The Science behind vintage eating
The research supporting a full-fat vintage diet is robust. Here are the most important things you need to know about vintage eating—why it is safe for most people and how it can improve health.
The Science behind vintage eating
The research supporting a full-fat vintage diet is robust. Here are the most important things you need to know about vintage eating—why it is safe for most people and how it can improve health.
40 years of low-fat failure
After the USDA recommended a low-fat diet, obesity and diabetes rates took off. We turned to our food manufacturers to help us take the fat out of our food, and, as a result, began eating more and more ultra-processed food. Breakfast started to look like dessert, as we replaced eggs with processed cereals and sweetened yogurt. Snacks like granola bars, pretzels, crackers, and chips became daily necessities to keep us full between low-fat (but less satisfying) meals.
Let's go back to whole-food, full-fat vintage meals. Like the meals we ate when far fewer people struggled with weight, and when type-2 diabetes was far less common.
Top 10 reasons to eat more fat
Natural fat, especially saturated fat, has been demonized for decades. But modern science is vindicating the fat humans have eaten for millennia, and it is increasingly pointing the finger at ultra-processed foods instead—especially refined sugars and starches.
Eating the fat found in whole foods and cutting way back on sugar as well as refined grains and oils (were looking at you, whole wheat bread and margarine) has lots of advantages.
Top 10 reasons to eat more fat
Natural fat, especially saturated fat, has been demonized for decades. But modern science is vindicating the fat humans have eaten for millennia, and it is increasingly pointing the finger at ultra-processed foods instead—especially refined sugars and starches.
Eating the fat found in whole foods and cutting way back on sugar as well as refined grains and oils (were looking at you, whole wheat bread and margarine) has lots of advantages.
1
Raise HDL
Science says: Adding saturated fat and subtracting carbohydrates raises HDL — your “good” cholesterol.
2
lower bad triglycerides
Science also says: Adding saturated fat and subtracting carbohydrates lowers triglycerides— and you want these low.
3
Less Liver fat
Cutting way back on dietary carbs and substituting fat can quickly begin to reverse NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease), which affects about 1/3 of American adults.
4
Less Hunger
Fats are energy dense, so you feel satisfied and full—and stay that way until the next meal. Fats help you say goodbye to HANGRY.
5
Stable Blood Sugar
Fat provides calories without a blood sugar roller coaster ride. So you can fill up without a blood sugar spike and the crash that follows. Plus, a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates lowers your blood sugar, which is great for fighting type 2 diabetes.
6
better vitamin absorption
Fat with food improves vitamin and mineral absorption, including Vitamin D, calcium and other micronutrients. So you'll get more from your veggies if you add butter!
7
reduce Fillers & sugar
Keeping the natural fats in foods keeps sugar, artificial flavors, and thickeners out.
8
harmless
Saturated fat is harmless. Humans have been eating saturated fat for millennia. There’s no reason not to keep right on eating it.
9
affordable & Easy
Fat makes meat affordable, easy to cook, and juicy. Leaner cuts of meat are more expensive and more likely to be tough rather than tender when you cook them.
10
Tastier food
Fats carry the flavor of food. Creamy dips or melted butter make veggies taste sweet and luscious, instead of bitter and boring. And natural fats taste great all by themselves. In a word: butter.
full-fat means less hunger and a better chance at weight loss
Most people assume eating a lot of fat will make them fat. Fat is energy dense; it has a lot of calories. So it must make you fat, right? But this thinking ignores the complex interplay between what we eat and our hormones. It also conveniently ignores HUNGER, which is a powerful force, especially over the long-term.
Why might a full-fat vintage diet (that minimizes refined carbohydrates and focuses instead on full-fat food) help tame hunger and burn fat?
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW EATING MORE FAT CAN MAKE YOU THIN.
It turns out that study after study shows a low-carb, high-fat diet is more effective for weight loss than a low-fat diet. And subjects on high-fat diets often see improvements in other health markers: lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and better overall cholesterol profile (higher HDL and lower triglycerides). Take a look at the science and see for yourself!
MORE THAN 70 STUDIES WHERE LOW-CARB PERFORMS AS WELL AS OR BETTER THAN LOW-FAT.
full-fat means less hunger and a better chance at weight loss
Most people assume eating a lot of fat will make them fat. Fat is energy dense; it has a lot of calories. So it must make you fat, right? But this thinking ignores the complex interplay between what we eat and our hormones. It also conveniently ignores HUNGER, which is a powerful force, especially over the long-term.
Why might a full-fat vintage diet (that minimizes refined carbohydrates and focuses instead on full-fat food) help tame hunger and burn fat?
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW EATING MORE FAT CAN MAKE YOU THIN.
It turns out that study after study shows a low-carb, high-fat diet is more effective for weight loss than a low-fat diet. And subjects on high-fat diets often see improvements in other health markers: lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and better overall cholesterol profile (higher HDL and lower triglycerides). Take a look at the science and see for yourself!
MORE THAN 70 STUDIES WHERE LOW-CARB PERFORMS AS WELL AS OR BETTER THAN LOW-FAT.
Reverse diabetes with a very low-carb diet
Almost half of American adults either have diabetes (~10%) or are on the path to diabetes (pre-diabetes ~36%). What in the heck is going on? Many scientists think that our carb-heavy low-fat diet is to blame.
For decades, type 2 diabetes has been treated as a progressive disease, managed with "eat less, exercise more" advice and a gradually increasing regimen of drugs. But new evidence shows that for many patients, a very low-carb diet can return blood sugar levels to the normal range, resolving type 2 diabetes, and eliminating the need for medications. Most of these patients also lose weight, reduce liver fat, reduce blood pressure, and improve their cardiovascular disease risk profile while reversing diabetes. It is a win-win-win-win-win.
fat, cholesterol and your heart
Forty years ago, the scientific and medical communities told us that we should eat a low-fat diet to reduce heart disease risk. Since then, the treatment of heart conditions has improved dramatically, and deaths from heart disease have fallen. BUT, incidence of heart disease has barely budged. In fact, the American Heart Association reports that last year, 41.6% of American adults have heart disease.
Over the last four decades, the science has changed, and is far from settled. Trials that were designed to confirm that low-fat eating was better for heart health often showed the opposite result. And our understanding of cholesterol has evolved. Today, most scientists agree that eating cholesterol is safe. Although there is still disagreement about saturated fat, most scientists agree that replacing it with refined carbohydrates (as we were told to do by the Food Pyramid) increases your risk of heart disease. To delve into the details, with many links and references, click through, below.
fat, cholesterol and your heart
Forty years ago, the scientific and medical communities told us that we should eat a low-fat diet to reduce heart disease risk. Since then, the treatment of heart conditions has improved dramatically, and deaths from heart disease have fallen. BUT, incidence of heart disease has barely budged. In fact, the American Heart Association reports that last year, 41.6% of American adults have heart disease.
Over the last four decades, the science has changed, and is far from settled. Trials that were designed to confirm that low-fat eating was better for heart health often showed the opposite result. And our understanding of cholesterol has evolved. Today, most scientists agree that eating cholesterol is safe. Although there is still disagreement about saturated fat, most scientists agree that replacing it with refined carbohydrates (as we were told to do by the Food Pyramid) increases your risk of heart disease. To delve into the details, with many links and references, click through, below.
Your journey to Vintage Eating continues
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