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The Undiet Diet

EAT FAT AND LOSE WEIGHT: IS IT POSSIBLE?

Leah, 42, came to me complaining of a variety of problems: frequent migraine headaches, constipation, mood swings, irritability, depression, irregular menstruation, fatigue, and recurring yeast infections. Although she didnt mention it, Leah was overweight. She stood 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg)typical for many middle-age women nowadays.

Frustrated with doctors and medications, she had decided to seek help from someone experienced in alternative or natural medicine. As a nutritionist and naturopathic physician, my focus is helping people overcome health problems through safe, natural means, using diet and nutrition.

Leah indicated that she ate many refined white flour products (e.g., bread, rolls, pastry, crackers, etc.), breakfast cereals, and frozen and prepared foods, and snacked on sweets and chips. She assured me she ate healthfully because she avoided fat. She drank skim milk and ate low-fat foods; she chose lean cuts of meat and removed all visible fat. She avoided butter like the plague, using margarine in its place, and prepared meals with what she termed healthy vegetable oils. Although the prepared convenience foods she used often included small portions of vegetables, she rarely ate fresh produce. Leahs diet was typical of most people in our modern societynutrient deficient and weight-promoting. The first thing I did was to change her diet. I told her, Dont eat

anything that says low-fat or low-calorie, and get off the sweets and junk foods. Eat whole foods with butter and coconut oil, and dont be afraid of the fat in meats. Eat full-fat cheese, cream, and other dairy products. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat as much as much as you want, just dont overeat, and enjoy your new diet.

She was surprised. Wont all this fat and rich food make me gain weight? she asked.

No, I replied. You dont have to worry about your weight.

Well, I do worry. I try to watch my calories and limit my fat intake.

What Im giving you is a way of eating that will improve your health. It provides your body with all the nutrients it needs to overcome the health problems you mentioned. And as you become healthier, you will also lose excess body fat.

You mean I can eat delicious foods, gain better health, and lose weight at the same time?

Yes, I told her.

She returned for follow-up visits over the next several months. Each time she told me she was doing better and losing weight. She couldnt believe it. She was eating more rich, fatty foods than she ever had and was dropping pounds. In time, she reported that all of her symptoms had improved, and to her pleasant surprise, she lost 45 pounds (20 kg), dropping to a slim 135 pounds (61 kg). Now, several years later, she continues to follow my dietary recommendations and still maintains her slim figure.

When people come to see me, they usually are concerned with chronic health problems like Crohns disease, diabetes, and arthritis. While treatment varies for each individual, the diet I recommend is basically the samelow in refined carbohydrates and rich in fresh produce, with plenty of healthy fats. Ive had a great deal of success, especially with my diabetic patients. They are able to live normal lives without relying on medications and daily insulin injections.

Patients frequently comment, with delight, that they lose weight on my program. My main focus is to help people regain their health; losing weight is a natural consequence of that process. For many people, however, excess body fat is their primary concern. So I have tailored my health program specifically to address their concerns. This book is the result.

LOW-FAT DIETS MAY KILL YOU

I hate diets. None of them have ever worked for me. I tried. I watched what I ate, cutting out all of my favorite foods and reducing calories. I felt deprived. I hated it. I was hungry all the time and felt miserable. I only lost a few pounds. It wasnt worth all the misery I went through. And once I stopped dieting, the weight came right back.

Does this sound familiar to you? It should. Most of us have tried dieting at least once in our lives. Why? Because most of us are overweight. Sixty percent of Americans are overweight; 30 percent are obese. One third of our children are now overweight. These figures are rapidly increasing. Fifty years ago, it was a problem for only a small percentage of the population. Now its an epidemic. Were not alone. The same thing is occurring in Canada, Europe, and elsewhere.

Why are we gaining so much weight? We arent eating that much more than we used to. In fact, we eat less fat now than ever before. Our grandparents got about 40 percent of their daily calories from fat. Today, we are averaging about 32 percenta significant decrease. When you go to the grocery store, youre bombarded from every side with labels that read Lowfat, Non-fat, and Low calorie. When you go to a restaurant, you can get diet soda and low-calorie or reduced-fat meals. Everything nowadays seems to be low- or non-fat. Weve replaced saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats and fake fats. Sugar is being replaced by artificial sweeteners. We eat more low-fat, low-calorie foods now than ever before, yet we are fatter now than ever before. Why is that?

The simple answer is that low-fat diets dont work! Theyre not natural, theyre not healthy, and in the long run they promote weight gain, not weight loss.

Research confirms this fact. The longest running study ever made on the relationship between diet and health is the Framingham study. The study began in 1948, was set up to continue throughout the lifetime of the volunteers, and is still going on today. The study included almost the entire population of Framingham, Massachusetts (population 5,127). After more than 40 years of research, the director of the study, Dr. William Castelli, admitted: In Framingham, Mass., the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the persons serum cholesterolWe found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, ate the most calories, weighed the least. You would expect that the people who eat the least amount of saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories to weigh the least, but they dont, as revealed by the Framingham study.