Eat THIS, Not THAT.

What if I told you that you’ve been lied to?

What if I told you that the thing you’ve been told to avoid is the very thing you NEED to be healthy?

What if I told you that your BRAIN and your BODY have been damaged by this lie?

What if I told you that the tastiest, most delicious foods–the ones you have been told to avoid forever–were the exact foods you MUST eat if you want to live your healthiest life?!

Well today is your lucky day. Because gone are the days of counting fat grams and calories and points. Gone are the days of restricting and cleansing and fasting and crazy diets that leave you STARVING and worse off than when you started.

Today is your lucky day because I am about to tell you the truth. You ready?

Here goes…

FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT.

You know what does make people fat?

Sugar.

For decades, we’ve been lied to. We have been made to believe that fatty foods make us fat and so we have avoided them at all costs. And all of that avoidance made the fatty, greasy foods seem so incredibly tantalizing that we binged on them to satisfy that deep, human need, and then we felt guilty and sick and frustrated with ourselves for not having more self control.

So we deprived ourselves again….until we couldn’t take it anymore, and around and around we’d go.

And what has been the result?

We have become fatter, sicker and sadder than we have EVER been in the history of time.

WHY?

Because we replaced fat for sugar (a carbohydrate). And our brains and bodies don’t do well on a high-carb, low-fat diet.

To explain things, let’s go back in time. In the 1960’s, Harvard scientists were paid by the sugar industry to tell the world a big fat lie. They were paid to say that their findings proved that fat caused heart disease. But the truth was, they had uncovered that it was increased sugar and carbohydrate consumption that was at the root of the issue. This was called Project 226 and you can read about it here.

For decades, we’ve combed grocery store aisles looking for boxes and packages with those magical words, “low-fat” and “no-fat” and “fat-free” and “reduced fat” until we felt safe with our boxes and our packages and our choices. But we have unknowingly hurt our health, and the health of our kids, in the process.

Because when they remove the fat from our boxes and our packages, something has to take its place or else the food would taste terrible.

And what do you think they replaced the fat with?

Yup.

You guessed it.

Sugar.

And while we should have all lost weight and become healthier with this change, the opposite is actually true. With this increase of carbohydrates in our diets, we have gained more weight, lacked more energy and suffered with depression in more cases than ever before in the history of time.

So today, I’d like you to try to forget everything you thought you knew about fat and I want you to decide that you will allow more healthy fats into your diet.

Notice I used the word “healthy” before the word fats. This is because when we talk about fat helping us to stay healthy, we are NOT talking about McDonald’s French fries or packaged snacks that are filled with partially hydrogenated oils (which is code for Trans Fat). We are not talking about “vegetable” oils like canola and cottonseed that have been highly processed and lack the nutrition we need.

No, we are talking about the fact that our bodies literally NEED healthy fat to function properly. And not only our bodies, but our brains, too. Why? Our brains are made of 60% fat…so they REALLY need fat to function! In fact, there is a lot of research to show that without fat, our hormones are negatively affected, which includes serotonin, the “happy hormone”. Without enough fat, people run the risk of developing depression and experiencing increased anger and frustration.

So, here are my TOP 10 FAVOURITE ways to get healthy fat into my diet, which helps me ward off cravings (fat makes you feel full!), feel my best (remember the serotonin link?) and have more energy (yes, fat is high in calories, but calories are the gasoline that make our bodies GO!).

