The Joy of Fat

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My photo

I am frequently asked “Will fat make me fat ?” to which I respond “NO!” Usually my client starts to fist pump the air and make statements like “Oh, I have missed butter.”  I usually tell them that in addition to butter another great fat is coconut oil, and they should add coconut oil into their diet along with butter. I will be discussing fat in great length over the next three newsletters.

Here are two reasons why we need fat:

The brain, 60% of the brain is composed of fat, phospholipids which contain about 50% help make up the brain cell membrane. When you eat saturated fats like butter and coconut oil you nourish the brain cells, when you don’t eat enough the brain cells are compromised in their function. An excellent brain breakfast is a soft yolk egg, such as poached or fried over easy in coconut oil, the yolk contains lecithin and choline, these brain fats are necessary  for school aged children and young adults. You will never nourish the brain function on pop tarts or cold cereal.

Saturated fats in the cells help to maintain cellular integrity. Every cell membrane is comprised of about 50% saturated fat. When we eat too many liquid vegetable oils, the membranes become floppy and misshapen and do not work well. Unlike a cell that has had proper saturated fats, which will have good stiffness and integrity to the shape of the cell.

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