Going Low Fat

[Andrew Gubb]

Today is my first day of a low fat trial.

As you may or may not know, I'm currently following a vegan, gluten-free diet. I aim to follow a 100% raw diet (and later try breatharianism), but for the moment I average roughly 50% raw.

I heard about the whole low fat thing from the raw food gurus I follow, especially Douglas Graham. According to them excess fat contributes to candida, low energy levels, fatigue and various other issues. Certainly I don't feel at all drawn to a high fat raw food diet, though I haven't been limiting fat in my normal (cooked) diet at all until now.

I'm going to do maximum 15% fat. In practical terms, as I won't be too anal about the calculations, I'll assume I consume 2500 calories a day and 50% raw food calories. I can have 375 cal of fat a day, but I will only consume 175 cal (7%) of *overt* fat like oils and avocado, as the rest comes from the small amount in normal food like fruit and grains.

I'm doing a month to see what happens. I'll report back with whatever I notice, if anything.

[shawnmihalik]

I look forward to your results. I have a feeling that they'll surprise you.

[ChrisGinsburg]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

Today is my first day of a low fat trial.

As you may or may not know, I'm currently following a vegan, gluten-free diet. I aim to follow a 100% raw diet (and later try breatharianism), but for the moment I average roughly 50% raw.

I heard about the whole low fat thing from the raw food gurus I follow, especially Douglas Graham. According to them excess fat contributes to candida, low energy levels, fatigue and various other issues. Certainly I don't feel at all drawn to a high fat raw food diet, though I haven't been limiting fat in my normal (cooked) diet at all until now.

I'm going to do maximum 15% fat. In practical terms, as I won't be too anal about the calculations, I'll assume I consume 2500 calories a day and 50% raw food calories. I can have 375 cal of fat a day, but I will only consume 175 cal (7%) of *overt* fat like oils and avocado, as the rest comes from the small amount in normal food like fruit and grains.

I'm doing a month to see what happens. I'll report back with whatever I notice, if anything.

How does fat contribute to candida considering it's a yeast that feeds on sugars?

[BigBruvOfEnglandUK]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

Today is my first day of a low fat trial.

As you may or may not know, I'm currently following a vegan, gluten-free diet. I aim to follow a 100% raw diet (and later try breatharianism),

Why not go straight into breatharianism?

[lookcloser]

Good luck Gubby!!

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by ChrisGinsburg

How does fat contribute to candida considering it's a yeast that feeds on sugars?

The explanation is that fat reduces the cell's ability to absorb and use sugars, which cause them to remain in the bloodstream. Because of this, candida can feed on the sugars.

The same thing was supposed to be a partial cause for diabetes now that I think about it.

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by lookcloser

Good luck Gubby!!

Thanks LC!!

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by BigBruvOfEnglandUK

Why not go straight into breatharianism?

I think it makes sense to purify the body a bit first. I could try breatharianism now, but I might go into "healing crisis" and so on. Raw foods is valuable training in the same emotional poise and energy management you'll need for breatharianism.

[tomw]

According to them excess fat contributes to candida, low energy levels, fatigue and various other issues.

What percentage of fat do they feel contributes to this?

The explanation is that fat reduces the cell's ability to absorb and use sugars, which cause them to remain in the bloodstream

I wonder how they would explain the fact that when you consume sugars alone, insulin tends to spike. Eating sugars along with protein and fat reduces this.

[Andrew Gubb]

Anything above 10 or 15% depending on who you ask.

I suspect the second thing is to do with the fact that the fats in the bloodstream build up over time.

[shawnmihalik]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

Anything above 10 or 15% depending on who you ask.

I suspect the second thing is to do with the fact that the fats in the bloodstream build up over time.

Except, of course, that it doesn't, unless your diet is high in carbohydrates.

[ginkgo]

The healthiest foods are fruits and vegetables. The majority of them are very low in fat. So if you eat healthy then you will not need to worry about excess fat.

