Eat Fat For Weight Loss, Not Low-Fat

There’s a reason Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) has the word essential in it. It’s because our bodies don’t manufacture them, yet they’re required for good health, so the only way to get them is to eat the foods that they’re found in.

Healthy fat shouldn’t be feared. Back in the 90’s when everyone gave up fat, they all got fat, so avoiding fat is not the answer to weight loss. In fact, a symptom of a deficiency in fat is an inability to lose weight!

1 reason they’re so essential is because they store energy. There’s more energy packed into a gram of fat than there is in a gram of either protein or carbs. About 40% of the average American’s energy comes from fat.

Greeks are a great example of how good fat can lead to lifelong health. About 40-60%of their diet comes from fat and they have no increased diabetes, cholesterol, or weight gain.

There are 3 kinds of EFA’s: Omega 3’s, Omega 6’s, and Omega 9’s. Omega-3 fatty acids are derived from Linolenic Acid, Omega-6 from Linoleic Acid, and Omega-9 from Oleic Acid. Omega-9 is necessary yet “non-essential” because the body can manufacture a modest amount on its own, provided the 3’s and 6’s are available.

EFA’s support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune, and nervous systems. Your body needs EFAs to make and repair cell membranes, enabling the cells to obtain optimum nutrition and discard of toxic waste products. A primary function of EFAs is the production of prostaglandins, which regulate body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility, and conception, and play a role in immune function by regulating inflammation and helping to fight infection.

Omega 3 is the most deficient EFA because of our over-processed diets. An ideal intake ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids is between 1:1 and 4:1, but most Americans only obtain a ratio between 10:1 and 25:1. The minimum healthy intake for both linolenic (Omega-3) and linoleic (Omega-6) acid via diet, per adult per day, is 1.5 grams of each.

An Omega 3 deficiency can lead to depression, which affects 15 million people in the US alone, plus decreased memory and mental abilities, tingling sensation of the nerves, poor vision, increased tendency to form blood clots, increased triglycerides, impaired membrane function, hypertension, irregular heartbeat, learning disorders, menopausal discomfort amongst others .

Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA), the principal Omega-3 fatty acid, will be converted into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in your body, and later into docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and the GLA synthesized from linoleic (Omega-6) acid are later converted into hormone-like compounds known as eicosanoids, which aid in many bodily functions including vital organ function and intracellular activity.

Good sources of Omega 3’s can be found in flaxseed oil (flaxseed oil has the highest linolenic content of any food), flaxseeds, flaxseed meal, hempseed oil, hempseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, avocados, some dark leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, purslane, mustard greens, collards, etc.), EVOO, grapeseed oil, and salmon.

Linoleic Acid is the primary Omega-6 fatty acid and is also found in flaxseed oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed meal, hempseed oil, hempseeds, and grapeseed and olive oils, as well as pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds (raw), olives, borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, chestnut oil, and chicken.

Omega-6s help with diabetic neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, PMS, skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema, and aid in cancer treatment.

Monounsaturated oleic acid, or Omega 9, lowers heart attack risk and arteriosclerosis, and aids in cancer prevention too, and is most richly found in EVOO, olives, avocados, almonds, peanuts, sesame oil, pecans, pistachio nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts. 1 -2 tablespoons of EVOO per day should provide sufficient oleic acid for adults.

Don’t believe the myth that fat makes you fat. The truth is the more fat you eat with your meals, the more satiated you are and the longer you can go in between without snacking. And if you want great hair and skin, eat more good fat. So in other words, don’t forget the fat.

The health benefits of eating fat are a principle concept covered in my Revision Weight Loss 90-Minute Breakthrough Immersion Session.

In this session you’ll discover the keys concepts to natural weight loss, including:

• What Vitamin P is and why it’s essential to weight loss
• Why willpower is a non-factor when trying to lose weight
• How to become a Dining Diva with the 3/3/30 rule
• What your “gut brain” is and how it effects eating
• The #1 most important component to your metabolic power and how to harness it
• Easy-to-implement tools that are intensely transformative and provide real results

If you’re ready to make 2011 the year that you finally “get it” when it comes to weight loss, sign up for your session today!