Woohoo! Eat fat. Lose fat. That’s the ketogenic promise. You can load up your plate with as much as 55-60% of calories from fat. And you can still lose weight. It seems impossible, yet the human body appears to be experiencing technical difficulties, so it just complies and makes you leaner. It seems that if you have a readily available source of fat, then your body knows it can burn that stored fat at fuel. Good news too because while fat may be calorific, it tastes damn delicious. You’re hardwired to crave it and if you ever have a meal without it, you’ll probably feel like something’s missing. That’s your tongue demanding it.
The Fat Science
Not all fats have a healing energy. Instead, some can harm. This was proved by a paper published in the journal Science. These researchers found a high fat diet can disrupt that biology of your gut’s lining and muck things up with your microbial communities. Doing this can cause your body to release a metabolite that can contribute to heart disease. Scary? Well, this research was done on animal models. You’re a little removed from the common mouse. That said, it is possible that you could be losing weight, yet be heading down the path towards an impaired heart without knowing it. Fortunately, there is a very easy solution. Focus on quality.
The Fat Quality
Fat needs to be the right kind of fat that helps your heart. You can’t roll up the nearest KFC and ask for spill overs from their fryers drip trays. What’s the metric that will help you figure out what fats are the best? It’s an easy solution. It should have been growing at some point. Wild animals know what’s good. High on that list are avocados and their oil. Next, come nuts that are also coupled with healthy volumes of protein and fiber. These are followed by seeds and olives. Finally, you can get some very high-quality fats from coconuts. Once you’ve made these fats account for most of your fat macro nutrients ratio, only then should you start sniffing around for other sources. These include things like fatty fish, eggs and some grass-fed diary. At no point do you ever want to get any of your fats from fried foods or processed meats. That’s fat headed thinking.
Your Tack
If you’re a little unsure, then try get your fats sources from a company that understands the ketogenic lifestyle. American Metabolix are one such beast who make things such as keto meal replacements that have a ratio of 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs. They only use high-quality fats so you can make sure your heart is in premium shape which can then be reflected by your body.
References:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aba3683
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