All access calories are converted to fat, but what kind of fat?

Do you need seeds, avodacos, and nuts to get your essential fats(omega 3/6)? I figured if you eat enough fruits, you won't need those foods.

Is it unhealthy to eat less than 10% fat of daily calories? I ask this question because I read the 80-10-10 book, which recommends 10% fat. Doing some calculation, I found I get less than 10%. I get more like 5% and sometimes less.

I think the consensus is that in an ideal state, fruits contain the right balance of omegas. so one does not need to balance the 3''s and the 6's with flax, nuts, oils if they are already in balance. Vegetables I assume are even more rich sources of minerals and omegas, although folks function without them.


I think the best advice is never to micromanage your fat intake. If you are flowing good on 5% or less. keep doing it. What this means is when you have any sense of a craving or symptom. you can add more fat and still be functioning overall at under 10% fat even if that day is well over 10%.

Personally I think people are making way to big a deal about the whole fat issue. If you are forcing your body to behave in a way it does not wish to, it will retaliate in one way or another. or at the least bring on a more uncomfortable level of detox.

fats/density are good regulators of detox. use wisely

another thing is I think the % is calculated way more honestly based on caloric need (if there is such a thing). Therefore, if your fat percentage is low because you are throwing back dates (which run up as i think 0-2% fat in the caluclators) you are really not being honest with your needs.

slicing up an avocado and saving it for the next days dinner seems like some kind of jenny craig type move to me. better off doing days on/days off/days* with fats, getting your system running a little cleaner not to mention less need to ration fat intake on your 'on' days. have 1-2 avos, or 3 whatever. if you are very active and consuming appropriate ammounts of fruit, this will work out to less then 15% fat. This is what works for me. i can't speak for nuts/seeds. but I assume alternating them with avos would work.

* by off days I mean more then 1

Also, my guess is leaving out overt fats (especially early on in the first years) would be a terrible idea



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2007 01:01AM by anaken.

anaken wrote:

"Also, my guess is leaving out overt fats (especially early on in the first years) would be a terrible idea"

I would second that. For one thing, monounsaturated fats are proven helpers in burning excess fat from the body. Most of us, starting out, could stand to burn off some of that excess. For another, its just plain out too abstemious to restrict fat intake to that extent at first. There WILL be a rebellion in the body/mind/emotions. Pleasure is just as good a motivator as pain and much more desirable, and allowing ample fats enables one to really enjoy what can be done with whole, live foods.

Having fun with this diet starting out helps to avoid "Jenny Craig-ism" and helps you feel more like you are on some sort of life-changing adventure, rather than on some restrictive diet...

or, at least, that's been my experience.


khale