For example avocados are fruit that are mostly fat. 3.5 ounces of them has 14 grams of fat. A pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream has 56 grams of fat. An orange or apple has less than 1 gram of fat.

[beast]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

The healthiest foods are fruits and vegetables. The majority of them are very low in fat. So if you eat healthy then you will not need to worry about excess fat.

For example avocados are fruit that are mostly fat. 3.5 ounces of them has 14 grams of fat. A pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream has 56 grams of fat. An orange or apple has less than 1 gram of fat.

A serving of ice cream is 1/4 of a pint, or...14 grams of fat! I don't know anyone who eats a whole pint of ice cream in one sitting.

[ChrisGinsburg]

Originally Posted by beast

A serving of ice cream is 1/4 of a pint, or...14 grams of fat! I don't know anyone who eats a whole pint of ice cream in one sitting.

There's people who eat a whole gallon in one setting.

[beast]

Originally Posted by ChrisGinsburg

There's people who eat a whole gallon in one setting.

Well, sure there are, but it's still a bit disingenous to compare the nutrition info for a pint of ice cream vs. an orange, don't you think?

(For the record, I would find it equally disingenuous if someone posted - "hey, a serving of Ben & Jerry's only has 20 grams of sugar - 4 oranges contain 60 grams of sugar! Clearly Ben & Jerry's is a healthier choice!")

[ChrisGinsburg]

Originally Posted by beast

Well, sure there are, but it's still a bit disingenous to compare the nutrition info for a pint of ice cream vs. an orange, don't you think?

(For the record, I would find it equall disingenuous if someone posted - "hey, a serving of Ben & Jerry's only has 20 grams of sugar - 4 oranges contain 60 grams of sugar! Clearly Ben & Jerry's is a healthier choice!")

Yea, it's a whole different ball game with the sugars from the two respective sources.

[beast]

Originally Posted by ChrisGinsburg

Yea, it's a whole different ball game with the sugars from the two respective sources.

Maybe, but you wouldn't compare 4 servings of one food to 1 serving of another food in order to demonstrate their nutritional differences, right?

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

The healthiest foods are fruits and vegetables. The majority of them are very low in fat. So if you eat healthy then you will not need to worry about excess fat.

For example avocados are fruit that are mostly fat. 3.5 ounces of them has 14 grams of fat. A pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream has 56 grams of fat. An orange or apple has less than 1 gram of fat.

To compare better, 3.5 ounces of ice cream has 10.64 grams of fat...

I'm not sure if I buy the "eat whatever you like so long as it's fruit and veg" idea... fat is fat, even if avocado fat is way better.

[ChannelingMyself]

There are a such thing as good fats that you can eat. I actually drink whole milk, eat cashews, avocados, and butter. I work out and eat sensibly and I am able to stay fit. Good luck on your 30 day trial.

[BigBruvOfEnglandUK]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

The healthiest foods are fruits and vegetables.

The healthiest foods are those that supply a decent amount of essential vitamins and a good balance of proteins and fats. Meat and eggs fit the bill perfectly.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by ChannelingMyself

There are a such thing as good fats that you can eat. I actually drink whole milk, eat cashews, avocados, and butter. I work out and eat sensibly and I am able to stay fit. Good luck on your 30 day trial.

I cook everything in bacon grease. The only bad fat, is from processed foods.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

To compare better, 3.5 ounces of ice cream has 10.64 grams of fat...

I'm not sure if I buy the "eat whatever you like so long as it's fruit and veg" idea... fat is fat, even if avocado fat is way better.

lol I like that Andrew corrected Ginkgo

[tomw]

Anything above 10 or 15% depending on who you ask.

According to them excess fat contributes to candida, low energy levels, fatigue and various other issues.

I can't speak for everyone, but I get around 30% of my calories from fat. I've done so for over 30 yrs, and have never experienced either of those symptoms.

