivatives) is found in excess in a lot of processed and pre-packaged foods, and most people eat a lot of those unhealthy foods. I’m not going to be discussing the danger of processed foods, because you should know by now they are not real foods and can’t be digested properly by the body. Also, it’s important to note that these processed junk foods are full of refined salt. “What, so there are differences in salt quality too?” you may be wondering. Oh yeah! Not all salts are created equally!

Like all industrial foods, commercial table salt undergoes a whole lot of processing. It’s heated to upwards of 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, bleached with toxic solvents and ferro cyanide and aluminum to make it white, thereby stripping it of its minerals, and then mixed with anti-caking agents and free-flowing agents to keep it from sticking together. Oh, and then iodide — one synthetic nutrient — is added on because back in the 1920s they found that otherwise, people get iodine-deficiency, resulting in goiter. The problem is that this iodine in processed salt isn’t enough for the body, as seen in a study published in 2008, which found that a lot of Americans are still iodine-deficient.

Processed_Table_Salt

What you probably don’t know is that this heating, bleaching and processing with other chemicals end up stripping the natural salt from many other minerals that our body needs like calcium, potassium, copper, sulfate, iodine (hah! It’s found naturally in the real stuff), iron, manganese, magnesium, silicon, phosphorus, vanadium and zinc (Mercola). In fact, the processing only leaves the sodium and chloride, which amount to 97%-99% of table salt ingredients. Unrefined salts contain about 85% sodium, and the rest is composed of other minerals and trace elements.

In many unrefined salts, you can see the color that the minerals impart – the salts of the earth are as colorful as many other foods, with some being gray, red, brown, black and even pink! Many people nowadays are deficient in these nutrients, because the salt they are adding to their foods is a processed product, and because many of even the fresh vegetables and fruits we are consuming are grown in nutrient-deficient soils (the chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides tend to do that).  Additionally, a processed-foods diet has made most people magnesium-deficient. Unrefined mineral salt is an excellent source of magnesium, and according to Lawrence Wilson,

“The blood pressure-raising effect of table salt can be due to its high content of sodium with not enough magnesium to balance it.  This has a magnesium-lowering effect that can constrict the arteries and raise blood pressure. Sea salt contains plenty of magnesium, which is why it usually does not affect blood pressure at all, or does so much than table salt and should be eaten by most people.  Also, if one’s magnesium status is adequate because one has other food sources of magnesium, salt-eating will have less effect or no effect on blood pressure.”

The solution then is not to throw up your hands in the air and say ‘the heck with it’. There’s a much better solution: buy unrefined mineral salt! Yes, these salts exist. There are a few salt companies out there that are producing salt the old-fashioned way. The company I use (and it’s pretty economical as their prices aren’t staggeringly expensive) is called SaltWorks. So far, I’ve only tried their Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, and I usually buy it in bulk. Only $19 for a 5 lb. bag (often with free shipping) is a great deal, especially as compared to the prices I’ve seen in health food stores! There are many fusion salts (salt infused with other ingredients, like balsamic vinegar or chili peppers) on SaltWorks, but I prefer to buy the pure varieties so it doesn’t impact the taste of the different meals I prepare.

Real_Salt__Healthy_Himalayan_Pink_Sea_Salt1

Another company I’ve used before is HimalaSalt. I bought a small shaker of the stuff from Whole Foods to try it out a while back, and it tasted great, but was more expensive than the SaltWorks version. This is what HimalaSalt has to say about refined salt on their website:

Common Table Salt is an industrial by-product, stripped by chemical processing of all elements except sodium and chloride – detrimental to health in isolated form. Anti-caking and flow agents are added, yet the FDA Code 21CFR101.100(a)(3), does not require their disclosure to consumers. Table salt comes from the same lots as vacuum-refined industrial salt and is treated with caustic soda or lime to remove all traces of magnesium salts, which are important for health.

Important minerals are removed because they provide large corporations with staggering profits for use in agricultural and industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, ammunitions, and other unsustainable industries.

After extreme chemical processing and heated at up to 1200 degrees, table salt cannot support health and no longer combines with our body fluids.  Table salt can also cause a deficiency of important essential trace minerals, which are abundantly present in HimalaSalt.

