Fat or Sugar?
by Debra Augur
zone3
Food is processed and must travel to its destination: grocery store
shelves in our neighborhood. Food manufacturers make sure that the food
you receive is fresh and not rotting in the bag when you purchase it.
The process of hydrogenation leads to longer shelf life for foods such
as oils, margarines, and shortenings so that they won't go rancid. Most
refined oils are solvent extracted at high heat with harsh chemicals, then
bleached and chemically treated to obtain an oil that has no color or
taste. These products are used in the making of food stuffs such as
breads, cakes, and cookies. On food labels, look for "hydrogenated" or
"partially hydrogenated", and then avoid them!
Hydrogenation sounds like a good thing, as no one wants to purchase
rancid foods. It comes with a heavy price, though. The process of
hydrogenation causes an immune damaging synthetic fat - known as a Trans
fatty acid - that has been found to elevate blood cholesterol. As we know,
a build-up of cholesterol can lead to heart disease.
This is putting the fat into food products. What if we just take the
fat out completely?
When grocery shopping, if you see "light", "nonfat", "low fat", or
"diet", a red flag should go up. Food manufacturers depend on you to
continue buying their products, so they work to make sure those products
taste good, keeping you coming back for more. In the case of removing the
fat from a product, chances are sugar is added back in as a replacement in
order to make it taste good, keeping you coming back for more. Sugar
begets the craving of still more sugar, exactly what the manufacturers are
counting on.
Here is where the confusion comes in. It seems it is a choice between
fat-laden food products, or sugar-laden ones, and trying to decide which
is the lesser of two evils.
The body requires fat, in moderation, in order to function. On its own,
the body cannot manufacture enough essential fatty acids, so it needs to
receive the balance of them from an outside source, from the foods you
choose. Eating fat actually stimulates the burning of stored fat in your
body and satiates your appetite. Without that feeling of being satiated,
you will feel hungry, which leads to the unproductive cycle of overeating,
as your body tries to compensate for the shortage of nutrients it is
experiencing.
Which is the lesser of the two evils? Neither!
Stick with whole foods eating, the most beneficial habit you can pick
up in order to provide your body with the nutrients it requires. When you
eat whole foods, you are eating them as close to their natural state as
possible. Whole foods eating is an exercise in moderation, giving you some
fat and some sugar, but naturally. Keep in mind that the less the product
is manufactured, the better quality it is. When you eat quality whole
foods, you get caught up in a cycle that your body will love and reward
you for, giving you greater energy and vitality.
Would you want it any other way?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debra Augur has studied holistic nutrition for years, put that
knowledge into practice, and has a passion to share that knowledge with
others who are seeking their own best health. If we are what we eat, are
we denatured, devitalized, deficient and potentially toxic? Visit to learn more, and
begin acquiring your healthiest self.
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