The Skinny on Fat

This Week's Step

This week we'll be looking at Fats and oils. Fat-free foods are not the goal of the UnDieter. Fat is not the enemy. Repeat after me: Fat- IS - NOT - THE - ENEMY. But neither can you ignore Fat. You still need to consider the Fat & oil content of your foods. There are three factors you want to be aware of. First, we'll take a look at what types of Fats and oils you're using. Second, we'll explore ways you can cut down on Fats and oils without sacrificing taste. Third we'll look at the most favorable combinations for Fats with other food groups.

Note: New research supports fat as a food group so from now on you'll see me capitalizing Fat and sometimes Oil when I'm referring to it as a food group.

What Types of Fats & Oils Are The Best For You

One of the best reasons not to cut out the Fat is that it curbs your hunger and helps keep your insulin level steady.

It's best though to use only unrefined, cold-pressed oils. When purchasing extra-virgin olive oil look for those from the first pressing. When an oil is allowed to retain it's natural enzymes by not being exposed to heat it contains within itself the mechanism necessary for proper digestion and can move quickly and efficiently through your body creating much less Fatty deposits than a refined oil will. The essential Fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6 are transformed by your body into hormone-like substances. These Fatty acids don't store Fat in your body like saturated Fat. The refining process also creates trans-Fatty acids which are the catalysts for all Fat-related degenerative diseases, including weight gain.

Fats and oils, including nuts, seeds, olives and avocados, curb your appetite and help to prevent overeating because your body takes nine times longer to burn up Fat calories than it takes to burn complex carbohydrate calories. Lipase is the enzyme that breaks down Fats in your body. It is contained in all live foods such as raw nuts and seeds, avocados, raw olives, unpasteurized cream, butter made from unpasteurized cream ...

Sources for unrefined, cold-pressed oils will be provided in the monthly Updates.

Cut the Fat

Before you start objecting that the UnDiet isn't supposed to be about cutting calories let me explain. Less calories does equal less weight, it's just not very effective or practical to make it the only tool in your weight loss tool box. When you use it as one of many tools though it's very effective. So when I can cut calories without sacrificing flavor I do.

My basic rule of thumb is to eliminate Fats that don't add flavor to my food and enjoy the ones that do. For this reason I don't add oil to:

• salsas (which also make excellent salad dressings)
• guacamole (granted the avocado has a lot of Fat, but there's no need to add any other Fats or oils)
• homemade sandwich breads & look for storebought breads made without oils
• I use Nasoya soy mayonnaise which is almost fat free & tastes just as good as regular mayo & almost as good as homemade mayo
• tomato pasta sauce - add a bit of pureed olives for a knockout olive taste with very little added Fat
• homemade tortillas can be made completely free of any fats or oils (fat free storebought tortillas taste awful though)
• homemade tortilla chips (made from homemade or storebought corn or whole wheat tortillas) can be baked with just a touch of oil sprayed on top - again the fat free storebought chips don't taste good at all)
• many baked goods (with the new research you can use pureed, preferably Acid, Fruits or pumpkin in place of the Fat)
• marinades can be made with Fruit or veggie juice, veggie or mock chicken broth, miso broth, wine ... in place of the oil without any loss of flavor - I often prefer these marinades to my old olive oil based marinades

Below are some techniques and ideas for cutting down on Fat:

• use 1/4-1/2 olive oil & 1/2 -3/4 veggie/chicken broth in pesto with a few pureed olives to make up for the missing olive taste
• buy low fat (non fat tastes awful) dairy products whenever possible
• if a liquid dish already contains Fat refrigerate it and scoop off the solidified Fat the next day
• use 1/2 the oil for stir-fry - when food is browned add 1-3 teaspoons miso paste, bean paste, hoison sauce ... mixed with water to make up for the other 1/2 of the missing oil
• use a flavored paste or pesto in place of 1/2 the oil/butter in rice
• buy low fat tofu
• use 1/2 crumbled extra firm tofu and 1/2 ground meat in dishes like pasta free lasagna, stuffed chilies, tortilla free tacos & burritos ...
• use crumbled extra firm tofu in place of meat in tacos, burritos ...
• instead of butter on bread use a mix of equal amounts of roasted garlic & butter
• use egg whites instead of whole eggs whenever possible
• use ground turkey breast in place of or 1/2 & 1/2 with ground beef
• don't automatically use the amount of oil called for when sauteeing, spraying or barely coating the bottom of the pan usually yields the same results
• remove the yolk from hard boiled eggs when using as a garnish

Combining Fat

Fat doesn't digest well with sugar unless in the presence of an acid. Therefore the best desserts are Acid Fruit desserts. Acid Fruits are:

• berries
• lemons
• oranges
• grapeFruit
• kiwi
• limes
• plums
• kumquat

No that doesn't mean that you can't have other types of desserts while UnDieting, but you should be aware of which types of desserts are most favorable for weight loss and health. Some other ways to get around this guideline is to serve an Acid Fruit along with your dessert, make your meal a big salad with an Acid Fruit based dressing or just serve a big Fruit salad with dessert following.

The other day I realized that the buy-lots-when-it's-on-sale hormone had gotten the best of me when I'd purchased way too many plums from an organic market. I remembered this wonderful German Plum Pie I often make for dinner parties and decided to throw together a shortcut version which I'm calling German Plum Pudding. I had several visitors over the next couple of days all of whom had a large serving of the pudding and a container to take home. I knew I had a hit when most called to get the recipe, so I'm passing it on to you all. I'll be putting it in The Recipe Index later in the month, but you Steppers get it first.

Tips & Tricks

If your yen for forbidden foods has a grip on you, eat the forbidden food standing naked in front of a mirror. Shocking! But hear me out. Seeing yourself while eating the food that gave you the body you yearn to change can be a powerful incentive to set the food down and look for a satisfying UnDiet substitute. After a bite or two you may find the craving disappears and you can smile at your newly developing figure as you slip into something you couldn't wear a few months ago. I've found that in the beginning when I didn't like my body the desire to change it was powerful motivation to keep UnDieting. Later as I began to like what I saw in the mirror my new body became the motivation to "put the chocolate down and step away".

Step By Step

1. Look for a source for unrefined,unfiltered, cold pressed, first pressing oils.
2. Start reducing the amount of Fat in your meals by just cutting it out or substituting other ingredients.
3. Whenever possible don't combine Fat with sugar, the exception being when Acid Fruits are also present in the dish or meal.
4. When you're ready move onto the next Step, The Power of Living Foods.

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last revised October 24, 2008
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