If you’re in the United States, and looking for something more local than Himalayan salt (which is usually harvested in Pakistan), there’s a company called Redmond’s Real Salt in Utah that uses traditional harvesting methods to produce unrefined mineral salt. I haven’t yet tried it myself, but a few fellow bloggers who live in the U.S. have tried it and rave about it! In this brochure, Redmond’s Real Salt promotes the use of most unrefined mineral salts including both Himalayan salt and Celtic salt, but describes the Real salt brand as “sweeter”, as compared to the Himalayan salt which is more “earthy”. I’m looking forward to trying the Real brand soon! I’ll be sure to report back on any difference in taste …

Don’t Be Fooled by the Word “Sea” in Front of Your Salt

As Emily of Butter Believer warns us in her post about salt, the word “sea” in front of salt is not enough to ensure that you’re not buying refined and processed salt. Since all salt is technically “from the sea”, many manufacturers use the qualifier ”sea” liberally (and deceptively) to describe their salt, even though it’s the same processed salt — only coarser. It is not the coarseness of the grain that matters; it’s the processing the salt undergoes. So, yes, sorry to all my Costco-loving friends, but the Kirkland “Mediterranean Sea” Salt is NOT the unrefined mineral salt I’ve described above. Don’t buy it!

How I Use Himalayan Sea Salt

Since becoming a convert to using real unrefined mineral salt, I’ve only tried the Himalayan salt, though I plan to vary it up a bit to get other minerals that may not be found in this variety. Himalayan salt comes from the Himalayas, so it’s fairly pure and free from most environmental toxins. It also doesn’t have any additives. Here are a few things to keep in mind when using unrefined mineral salts:

  • Unrefined salts are not as salty as table salt. They contain less sodium chloride and more minerals. I use the same amount of salt as when I previously used table salt, and I’m enjoying the more natural and subdued taste of unrefined salt.
  • Himalayan Sea Salt can also be used topically in bath soaks, to treat skin conditions, as a sinus flush, or as a throat gargle (Mercola).

Real_Salt__Healthy_Himalayan_Pink_Sea_Salt3

So that’s it for my first post of debunking myths. Don’t be afraid of high-quality unrefined mineral salt. Listen to your body, and remember to take most conventional health advice with several grains of salt!

P.S. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter, to receive these posts right to your email inbox! Simply enter your email address in the “Sign up” field on the right of this page. Thanks a bunch!

*This post has been shared with the Butter Believer’s Sunday School Blog Carnival and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist.

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Evidence-Based Science: Video Shows Impact of Processed Foods on Human Digestion

January 25, 2012 in Evidence-Based Science, Health News

This past weekend, I tuned into TEDx Manhattan 2012, “Changing the Way We Eat”, a day-long seminar with inspirational speakers from the food world. Needless to say, I was stoked! My “highlights” review will be featured in a guest post on the real food blog Hartke is Online. Until then, I thought to share a little snippet from the seminar. One of my favorite presentations was not a talk, but a recorded video that shows rather than tells how the human body digests processed food as opposed to real (whole) food. For all the doubters out there, this is hard-core evidence that the body was not meant to digest Cheetos, Gatorade, Cheerios, Ramen noodles, or any of the synthetic so-called “foods” out there. If you’re still not convinced that you need to abandon your junk food ways, I urge you to watch this video; it’ll speak for itself:

Stefani Bardin is the talented media maker behind this video. In collaboration with Dr. Braden Kuo who conducted the trial at Massachusetts General Hospital, she filmed the “M2A: The Fantastic Voyage”, a video that for the first time in human history actually brings us into the digestive tract while the food is being digested, and compares the difference between how the body processes synthetic food and real food. The M2A pill, which has a wireless camera, and the SmartPill which comes with sensors, both track how liquids and solids ingested are processed by the body.

We see how blue Gatorade stains the stomach lining because of the artificial color added (a petrochemical derivative!), and how Ramen noodles are not effectively broken down in the digestive tract (they contain TBHQ which is related to butane) … ugh, gross! The “whole food meal”, while definitely more nutritious than the junk food alternative, is still not ideal, but  at least the body knows what to do with it! This goes to show you that even incremental changes in your diet can either heal or further complicate your digestion…

So, next time a medical doctor urges you to give your sick child a colorful Gatorade to “replenish his electrolytes” when he or she has a fever (advice that makes me recoil in horror every time), I urge you to email him or her this video … and then find yourself another doctor!

