In this new series, I’m going to show you the fallacies of processed foods, and the claims made on the labels of many foods you will find in the grocery store.

One by one, I’ll go through various types of packaged foods you may recognize and eat, and may even be under the false assumption that these foods have worthwhile health benefits.

In this post, I’ll talk about one of the darlings of the processed food world: low-fat foods. These foods are the craze of the mainstream health community. For decades, doctors, health “experts”, personal trainers, and dietitians have touted the benefits of eating low-fat and low-calorie foods.

Experts repeatedly warn us about fat and cholesterol being bad for our health and that these foods will contribute to weight gain, heart disease, stoke, high blood pressure, and cancer.

Here are some things you may not know about low-fat foods:

• Most low-fat foods are highly processed and full of chemicals and other artificial ingredients which contribute to health problems

• Removing fat always means adding sugar

• These foods don’t help you lose weight because they have been altered from their original state found in nature, and no longer have co-factors, enzymes, and amino acids necessary for digestion. Your body won’t know what to do with these substances that don’t quite resemble food. They’ll make you fat much quicker than they’ll slim you down

• Some foods that don’t say low-fat on the front of the label reveal otherwise when you read the ingredients. A good example are many dairy products such as milk, sour cream, and cheese. Check labels of many dairy products in the grocery store and you’ll see this to be true. Check the information on these foods (some are organic) and notice the inclusion of fat-free, non-fat and other skim or low-fat ingredients

• Some of the so-called “heart healthy” foods on the market contain polyunsaturated fats such as canola oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, and others which are unstable when heated and are often already rancid on the shelf, will clog your arteries, and contain too many Omega 6s which contribute to inflammation and disease

Instead of low-fat, non-fat, and fat-free foods, eat:

• Plenty of real, healthy fats like butter, lard & tallow from healthy animals on pasture, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil, and fermented cod liver oil

• Dairy products that are preferably raw, and whole-fat like milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, and cream cheese from healthy cows on pasture without preservatives, additives, hormones, or antibiotics

• Meats and poultry from grass-fed animals, and don’t trim the fat off. Fat from healthy animals on pasture contains the correct ratios of enzymes and nutrients your body can recognize, absorb, and use for health

Some of the health benefits of fats:

• Foods with fat contain more nutrients than those without, and especially fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K which are necessary to absorb other nutrients in the foods you eat.

• Enhances our immune system performance

• Are critical to bone, cell, and skin health

• Strengthen our digestive tract and protect against harmful microorganisms found there

• Provide an easily absorbed source of energy for the body, which will keep you full longer and provide the staying power to keep you going

• Are essential to nervous system, brain, and cardiovascular function

Dr. Weston A. Price who studied traditional diets of people living all over the world discovered that all populations who ate animal fats and animal products containing fat and cholesterol had superior health and were largely free from disease and illness. Ditch toxic, processed foods and eat foods containing healthy fat with abandon and watch your health soar!

Suggested reading:

Know Your Fats – Mary G. Enig, PhD.

The Great Cholesterol Con:- The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It – Dr. Malcolm Kendrick

More information:

Does dietary fat increase blood cholesterol? An informal review of observational studies – Whole Health Source, Stephan Guyenet

The definitive guide to saturated fat – Mark’s Daily Apple

Don’t be a calorie counter – eat fat and lose weight!

Fat-free, low-fat, and non-fat do not equal health

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday Carnival.