Fat is Back!

As mainstream culture continues to come to terms with the fact that dietary cholesterol does not cause heart disease or lead to weight gain, more and more people are turning to a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet to lose weight and maintain health. High fat, low carb diets allow your body to reboot its ability to use fat for fuel.

The power plants in your cells called mitochondria can either use sugar or fat for energy. When you eat a high carb diet and snack often the body is constantly burning glucose (sugar). But if you restrict sugar consumption and focus on healthy fats you force your body to begin metabolizing fat.

This is great because once your body begins to burn fat for fuel, in between meals when you are not eating, your body will burn body fat for energy. This is by far the most effective way to lose excess weight.

Eat The Right Fats

It is very important, however, to eat the right kinds of fat when on a high fat diet. The wrong kinds of fats can be indigestible and lead to inflammation and free radical damage. Vegetable oils such as soy and canola are very unstable and oxidize quickly. These oils are almost always rancid and can be extremely detrimental to nervous system and immune health.

So in order to help you move in the right direction with your dietary fat intake, we have compiled a list of 7 super healthy fats to incorporate into your diet to help you lose weight without feeling deprived.

Avocado

Research published in Nutrition Journal shows that eating half an avocado with lunch regulates blood sugar, increases satiation, and decreases the likelihood of snacking later in the day. Avoiding snacks allows your body to use up glucose stores and switch on fat burning. If you keep giving your body more energy to burn with snacks you will never be able to burn fat. Want another reason to eat more avocados? Well, they are also loaded with heart healthy monounsaturated fats like oleic acid which can help to improve lipid profiles.

Olive Oil

Three tablespoons of olive oil per day can help you lose weight according to research from Dr. Mary Flynn of Brown University. Like avocado, olive oil is a powerhouse of the monounsaturated fat oleic acid. Also like avocado, consumption of olive oil with meals increases satiety and fullness. Adding a tablespoon or two to cooked vegetables, dressings, soups, or salads is a great way to boost the metabolism and feel fuller for longer. Additionally, extra virgin olive oil has a high amount of antioxidants which fight free radicals and lower inflammation.

Nuts and Seeds

According to this study, replacing high carbohydrate snacks with a handful of almonds can help reduce weight by 62%, reduce waist circumference by 50%, and reduce body fat by 56%! Nuts and seeds are chock full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. However nuts and seeds can be high in anti-nutrients like phytic acid. For this reason it is ideal to consume nuts and seeds either soaked or sprouted. Roasting nuts can cause oxidation of their monounsaturated fats. Oxidized fats can cause inflammation when consumed regularly.

Grass-Fed Ghee

Ghee is the result of gently cooking down butter to evaporate the liquid and separate the fat from the milk solids which contain the inflammatory proteins and sugars which are strained out through a cheesecloth or sieve. What you are left with is pure butter fat loaded with fat soluble nutrients. Ghee has been used as a food for healing and detoxification in Ayurveda for thousands of years. Ghee is used in a fat burning protocol where increasing amounts are consumed every morning for a few days and a strict low fat diet is followed the rest of the day. No snacking is allowed and generally only 2 or 3 meals are consumed per day. This puts the body into fat burning mode in between meals allowing you to burn fat and detoxify. Make sure to find grass-fed ghee because cows are not designed to eat grain and doing so alters the fatty acid profile of their milk to have more inflammatory omega-6 fats.

MCT Oil

MCT stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides. These are fatty acids that are notably abundant in coconut and palm oil. MCT oil has been found to have metabolism boosting thermogenic properties. Additionally, MCTs do not need to be metabolized by the liver before being utilized as energy in the mitochondria of the body’s cells. This means that MCTs can help keep you full and energized throughout the day. MCT oil has no effect on blood sugar so is great for those trying to lose weight by keeping carbs low. MCTs can be obtained by eating coconut and palm oil but for a more powerful and concentrated version of MCT use Dr. Colbert’s Maximum MCT.

Krill Oil

Krill oil is rich in the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. In krill oil these fats are more bioavailable due to their phospholipid delivery. Once delivered into the system these fats stimulate the mitochondria in the cells and increase glucose metabolism. Omega-3s improve the body’s response to insulin and keep blood sugar levels stable. This allows you to resist the urge to snack so you can continue to burn fat all day long. Krill oil is not only more bioavailable than fish oil but krill also comes with a substantial dose of the antioxidant astaxanthin which not only helps fight free-radicals but also keeps the oil from oxidizing so you know you are getting fresh and intact omega-3s. Dr. Colbert’s Living Krill oil product comes intact with phospholipids and astaxanthin.

Eat Fat, Lose Weight

By adding these high quality fats into your diet and lowering your carbohydrate consumption you jump start your body’s ability to burn fat and detoxify. The best part is with these delicious fatty options, weight loss does not need to be a result of deprivation. For expert guidance on weight loss with tutorial videos and recipes check out Dr. Colbert’s free 21 Day Keto Zone Challenge.

References

1. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/22/avocado-weight-management.aspx
2. http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/2013/04/truth-on-olive-oil-health
3. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/11/eating-nuts.aspx
4. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/18/Can-Krill-Help-with-Weight-Reduction.aspx