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Paula Deen’s Diabetes, A Result of Unhealthy Eating – But Don’t Blame the Butter!

January 20, 2012 in Food Movement, Health News

So in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of days (or simply haven’t turned on any news sources), Paula Deen, 64-year-old Southern-cook turned Food Network celebrity chef has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. She’s kept the news on the down low for the past three years, but it made headlines as soon as Paula revealed that she has the condition on the Today Show a few days ago. Paula’s reluctance to alter her diet coupled with her endorsement of a diabetes drug, Victoza developed by the Danish drug company Novo Nordisk have both sparked a lot of heated discussion.

“Moderation”: An Excuse to Binge

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” ~ Oscar Wilde

In her announcement on the Today show, Paula reminds us that diabetes can be triggered by a lot of different factors, including “genetics, lifestyle and stress.” But what about diet? Paula shies away from admitting that diet plays a huge role in disease development. Instead, she uses my favorite word when it comes to dieting (note my sarcasm): “moderation.” I‘m sorry but saying you want to eat junk food in moderation just means that you want to make allowances for eating it more often than you would like to admit. Whenever someone I know says that they feel comfortable eating unhealthy foods “in moderation”, I tell them that unless they’re vigilant with their diet, what they think is moderate will become a lifestyle that allows junk into the body —  and that this strategy never fails to bring disease along with it.

Sadly, even Paula’s attempts to be “healthier” are misguided. In this cooking segment on the Today show she, along with her two sons, also chefs, show us how to make a supposedly “lighter/healthier” lasagna. The focus points: use low-fat cheese instead of full-fat, lean beef (quality or source of beef is given no mention), egg whites instead of an extra egg, low-sodium tomato sauce, low-gluten pasta. None of the changes they have made are actually healthier! Instead of focusing on macro-nutrients like fat and dietary cholesterol – which have nothing to do with developing diabetes – they should have instead focused on the QUALITY of the foods, and reducing sugars and grains. Is the beef from grass-fed cows grazing on pesticide-free grass? Is the cheese from healthy cows and not processed in a way that oxides the healthy cholesterol therein? Are the eggs pastured? Is the tomato paste from organically grown tomatoes and packaged in glass? Is the pasta healthy at all – weather made of ‘whole grain’ or not? No to all of those! Paula’s use of low-quality ingredients that have been processed to reduce fat will not make anyone “healthier”!

I don’t expect Paula to know anything about nutrition and healthy eating. But what about the so-called diet experts and educated media pundits? Do they also know nothing? After being irritated with the speculations about healthy eating that have been thrown around as “facts”, I had to write a post to rectify some of the misinformation…

Butter is not the culprit!

Paula’s cooking is unhealthy, no doubt about it (donuts fried in rancid vegetable oils are disgusting!). But if someone else yells out “No wonder she got diabetes — it’s all the butter and fat!” once again, I’ll scream. Eating butter doesn’t have an impact on unmanaged insulin levels, which is the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes. When a person has diabetes, his or her body either does not produce enough insulin or has enough insulin but cannot use it because the body has grown resistant to it. In both cases, this results in excess sugar (blood glucose) accumulating in the bloodstream, making one hungry for more insulin-spiking foods (like sugar and grains), which are again not metabolized properly by the body. This unregulated insulin stores calories as fat, instead of burning them up as energy. Frequent carb-rich meals that aren’t nutrient-dense (for example, cereal and Tropicana orange juice for breakfast) spike blood sugar, and if done excessively, can lead to diabetes. Eating fat does NOT spike the blood sugar, and therefore keeps the person satiated for a longer period of time.

The Healthy Advocate has the right idea:

News reports are claiming that Paula Deen’s “high fat recipes” may be a cause to her possible diabetic diagnosis; however, natural fat from things like butter, coconut oil or lard has virtually no effect on insulin resistance. It is true that hydrogenated forms of these fats can be a contributor to a number diseases; natural fats like butter do not raise blood sugar levels or insulin.

In fact, fat slows down the break down of carbohydrates in the body, leading to a slow release of insulin. The cells are then not bombarded by an onslaught of insulin, which can weaken insulin receptors. Cells actually need dietary fats to provide stabilization to receptor sites.  Natural fat also lowers the glycemic index of a meal, which is one of the reasons why coconut oil is promoted as a healthy fat.

