Fat doesn't make you fat...

There is a common myth out there that has its roots in the 1980's and unfortunately still thrives today. And that is the thought that fat is the only food that causes weight gain.

The unlimited choices of fat free food items are so immensely popular in our society that you would think if this was the lone culprit, we would be very healthy and fit.

As you know this is not the case. In fact it is the complete opposite.

We are a fatter society than we ever have been, and our kids are getting larger and larger too.

So fat free foods don't seem to be cutting it alone. Why? Well first we have to look at the fat free foods themselves.

A food that is made fat free that isn't meant to be must have 'fillers' to replace the space left vacant by the fat that has been taken out or not added. The old adage, when you take something away you must replace it with something else rings very true here. The fillers are usually foods that you wouldn't eat if you were trying to eat healthy. Some examples of fillers are High Fructose Corn Syrup (not healthy despite what you hear in the television commercials), hydrogenated oils, or preservatives (too many to name here). These fillers in turn make the once thought healthy fat free food a food you wouldn't touch on a supportive and healthy eating plan.

Now hold on before you run out the door and buy that Cesar Salad Dressing you have been craving, there's more to this.

The key to a supportive menu is to create balance. Healthy fats are fine and will not cause weight gain provided the nutritional balance is intact. What I mean by that is if you are going to have an elevated amount of healthy fats, your carbohydrates must be lowered to create a supportive balance and the proteins must be elevated.

The fat gaining combination is high fat with high carbohydrate intake. When the two together are high, then you can guarantee a gain in fat. Not only will that mean your protein intake is low (which has a high thermogenic effect- amount of energy used from food for digestion), but your muscles will not have the recovery nutrients it needs to maintain and grow lean muscle tissue. The lower thermic effect of carbohydrates and fats combined with the effect carbohydrates have on blood sugar levels sets up a recipe for disaster for your fat loss efforts.

Yours in fitness

Michael