Once thought laughable, doctor explains why eating fat is in
Twenty years ago if you wanted to be laughed out of town, you would have written a book titled: “Eat Lots of Fat and Lose Weight.” If you were a doctor and the author of that book you would have risked professional ridicule.
At the end of 2016, Dr. Mark Hyman, MD's “Eat Fat, Get Thin,” was published by Little, Brown and Company and it became a New York Times best-seller. The only chuckle heard was the IRS giggling all the way to the U.S. Treasury.
Hyman is the director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine.
In his new book, Hyman explores the biggest myth: when it comes to weight gain or loss, it's a calories-in, calories-out world. He says: that's simply not true. The key to weight loss or gain is how different calorie sources are metabolized. Essentially, eating Hyman's way, you can stop counting calories.
Hyman makes it clear, backing it up with studies, that our bodies process sugars or highly processed carbohydrate calories differently from a protein calorie or a fat calorie.
He writes: “When taken as a whole, the science shows us a clear pattern of evidence that carbs make you fat, while fat makes you thin.” The complete opposite of the decades-long mantra we've all been chanting.
Hyman's book, “Eat Fat, Get Thin,” explains that all that science backs up what he believes is a food plan that can lead to healthy weight loss and maintenance. He is not just the living example of that truth; he's treated more than 20,000 patients who also appear to be true believers.
Hyman's a huge coconut oil fan thanks to its medium-chain triglycerides and explains why some of the saturated fats that make up coconut oil can and do promote health.
He also likes olive oil; not so much for cooking, more for salad dressings and for making homemade mayonnaise (yes, he's got a recipe for that).
Hyman's no fan of trans fat (partially hydrogenated oil). For reasons too long to list here, his best advice: stay as far away from trans fats as possible.
Hyman recommends a blend of the best of vegan and Paleo that he (unfortunately) calls Pegan.
Here's an abridged list of what Hyman likes in his food plan: organic, local, fresh whole foods (high in vegetables and fruits); low or no pesticides, antibiotics, or hormones; very few or no chemicals; higher in quality fats (like olive oil and avocados). The plan is low in refined, processed vegetable oils (say goodbye to canola and soybean oils); moderate amounts of protein; animal food (from humanely and sustainably raised, antibiotic and hormone free sources); fish (of course low-toxin, like sardines or anchovies).
Hyman shuns dairy, but, no surprise, he's big on veggies. He lists 43 vegetables to eat in virtually unlimited quantities, such as artichokes, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, fennel, green beans, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, snap peas, summer squash and tomatoes. Potatoes aren't on that list.
Select fruits work; Hyman's favorites are the berries (except for strawberries) like frozen blackberries, wild blueberries and raspberries, along with kiwi, pomegranate and watermelon. Oranges, bananas or grapes, all of which are high in natural sugars are absent from that list.
There's a lot to learn about Hyman's food plan. Read all about it in “Eat Fat, Get Thin” book. If you buy into his weight-loss plan, then you'll also want to get his “Eat Fat, Get Thin Cookbook.”
It may take a while to get used to how it all works, but I believe it'll turn out to be worth the effort.
Here' one of Hyman's recipe's from his cookbook to try.
• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at don@ theleanwizard.com.