Does Fat Make You Fat? What Really Causes Obesity
Does Eating Fat Make You Fat?
Listening to most commercials or reading ads might convince you that the way to avoid getting fat is to avoid eating fat. It makes intuitive sense. If it were that simple, most Americans wouldn’t need a weight loss program.
What Happened When Americans Went on a Low Fat Diet
Twenty-plus years ago we went on a nationwide “experiment” in that arena and low fat became extremely popular. Low-fat and non-fat versions of many foods were produced with the hope of making Americans not only less obese but there was also the intention of reducing heart disease, our number one leading killer of both men and women in the U.S. What did we find after almost twenty years of dutifully eschewing fat at (almost) every turn?
We were fatter, heart disease risk had risen and diabetes risk had skyrocketed. What went wrong? It turns out that fat doesn’t make you fat – simple carbohydrates, however, do.
Why Do Simple Carbohydrates Cause Obesity
When you remove the fat from food, like cookies, for instance, you have to maintain palatability somehow. This is done by raising their sugar content. Sugar and simple carbohydrates such as refined grains, cause the body to produce an insulin release. While it’s normal to produce some insulin in response to a meal, those meals that are very high in simple carbohydrates (imagine a large serving of white bread or white pasta) cause a large release of insulin.
Insulin has many jobs, and one of them is that it’s a fat-storage hormone. Therefore eating high simple carbohydrate meals (with very low fat), over time, induces the body to store fat! Counterintuitive perhaps, but true nonetheless. And insulin is so efficient at storing the carbs that blood sugar tends to plummet rather quickly after a high carbohydrate meal, leaving you unsatisfied and craving more simple carbs rather quickly. You are now officially on the carb craving, insulin, and fat producing merry-go-round!
The advent of low-fat diets brought an increased incidence of depression and anxiety, in addition to increasing obesity in America. Why? We’ll answer that soon. But here’s a hint: you need good fat to make good hormones…
What Can You Do About It?
The solution is to do the following:
• Find out why your body is not being nourished by what you’re feeding it. Remember if your cells were well-nourished, you wouldn’t have cravings.
• Discover if you have any food sensitivities that are creating stress on your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
• Evaluate if you have any hidden infections or an imbalance of the good bacteria of your intestine (good bacteria number 60 trillion when healthy!)
• Uncover if the body is suffering from a burden of toxins.
While you can’t do the above without some help; that is our specialty. There are no drugs or surgery involved – just a natural weight loss program tailored to you and your specific needs. Let us know when you’re ready to start.
Do you need help with your health?
We have the diagnostic and testing tools, the clinical experience, and a different medical approach to discovering the root cause of why you have the symptoms that are bothering you. As long as you are ready to make some dietary and lifestyle changes, we can help you. We will "hold your hand" through the changes, step by step, to make each step an easy one. We are located in Clearwater, FL, at 1000 S Ft Harrison, at the corner of Ft. Harrison Ave. and Magnolia St. There is plenty of parking space directly accessible from Ft Harrison. If it is not convenient for you to come to Root Cause Medical Clinic, we offer telehealth/telemedicine consultations to residents of certain states. Call us for details.
Contact us for a Consultation – Call 727-335-0400
Dr. Vikki Petersen DC. CCN
Founder of Root Cause Medical Clinic
Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner
Dr Vikki Petersen is a public speaker, author of two books, several eBooks and creates cutting edge content for her YouTube community. Dr Vikki is committed to bringing Root Cause Medicine and its unique approach to restoring health naturally to the world.