Eat Fat - Avoid Vegetables and Fruits

Most books on nutrition assume everybody is the same. But it ain't so. We're all different. Yet we are told to avoid fat and eat fruits and vegetables as if there's no difference between us.

Whatever the problem, fat gets the blame. Heart attacks. Cancer. Obesity. Soaring petrol prices. It doesn't seem to matter. All would be well if only we switched to healthy vegetables, fruits and grains instead.

When Fat Is Good

Let me inform you of a doctor approved diet for certain types of children. 90% of the calorie intake of the diet is made up of fat. Yet these kids are normal in weight and their cholesterol levels are only slightly higher than ideal. These children are afflicted with epilepsy. The diet helps to control their seizures.

A typical meal of chicken, carrots, double cream and butter might turn your stomach. But to these kids and their families, it's just what the doctor ordered.

You're still not convinced are you? You think that's a special case. Surely we can make the general statement: fat is bad; fruits and vegetables are good?

It's not so simple. For some nutritionists the number one dietary deficiency is .....fat.

Saturated fat is often portrayed as the great enemy. The reality is that while it may not be the best type of fat to eat, humans are adapted to eat it. The real enemy are the fats that come from food processing. These foods give us far too much of the omega 6 and trans fats and far too little omega 3 fats from fish oils.

When Vegetables Are Bad

Professor McColl of Glasgow University warns us that eating vegetables could be the cause of the fastest growing cancer in the UK. He and his research team think nitrate fertilisers could be responsible for the trebling of throat cancer over the last 20 years.

The answer is not to buy organic. These too contain a lot of nitrate.

I could also talk about al the toxins, carcinogens and mutagens that occur naturally in fruits and vegetables. But I'll leave that for now.

I could even point out how sensitive many people are to carbohydrates. They must limit their intake of fruits and vegetables because they play havoc with their blood sugar levels. But I'm not going to dwell on this either.

I might even mention the many people who have a toxic reaction to certain foods. Even 'healthy' foods, like grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes, onions.

And there are those that are allergic to aspirin. The chemical salicylate which is found in aspirin is also found in high amounts in fruits and vegetables.

Am I seriously telling you to avoid fruits and vegetables and eat fatty foods instead? No, certainly not. For most people this is excellent advice. The point I'm making is that you are an individual. You have your own dietary requirements and needs. There is nobody on earth like you, so don't let anybody else tell you what to eat. Get to know your own body's needs. Listen to what it is trying to tell you.

Don't listen to nutrition 'experts.' Listen to your body.

About the Author

Michael Sellar is a British health writer and the editor of Enzyme Digest, a newsletter for health professionals. His website london complementary health contains a more detailed version of this piece as well as many other pieces on nutrition and holistic medicine.