By Sadiqua Hamdan

In the old days, the first thing that came to my mind when I heard the word “healthy” was avoiding fat.  I was all about “low fat” and “fat free” food, thinking it was the key to helping me outlive my parents by thirty years.  Anything I read in magazines or heard in the news supported this line of thinking.

The math also seemed to support this logic: ONE regular nutty bar was worse than eating THREE low fat ones.  Following this rule eliminated 95% of the guilt I felt for thinking about WANTING a nutty bar.  Technology could now be credited for introducing healthier, good tasting alternatives for our favorite (and not so healthy) foods.  I now believe the low fat label was a clever mind trick that justified eating any fat-in-the-ass food.   

Low Fat Junk Food is Still Junk Food

Low fat was a great template that worked for any food that was deemed as a snack or not really healthy.  This included cheese popcorn, mayonnaise, corn nuts, chips, ice cream, double chocolate muffins and apple cinnamon bagels.

It took me awhile to figure out that that low fat junk food was still junk food.  It’s not like manufacturers removed wholesome butter and replaced it with applesauce.  It was still processed food, full of hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrups, artificial sugars and sweeteners. 

Fewer Calories Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Fewer Pounds

My aha! moment came when I realized paying attention to the quality of ingredients was more important than focusing solely on calories and fat grams.  The type of fat was equally important.  It now makes sense why my scale’s needle didn’t tip to the left, and if it did, didn't stay there very long.

On a side note, I remember the first and last time I tried a rice cake and thought the taste tester and marketing genius behind that idea should have been shot after being forced to eat ten of them in a row.   I felt cheated out of $2.95 plus tax because I could have chewed on a brown paper bag for the price of zero dollars and cents.  Anyone in their right mind knew that a  cracker could outperform the role and taste of a rice cake.

Today’s Final Thoughts on Fat

Whether you want to lose weight or maintain your size 3 frame, your daily intake should include fat.  It’s all about choosing the right fats and oils and avoiding processed foods.   Those of us who take shortcuts by buying low fat or diet foods are cheating ourselves out of the health benefits from nutrient rich sources, such as eggs (the yolk is just as important as the egg white), animal fats (butter, lard), unrefined coconut oil and fish oil.  I’m going to expand on this short list and share in more detail what I’ve learned…stay tuned.