On Fat and Being Fat

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I have a hard time navigating "fat". Both personally and professionally, I struggle with fat - both the kind on the body and the kind we are intended to eat.

See - I have learned that it is a sad coincidence that we use the same word to describe excess body composition as we do to describe a macronutrient that is vital for our brain health, body function, skin/nail/hair health, overall satiety, etc... - you name it, fat is vital for it.

But see, long ago, in the far off land called the 1970's, American Congress wanted to bring attention to the fact that dietary habits were leading to disease and premature death (an estimated 8 congressman had dropped dead of heart attacks over the past two decades). So, they held a hearing, where a Harvard Professor pointed to the harms of the overconsumption of fat. 

The hearing led to the first creating of dietary guidelines for United States citizens - reduce fat and eat more carbohydrates to live longer and be thinner.

Naturally, the food industry jumped right on board, immediately creating a whole host of the low-fat, fat-free, SUGAR LOADED diet products our grandparents raised our parents on (which of course led to the obesity epidemic our country is still neck-deep in), and which have entered our delicate psyches and mangled our natural instincts to eat fat.

As a recovered anorexic I still sometimes struggle with this. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE fat. I eat lots of it. Almonds, natural peanut butter, hummus, avocado, olive oil - the list goes on. I am a HUUUUGE fan of fats. But, in the back of my mind, and no matter how much I've learned about it, an uninvited (and rather rude!) voice still likes to chime in to weigh in on my dietary habits. She is ruthless, letting me know that I will surely be obese by this time tomorrow after adding peanut butter to my breakfast shake AND having avocado on my salad for lunch. Because no matter how much I've learned to the contrary, to her, eating fat = being fat. And being fat, is a one, big, FAT, no-no. 

And while I am more than capable of duct-taping her big mouth and throwing her in a closet in the recesses of my mind ('cause I'm gonna eat the healthy foods I and my body crave and deserve, thanks but no thanks for your opinion), she also gives me insight into the challenging mindset my clients are struggling with as well.

And unlike me, they may not have the awareness, education, desire or ability to shut their inner mean girl up (yes, my male clients have inner mean girls too!) And theirs, loud and clear, is telling them that if they eat fat, they will be fat, and if they are fat, they will be insert fear-based adjective here (alone, unhappy, unattractive, unsuccessful, unlovable, scared, weird, overweight, out of control, etc...)

So, as you can see, fat is a tough topic to navigate. I can scream from the rooftops all day that fat is vital for maintaining healthy skin and other tissues, for proper functioning of nerves and brain, as a source of energy, for forming steroid hormones (to regulate normal body processes). And my voice is LOUD.

But the thing is, they don't really care. Because what still matters most to (most of) them is being thin. To them, losing weight and being thin is the goal, and the very word "fat" is the EXACT opposite of what they are trying to accomplish. And even when I tell them that by eating more fat (especially plant-based fats), they will feel fuller and ultimately eat less of the stuff that is creating weight gain, they don't really hear me.

Why? Because telling someone who wants to be thin that they need to ingest fat is like telling someone who wants long hair to trim it regularly so that it grows. It is the opposite of anything they can get their minds around.

I seriously think we need to change the word for dietary fat. I think we need to call it something with a neutral or positive connotation. It just isn't working for us, and we are staying lost in a spiral of eating empty calories and sugar, growing larger and unhealthier in both body AND mind.

I'd like to call it something like "brain food", or "earth candy", or "sexy fuel" or something outlandishly WEIRD that helps us get it. Because we just don't. 

Of course I'm going to keep trying. I'm going to keep waving my fat flag up, down, and all around. But I need a little help. We all do.

For those of you who want to add some crazy, sexy "brain food" to your diet, I applaud you. Here's a list of some excellent sources to start with!

How do you feel about "earth candy"? How does it fit into your diet?