Did you know your brain is 60% fat? (1). It's like waking up from a Bad Dream. Where you've been told the things you like the most you can’t have if you want to live.
Well, that’s what happened to the public at large for decades as it pertained to dietary fats.
For years the public was told how dietary fat will ruin your life and kill you prematurely BUT before that final demise, may come pain, suffering and possible incapacitation if you consume them.
The absolute worst Fats were said to be animal fats, and that these would very likely shorten your life almost beyond measure and your wisdom to not eat them would be well rewarded.
This set in motion a dietary path of food choices for the general public that was not only bad for health (lots of grains and sugars) but a path that most people would have loved to never have gone down.
The worst of this tragedy was that was never any real evidence to suggest these recommendations to reduce fats and increase carbohydrates were scientifically sound.
What then, you ask, got it started?
Excellent Question, and the answer, a few overzealous pseudoscientists and a whole lot of ‘school of fish’ movement in the professional field acting too quickly for fear of being left behind a potentially new and large trend - yet Scientifically unproven.
A very good article to start your understanding of this can be found here…
Where dietary fat guidelines went wrong...
And so, people were encouraged to eat much less fat than they had been previously (this was a big thing to ask since fats taste awesome!). Additionally, the fats they were now recommended to consume were hardly healthful choices - vegetable oils that were highly processed, oxidized quickly and were closer to man-made as a finished product than a natural substance.
This in return, was supposed to bring everyone longevity, reduced the possibility of heart and other diseases as well as a general good feeling that they were taking care of themselves healthwise. Sadly the results were the opposite. By the way, raising carbohydrate consumption to compensate for the reduction of fats had its own issues aside from the rise in diabetes, inflammatory issues and more, for example...
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A study from 2012 examining the dietary habits of 937 participants for 3.7 years indicated that people with higher carbohydrate diets are approximately 90% more likely to be cognitively impaired as they get older.
The study concluded that a Dietary pattern with relatively high caloric intake from carbohydrates and low caloric intake from fat and proteins may increase the risk of MCI (mild cognitive impairment).(2)
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Enter current day - the truth has been revealed, fats are very good for you and their intake should not be restricted (which even now, still sounds weird, just goes to show effective government brainwashing can be)!
So Why Are Dietary Fats So Important?
The human brain is nearly 60 percent fat.
In recent years it has been shown scientifically that fatty acids are among the most crucial molecules that determine your brain's ability to perform. Essential fatty acids(EFAs) are required for optimal health but they cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from dietary sources.
Clinical studies have related imbalance of dietary intake of fatty acids to impaired brain performance and diseases. Most brain growth is completed by 5-6 years of age. The EFAs, particularly the omega-3 fatty acids, are important for this brain development during this period. Dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is needed for the optimum function and maturation of the eyes and mental development.
EFAs are also involved in the synthesis and functions of brain neurotransmitters (mood), and in the molecules of the immune system.
In addition to this EFA’s for brain function, they also aid in controlling peripheral utilization of glucose meaning, they can greatly aid in getting sugar into the rest of the tissues of the body (i.e. muscle) thereby helping people with blood sugar imbalances.(3)
I hope this information spurs you to investigate more about how getting more quality fats, including animal fats in your diet will be beneficial for you. There is a great deal of research showing the benefits of health in many areas if you get back to eating more Natural Fats!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20329590
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