[scorpio1980]

Now I think a temporary low fat diet has it's benefits in cleaning the system so to speak, and resetting things, I have felt this myself. The idea to go on a continuous low fat diet has some major drawbacks. The correlation is staggering that as a nation we had much better health when we ate more fat, particularly the animal variety. Everybody used to cook everything in lard, including my 97 year old grandfather who still does, and is healthy as a horse. The difference in health is everyone ate tons of home grown veggies as well. The idea to get the majority of ones calories from fruit is also fairly new, unless you may have been brought up in the tropics, but even then fish would be a major part of the diet. If you lived anywhere other than the tropics, you would eat fruit when it was in season, and big part of that fruit would be low glycemic fruit. Besides to compare the fruit of today to the fruit of centuries or thousands of years ago is crazy. The fruit has been bred to have way more fructose sugar. Fat is not unhealthy, it was the low fat craze of the 80's and 90's that got us sicker than ever.

[Cuore]

Good luck with your trial, Andrew.

And, I read the thread you began about breatharianism and I'm waiting for the moment you go into it and tell us about.

[kat]

Originally Posted by scorpio1980

Now I think a temporary low fat diet has it's benefits in cleaning the system so to speak, and resetting things, I have felt this myself. The idea to go on a continuous low fat diet has some major drawbacks.

What do you see the actual drawbacks of a continuous low fat diet being?

Originally Posted by scorpio1980

The correlation is staggering that as a nation we had much better health when we ate more fat, particularly the animal variety. Everybody used to cook everything in lard, including my 97 year old grandfather who still does, and is healthy as a horse. The difference in health is everyone ate tons of home grown veggies as well. The idea to get the majority of ones calories from fruit is also fairly new, unless you may have been brought up in the tropics, but even then fish would be a major part of the diet. If you lived anywhere other than the tropics, you would eat fruit when it was in season, and big part of that fruit would be low glycemic fruit. Besides to compare the fruit of today to the fruit of centuries or thousands of years ago is crazy. The fruit has been bred to have way more fructose sugar. Fat is not unhealthy, it was the low fat craze of the 80's and 90's that got us sicker than ever.

Getting the majority of calories from fruit doesn't match how most of the world eats - we agree on that.

Your 97 year old grandfather doesn't prove anything, sadly. There are 97 year old smokers, and smoking rates in the USA have been decreasing, but that doesn't make smoking healthy for you... correlation is not causation.

The low fat craze of the 80s and 90s had some negative effects. However, fat consumption in the USA actually increased during that time. You can't judge the effects of a craze on health when the actual data shows the opposite of that craze happening in practice!

I'm not convinced about the benefits of low-fat diets for the general population (although I think Dr. Ornish, among others, is worth reading). But I think the idea should be debated on its actual merits and actual data, not common misconceptions. Be well, and be careful of your sources.

[beast]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

lol I like that Andrew corrected Ginkgo

Only because he was questioning whether any fat could be healthy!

[shawnmihalik]

Originally Posted by kat

I'm not convinced about the benefits of low-fat diets for the general population (although I think Dr. Ornish, among others, is worth reading). But I think the idea should be debated on its actual merits and actual data, not common misconceptions. Be well, and be careful of your sources.

The actual data, especially the data often cited in favor of low-fat diets, shows that low-fat diets are in fact unhealthy and that high-fat diets are not only healthy but also optimal.

[kat]

Originally Posted by shawnmihalik

The actual data, especially the data often cited in favor of low-fat diets, shows that low-fat diets are in fact unhealthy and that high-fat diets are not only healthy but also optimal.

What are your sources? (If I'm unfamiliar with them, I'd like to read them).

[shawnmihalik]

Originally Posted by kat

What are your sources? (If I'm unfamiliar with them, I'd like to read them).

If you check out this lecture, the lecturer does a far better job breaking down the studies and explaining it than I could. The lecture is almost an hour long, but the first couple parts are just about bad science in general, so skipping to part 3 or so will get you into the meat of the information about fat (no pun intended).