Instead of butter, what should be vilified are the processed, artificial foods, refined carbohydrates – refined, processed grains (even those marketed as “healthy”) - and refined and artificial sugars … all ingredients that she has used copiously in her cooking. And yet, these nasties are given no attention and ‘butter’ continues to receive all the negative press.

Elevated Sugar/Carb Intake Responsible for Diabetes 

I recently watched Fathead, a documentary uncovering the “big fat lie” we’ve been fed by the food industry (pun intended) regarding the supposed unhealthiness of saturated fat. While I have some serious issues with the documentary, to which I’ll dedicate review soon, I believe that the crux of the message that Tom Naughton shares makes sense scientifically. Take a look at the short segment from the movie below, which highlights the actual culprits behind unregulated insulin:

If you’ve watched this all the way through, you’ll understand that dietary cholesterol and fats (from good sources) have nothing to do with diabetes. Sugar and refined flour/grain are the real culprits. For a great analysis on the relationship between chronically elevated blood sugar and type 2 diabetes, take a look at Mark Sisson’s post over at Mark’s Daily Apple. Mark, author of The Primal Blueprint, advocates a diet rich in healthy proteins and saturated fats (from grass-fed animals), vitamins from fresh organic fruits and vegetables, and nuts and seeds. Many who followed these guidelines have reversed chronic conditions such as diabetes. Diabetes should not be seen a a lifelong chronic condition that requires harmful (and oftentimes unnecessary) medication, because  it’s entirely reversible with a truly healthy diet and enough body movement!

Not All Butter is Created Equal

Michael Pollan, the famed food writer and author of Omnivore’s Dilemma, posted on his Facebook page that he has “taped an interview with Good Morning America about the Paula Deen ridiculousness; airing Friday am.” Looking forward to watching it! I’m not yet sure what he’ll say, but this is my comment on his status, which received 45 likes so far and counting:

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Butter (and other animal products) from grass-fed/pastured animals never given hormones and not pumped with antibiotics IS healthy. Grass-fed butter is a healthy saturated fat that our body needs to function properly. Butter, bacon, eggs, meat, full-fat cheese – these are not things can can be labeled as ‘good or bad’ – the quality and source makes all the difference in their nutiritonal profile. A cow raised on pasture under the shining sun will not produce milk (and butter) that have the same nutritional profile as a GMO-grain-fed cow that is pumped with antibiotics to fatten it up, and is crammed into a confined feedlot where there’s no space to move and graze. And since we know that Paula “has lucrative endorsement contracts with big food companies including Smithfield Hams and Philadelphia Cream Cheese” – both industry giants that manage large CAFO operations, and have no relation to anything sustainable — it’s no surprise that she’s not focusing on the quality of the bacon and cheese that she’s using in her cooking. Quality though, makes all the difference … enough of a difference that either leads to health or disease.

Nature Is the Expert

Whatever the reason that prompted all this media exposure, the commentary and dialogue that has resulted from this has confirmed what I had always known to be true: The current conventional medical community and dietary “experts” know diddly squat about nutrition. And if the people who should know most know so little, then it shouldn’t surprise you that the majority of the population is so misinformed and confused about what it is exactly that they should eat for good health. Studies are always coming out proving and disproving the same thing. For example, at one point, the dietary cholesterol in eggs was thought to be bad and studies linked their consumption to high serum (blood) cholesterol, and then now, years later, studies have come out that show that dietary cholesterol isn’t really linked to cholesterol in the blood, and that there’s nothing bad or scary about eggs (yes, even – and especially – the yolks which have most of the nutrition!) Actually, here’s one study that shows how regular egg consumption can improve the blood glucose of type 2 diabetics. So Paula shouldn’t be skimping on the egg yolks!

This really isn’t about the studies though. I have given up on studies (read this excellent article to understand why I take them all with a grain of salt). I believe in time-tested nutrition (i.e. looking at human evolution). Considering all the innovations in food over the past century, lifestyle diseases have soared, and overall, human health has deteriorated. I don’t need a “scientific” study to prove to me that margarine made in a lab is going to clog my arteries and that butter produced from a grass-grazing cow is going to give me fat-soluble vitamins that I need. It makes sense — based on our evolution — that the natural, unprocessed foods are good for health, and processed foods aren’t!

