“There is nothing inherent in fat that increases the risk of weight gain.” HA! The National Heart Association of Australia has finally verified what millions of Atkins dieters already know: eating fat doesn’t make you fat. Of course, the article includes criticism from the director of the NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition, who worries that this information will “undermine weight-control intiatives”. In other words, there’s a lot of money to be made in promoting low-fat diets and he thinks the Association should’ve lied or covered up their results for the good of the Australian people. (I’m paraphrasing, but what other interpretation is there in a quote like: “Policymakers must take care that they are not blinded by science to the realities of the prevailing food environment”? Blinded by science??)
brigita
September 22, 2003 — 11:30 pm
no judgement intended, but haven’t high-fat diets been linked to an increase in certain types of cancers?
Kris
September 22, 2003 — 11:41 pm
Oh, I’m not saying fat = good. Just that the stuff that you eat and the stuff that coagulates on your bum aren’t directly related. You may well be right about the cancer risk. We’re not eating Crisco out of the can or anything. 🙂
brigita
September 23, 2003 — 12:54 am
and not all fat is inherently bad. you and i might be on opposite ends of the dietary spectrum, but if it works for you, who am i to argue? and we’ll always have cheese in common. 😉
Tricia
September 24, 2003 — 3:02 am
I don’t think that most people doing atkins eat more fat than the rest of us, anyway. When you cut out the french fries, chips, bagels mit cream cheese, ice cream… (you get the picture) a few ounces of cheese, salad dressing, and a little more meat than usual doesn’t come to much. When you cut out fat, however, it’s easy to rack up the simple carbs (like those girls in college who lived on plain bagels, fat free yoghurt, gummy bears and beer and wondered why they were gaining weight on fat free diets).
Kris
September 24, 2003 — 10:39 am
Exactly, Tricia. When I’m shopping I usually look for a low-fat option, but 9 times out of 10 it’s got so much added sugar that I’m better off getting the full fat. (Yoghurt and salad dressings are the worst offenders, I think.) I think the main difference is just that we don’t really care about fat. I’d rather cook my chicken breast in a little olive oil and butter and not worry about it than use some freaky chemical low-fat spray. (And margarine is just plain *bad* for you all around.)
kristen
September 24, 2003 — 6:52 pm
recent discovery: chicken breast pan fried after marinating in a generous quantity of pesto sauce. yummy, and atkins friendly, i think.
Kris
September 24, 2003 — 7:48 pm
Mmm, total low-carb yummalicious-sounding! Now if only my basil seeds would germinate! 🙂