1. Wild Salmon is high in omega 3 fatty acids, which are essential to brain health. Simply baked with lemon, this fatty fish tastes fantastic (do NOT overcook it) or else you can get more creative with recipes. You can even cook it from frozen–just leave it in a little longer!
2. For vegetarians, they can still find omega 3s! Walnuts are an amazing source and I LOVE how they even LOOK like a brain! I like to mix walnuts with other nuts and seeds as a portable snack and I also enjoy them chopped with mushroom stems, sauteed with garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme, and then stuffed back into the mushrooms and baked, as a lovely appetizer.
3. Hemp hearts are amazing because not only are they a fantastic source of vegetarian Omega 3s, they are a complete protein. I add 4-5 tablespoons to my morning smoothie instead of a protein powder.
4. Flax seeds are high in lignans, which help us balance our estrogen. I like to grind them fresh in order to express those wonderful Omega 3s (milled flax seeds are often rancid–buy them whole and grind them yourself with a spice or coffee grinder right before using them), and use as an inexpensive alternative to pine nuts in a pesto sauce, sprinkled onto Greek yogurt or oatmeal, added to a smoothie or sprinkled onto salads. I also like to use ground flax instead of bread crumbs in recipes.
5. Chia seeds are another source of Omega 3s and protein and while we might have grown chia pets as kids, we want to eat them now because of their health benefits! When added to liquid, chia becomes gelatinous, which is believed to help us eliminate toxins, aid in digestion, and they give us a sense of fullness, which can aid in weight management. Chia pudding is my favourite way to enjoy chia seeds but they are also great in a smoothie, used instead of Serto in jam, topped onto yogurt and oatmeal or turned into a vegan egg (simply combine 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 2 tablespoons of warm water. Allow to sit for a few minutes, stirring a few times, until thickened. Add it in and proceed with your recipe).
6. Avocado improves blood flow, which wards off heart disease and stroke. I like to add 1/4 of an avocado into my day by mashing it with hard boiled eggs and eaten on a salad or sandwich, adding it to hummus, chopping it onto salads, smashing it onto a piece of toasted sweet potato (seriously, just throw a 1/4 inch thick slice of sweet potato into the toaster!) or a slice of whole grain bread and top with a sprinkle of cumin, salt and pepper; and I also LOVE adding frozen avocado to my morning smoothie (I scoop out the avocado halves onto parchment paper, slice them into quarters, and, once frozen, store them in a Ziploc bag).

7. Nuts & Seeds like almonds, pecans, sesame and sunflower seeds are high in vitamin e, which can lessen cognitive decline. Enjoy 1/4 cup daily in a trail mix, in hummus (tahini is sesame seed paste) or sprinkled on salads.

8. Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride (MCT), which is a rare occurrence in the fat world. MCTs help you to burn fat, boost your metabolism, keep you feeling full, and improve your cholesterol profile (your “Good” to “Bad” cholesterol ratio). I LOVE cooking with coconut oil because of its high smoke point. I also add coconut oil to smoothies, I make sweet treats like this with it:
   Combine 2 tablespoons each of the following: coconut oil, organic peanut butter, raw cacao powder and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Add a pinch of Himalayan salt and a drop of vanilla extract (or a 1/4 of a vanilla pod). Mix well in a bowl and add a few tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds. Smear the mixture onto some parchment paper to make a 1/4 inch thick “bar” and freeze on a plate for a few minutes. VOILA! The yummiest chocolate peanut butter bar you’ve ever had!
   Be sure to look for raw, cold pressed, organic virgin coconut oil.
9. Grass Fed Butter: If you’ve never tried this kind of butter, you are missing out! It is heaven! It is delicious in a “bulletproof” coffee mixed with some MCT or coconut oil and I love to cook with it. It is especially nice on roasted asparagus with a squeeze of lemon…try wrapping it all up in tinfoil and throwing it on the BBQ!
10. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): Fruity and delicious, olive oil has been used forever as the base to salad dressings… for good reason. You don’t want to heat olive oil. It is far too delicate. Enjoy EVOO whisked with lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper for the perfect salad dressing. Add any fresh herbs you like (rosemary, basil, oregano, parsley) for added flavour. P.S. Use avocado oil for sauteing and cooking instead of olive oil.

So that’s it! My Top 10 favourite healthy fats that I incorporate into my diet. I hope this has helped you to see that we don’t need to fear fat! We need to remind ourselves that if food was made in nature, it was meant to heal, not hurt, us.

Enjoy these fats combined with all sorts of other REAL food and you can ditch the scale, stop counting calories and get on with your life!

Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.

P.S. If YOU want to uncomplicate your relationship with fat, and all food, then The 6 Week Sugar Freedom eCourse might be for you. You will be surrounded by a group of like-minded people who will support you. I encourage you to join us here. 

P.P.S. Let’s be friends! Connect with me on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. Plus, if you haven’t already subscribed to my blog, you should! That way, you won’t miss anything. For joining, you get my personal meal plan, shopping list, and a week’s worth of easy, tasty recipes. https://sarahtalksfood.com/