This was published 7 years ago
Why we should stop talking about eating fat
By Sarah Berry
Polyunsaturated what? Omega who?
When people start breaking down my precious, delicious food into their macros and micros my eyes begin to glaze.
'Good' fat or 'bad', they're still French fries.Credit: Stocksy
Not only is it an utterly joyless way to discuss what is meant to nourish and give joy, but new research has highlighted how confusing the science speak of food is to many people.
In the International Food Information Council survey, 39 per cent of respondents said they actively avoided fats and oils, with 30 per cent saying they specifically steer clear of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats – which are the "good" fats.
Additionally, the 37 per cent who said they tried to include omega-3s in their diet clearly did not realise that omega-3s are themselves a polyunsaturated fat.
Instead of talking about fats or carbs, sugars or gluten and whether or not to include or avoid them, are we not better off discussing actual foods? With more than 60 per cent of Australian adults and one quarter of Australian children overweight or obese, we surely need fewer barriers to knowing how to eat well.
Besides, by choosing fresh, whole foods over the packaged versions that have been fortified with fibre (or whatever else), we don't run the risk of being duped by the clever marketing of nutrient-fortified processed foods.
"While advice emphasises nutrients, we will be bombarded with nutrient-enriched junk food and an undeserved (and potentially problematic) reliance on supplements," agrees dietitian Rosemary Stanton.
When our focus is mistakenly on nutrients, we can miss the point, which is that the source is what is important.
"Even when we look at one nutrient like saturated fats – more correctly a group – they can behave differently depending on the source," explains Dr Joanna McMillan. "A party pie high in saturated fat is not the same as a portion of cheese, for example."
Although saturated fats, for instance, have been removed from the naughty list (assuming they're coming from an unprocessed source), when we start to talk about nutrients as either "good" or "bad" we can lose perspective about the need for balance with any food.
"It's true that the percentage of calories from fat is not related to obesity," she says. "However, it's not correct to push that so far as to imply (or state) that fat won't make you fat. The total calories consumed is relevant. Too much of anything – including foods full of 'good' fats will increase weight. Calories do count."
Nutrients count too, but by looking to foods and ways of eating instead of the breakdown of calories or macros, we can reduce confusion and, hopefully, inject the pleasure back in to eating.
The Mediterranean and Japanese diets, with their abundance of fish, vegetables and natural fats for instance, are healthful and naturally incorporate a variety of nutrients without us having to dissect the parts.
"The strongest evidence we have is for dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet or the Japanese diet as being good for long-term health," McMillan says. "Our guidelines are changing to reflect this though and we do now talk more on goods rather than isolated nutrients.
"I think it helps people know how to improve their eating whereas talking nutrients gets confusing. Of course we still need to understand the roles of individual nutrients and where we find them – but it's my job along with all other nutritionists and dietitians to translate this knowledge into food choices."
Stanton adds that The Australian Dietary Guidelines are "food-based rather than nutrient based" and says that redirecting our focus in this way ironically helps us to get the nutrients that we need and avoid the ones we don't.
"In summary, we should stop fussing about calories and fat and sugar and any other single thing and just eat good real foods and much less junk," Stanton says. "Junk foods are still junk foods whether they're high in sugar or fat – and the fact that the average Australian takes in 35 per cent of their calories from junk food (40 per cent for children) is the elephant in the room."
Fats: for the record
Sources of monounsaturated fat include:
Avocados, almonds, cashews and peanuts, cooking oils made from plants or seeds like canola, olive, peanut, soybean, rice bran, sesame and sunflower oils.
Sources of polyunsaturated fat (both omega-3 and omega-6) include:
Fish, tahini (sesame seed spread), linseed (flaxseed) and chia seeds, pine nuts, walnuts and brazil nuts.
Chew the fat
Stanton says we should use our stomachs as our guides, but there is a caveat.
"For people who mainly eat when they are genuinely hungry (because their stomach is empty), fats are digested slowly and so are filling and delay hunger. Studies with nuts show that they are filling and will delay any return of hunger," she says.
"Eating when you are 'hungry' does need to be defined, because some people feel 'hungry' for particular foods even when their stomach is full. Examples are eating rich chocolates at the end of a big meal or ducking in for some chips because you are enticed by the smell (which is the smell of the fat.)
"For people who are in the habit of eating even when their stomach is not empty, adding lots of foods high in fat will contribute lots of extra calories. If they translate this into thinking it's OK to have lots of fried foods – or big bowls of peanuts (with a few beers, for example), they will get fat, unless they're very active. (It's also relevant to note that people who are very active tend to eat when their stomach is empty and stop when they're full so this won't apply to them.)"