Don't believe the smear campaign against fat
For decades, health-conscious folks have put themselves on a low-fat or fat-free diet to protect their hearts and lose weight.
Yet all the while, they guzzled fizzy drinks and chomped on candy -- because sugar wasn't the enemy. FAT was.
Right?
Wrong!
You see, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco recently discovered that 50 years of nutrition and heart disease research may have been built on a lie -- and that lie was funded by the sugar industry.
Professor of medicine Stanton Glantz found documentation revealing that the Sugar Association, known back then as the Sugar Research Foundation, actually paid three Harvard scientists the equivalent of $50,000 each in today's dollars to hammer home the link between saturated fat and heart disease, while drastically downplaying sugar's role.
This 1967 study was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, and it shaped our eating habits and beliefs for DECADES. And because the journal didn't disclose who funded the studies until 1984, no one knew it was funded by the sugar industry, and no one questioned it.
And this wasn't just a one-time deal, and it wasn't just a matter of antiquated scientific reporting or accidental misinformation.
Just last year, Coca-Cola paid influential scientists and health pros to teach the world to focus less on what you eat and more on getting exercise when trying to lose weight. That, in turn, would downplay the role that a daily can of Coke could play in your risk for obesity.
These health experts didn't receive some token fee; they cashed in MILLIONS of dollars.
Of course, that's what Big Sugar stands to lose if everybody were to catch on to the fact that fat isn't the enemy -- but sugar (especially the high fructose corn syrup you find in colas) IS.
The Sugar Association has said that while they should have been more transparent, they still believe that they're doing us all a favor by funding research like this.
Thanks but no thanks. The simple truth is: Sugar, like what you'd find in a can of soda a day, can increase your risk for high blood pressure and heart disease.
Eating and drinking lots of sugar can increase the levels of sugar in your blood -- and high blood sugar is a precursor to cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes and increases your risk of stroke. And if you've already got diabetes, having elevated blood glucose levels can make it difficult for wounds to heal.
Now, not all fats are created equal, so not ALL fats are good -- or bad -- for you.
As we recently discovered, the fats in processed snacks like chips, cookies, and fries can zap your energy; while quality proteins and fats can GIVE you energy and improve everything from your waistline to your brain health.
You can take the guesswork out of choosing the right fats by following a back to basics diet like Paleo, the "Caveman" diet. Eating all-natural animal fats and polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats from sources like nuts, beans, and avocado will keep your heart healthy.