Fat is Back
Two local doctors write the book on dieting myths
 Low-Fat Lies: High-Fat Frauds and the Healthiest Diet in the World—The
title of this new book is a mouthful, but a tasty one for most dieters.
The authors, immunologist Kevin Vigilante, MD, and nutritionist/researcher
Mary Flynn, PhD, who work at The Miriam Hospital, are putting fat back
into our diets.
Put down that pastry and listen up: all fats are not alike.
Vigilante and Flynn recommend the Mediterranean diet, which promotes
seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, with generous amounts of
monounsaturated olive oil, making it almost 40 percent fat. (Most major
health groups recommend a diet of 30 percent or less of the calories from
fat.) Fats that are saturated (meat, dairy and shortening),
polyunsaturated (vegetable oils) and trans fats (margarine) are still no-nos.
Although based on scientific evidence (they quote some 500 studies),
Vigilante's proof in the pudding is anecdotal: "On a trip to Italy
a few years back, I skipped my low-fat diet and ate like the locals. When
I got home, I found that I'd lost five pounds." He consulted with
Flynn, who concurred that it was the healthy benefits of olive oil. Their
consultation led to Low-Fat Lies.
"I don't believe in low-fat diets," says Flynn.
"They just don't work. You can always lose weight temporarily. The
key is to eat the right kind of fat in the right amounts. The question is
how to keep it off for a lifetime-that's where fad diets fail."
You don't have to look far to see the evidence. Americans eat 15 percent
less fat than they did a decade ago, but are 30 percent heavier.
Fad diets can even threaten health, the authors claim. Too little fat
lowers the level of carotenes in the blood. Without these antioxidants,
free radicals form, which are linked to cancer, arthritis, heart disease
and aging.
The Mediterranean diet, however, is associated with extraordinary low
rates of cancer and heart disease. Studies show that a certain amount of
fat is needed to absorb nutrients and antioxidants.
Fat is also satisfying to the taste buds and the tummy.
"Fat makes food taste good and it makes you feel full," adds
Flynn. "Without it, you're always going to be hungry." So how
much olive oil is allowed? For men, about 12 teaspoons a day; for women, 8
teaspoons; dieters should cut back by a few teaspoons.
Pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore or online; in the meantime,
try our Healthy Servings, which
include recipes from the book.
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