In conclusion, I want to say that I love butter. I love cheese, and I love a good steak. And I’ve lost weight eating these things (along with organic vegetables and fruits)…. but I’m VERY picky about my sources. Grass-fed, local, unprocessed – it really makes all the difference! Here’s to hoping Paula gets the message soon and makes some real lifestyle changes that can improve her health! Until then, quit bashing her and gloating – that’s another thing that bothers me about the media coverage surrounding Paula Deen’s disease … We’re all here to learn about health and nutrition together!

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Saturated Fats Are … Good for You?!

May 12, 2011 in Culture, Evidence-Based Science, Food Movement, Health News, Nutrients

The rationale? “Increased consumption of low-fat, fat-free ‘foods’ results in us eating more sugars and carbohydrates. These products don’t satisfy our hunger and leave us wanting to eat more. Eating good animal fat does, so you eat less” (Salon). Who knew!? Yes, it defies everything I have ever learned about diet and nutrition, as is probably the case for you. But if you have 50 minutes, give this video below a listen – it’s revolutionary …

**The original videos I posted in this article were of Mary Enig talking about the misconceptions that surround ‘saturated fats’ in the diet. Since this posting, the videos have been taken down from YouTube. Instead, I have posted the video below of Donald W. Miller, M.D. talking about the importance of saturated fats.**

In case you were wondering about the original videos, here’s little background on Mary Enig, PhD: “Mary Gertrude Enig, PhD (born 1931) is a nutritionist and researcher known for her unconventional positions on the role fats play in diet and health. Enig was an early opposer of trans fats, years before their dangers were widely accepted. She has continued to promote skepticism towards the scientific consensus that high saturated fat diets lead to heart disease, while she advocates for a diet based in whole foods and rich in certain saturated fats, such as those found in coconut oil and butter.” (from Wikipedia)

Yes, this pretty much confirms that any and all processed, refined – and especially “low-fat” foods – are unnatural. If we were to eat the way our great-great-grandmothers ate (actually if our lifestyle were similar as a whole, with more slow physical movements, and a tighter-knit community), our health would be way better than it is now, and our earth more sustainable than it is now (<–if you click on this link, get ready for a shocker.)

And now for a little background on Donald Miller, this is from his website: “As a professor of surgery, I teach cardiac surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Seattle VA Medical Center. As a physician, I research and write articles on the importance of natural and nutritional medicine for maintaining optimum health. I also study and write articles about history, philosophy, book collecting, medical and legal evidence, politics, and various orthodoxies in the climate and biomedical sciences.” 

Take a look at this video:

Here’s the catch though: eating saturated fats through animals that are pasture-raised, grass-fed and antibiotic-and-hormone-free (ideally locally sourced from a close-by farm) is essential. If we’re eating saturated fats from conventionally-raised meats, they are loaded with toxins (antibiotics and added hormones) that are deposited in the fat tissue. So I cannot stress the importance of pastured and organic here if you will heed this researcher’s advice and introduce whole milk to your diet, for example.

Another good reason to cook using animal fat (as opposed to partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, i.e. trans fats, or oils that don’t withstand high heat):

“Unlike vegetable oils, animal fats are very stable and don’t turn rancid easily. This makes them ideal for cooking, which involves heating the fat. And they have no trans fats.

Animal fats have lots of good fatty acids that fight disease, help absorb vitamins and lower cholesterol. Your body burns the short-chained fatty acids found in animal fats and stores the long-chained ones found in polyunsaturated fat. It is a myth that eating animal fat makes you fat.

But best of all, fat—with its big round molecules—tastes good, it feels good in your mouth, on your tongue and it carries flavors” (Serious Eats).

Oh, and another word about diets in general: while no one diet works for all people, as a general rule of thumb, eating a lot of organically-grown plants and eating healthy saturated fats in quantities that leave us satiated but not full is a good guideline in general. I’m learning that portion control – in relation to the amount of physical activity being exerted throughout the day – is really vital. I don’t count calories, because I find that to be too calculated and unnecessary for a healthy lifestyle (personal choice), but I do think it’s really important to be conscientious about the signals your body is giving you, and the quality of the food you eat.

In other words, as Kristin from Food Renegade says, “if your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as real food, don’t eat it!” Yes, that means ditch most of the packaged stuff, and start spending some time making your food from scratch!

Off to the farmers’ market I go this weekend! :)

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