Fat does not make you fat, carbohydrates do

Eating fat doesn't necessarily make you fat. There, I’ve said it. And it doesn’t even really increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Yes, you heard right.

Let me back up a bit and tell you the story of the Atkins diet: a diet relatively high in protein and fat, but low in carbs. People were eating sausages and eggs cooked in lashings of butter and, lo and behold, they lost weight!

Now, you don’t need to be a nutritionist to realise that this way of eating isn’t healthy, but why does such a regime work? Well, when you eat a large proportion of your meal as protein, the glucose spikes associated with eating carbohydrates are lower and thus, less fat is stored.

Put another way, eating carbs (which eventually break down into sugar) causes your body to release insulin, the hormone that reduces the amount of glucose in your blood and stores it as fat. So more carbs means more glucose, which in turn means more insulin and greater fat storage. As you can clearly see, it’s not fat that makes you fat; rather it’s carbohydrates.

While sugary foods, those made with white flour (white bread, cakes, biscuits, mandazis) and potatoes (yes crisps too) aren’t good for you, not all carbs are bad news.

In fact, without starchy carbohydrates like ugali, rice, pasta and wholemeal bread in our diets, we are likely to feel hungry.

MODERATE PROTEINS

But without adequate protein, too much of these can make you pile on the pounds. That means eating chicken with rice and veggies, or beans with ugali.

Protein also makes you feel full. That’s why even though you can easily finish two plates of chips or a box of chocolates (both carbs), it’s very difficult to eat more than one steak (pure protein).

The next question most of my patients normally ask is, “If protein is so good, why can’t I just live on it alone?” Unfortunately for dieters, eating too much protein can cause the body to produce ketones, toxic molecules that the kidneys have to work hard to eliminate. Too much protein can also make you constipated if you don’t eat enough roughage (usually from starch and veggies). So, like most things in life, moderation is the key.

So, what about fat? If it doesn’t make you fat, you can eat lots of it right? Not quite. Like protein, fat slows down the rate at which carbohydrate is digested. So good fats from fish, unroasted nuts and seeds, olives, and avocadoes, can help you lose weight and keep your heart healthy. The bad fats, the kind from deep fried foods or baked goods like biscuits, are best avoided. They have no nutritional value, and can also speed up the ageing process.

The solution? Eat generally what you want, but to ensure you eat it in the right proportions. I normally tell my patients to fill their plates as follows: half vegetables (the more colourful the better), a quarter carbohydrates (e.g. brown rice, ugali or even starchy veggies like carrot and potatoes) and a quarter protein (red or white meat, fish, beans, lentils, eggs, tofu). You can also include good fats in the last quarter. Eating this way keeps you full, healthy and, perhaps most importantly, primed for weight loss.