MVWC 30 Day Health Challenge- WEEK 4
WeeklyLesson:Fatdoesnotmakeyoufat,but
lowfatcupcakescertainlywill
AsarefresherinWeek2,youlearnedtheconceptofthehormonalteeter-totter.This
concept is used to illustrate how the three main macronutrients; carbohydrate,
proteinandfat,leadtoahormonalresponseinthebodyeverytimeyoueatameal.
The goal is to help you understand that you control the hormonal response you
experiencewithyourfoodchoices.Youroverallgoalindoingthisistohaveasteady
flowofbloodsugarthattapersoffjustintimeforyournextmeal,ratherthanhuge
spikesofbloodsugarthatcrushyourhormonalresponse,elevateyourcortisol[AKA
yourbellyfatstores],increasepainandinflammationandleaveyouhangry[hungry
and angry at the same time] and constantly reaching for coffee to increase your
energy.
Bottom line is when you understand and develop a healthy relationship with food;
youbegintolooktofoodasfuel.Inourfinalweekofthechallengehere,wefocuson
theadditionofhealthyfatstoroundoutyourwellnesslifestyle.Thenwewillaimto
reduce the fats you consume that do more harm than good, while increasing your
intakeoffatsthatwillhelpyouhealwhateverplaguesyou,increaseyourenergyand
slimyourwaistlineatthesametime.
HowtoOvercomeFatPhobia
OneofmyfavoritemetaphorsIusetoteachyoutobetterunderstandhowyourbody
usesthethreeprimarymacronutrientsofhealth[carbs,proteinandfat]isthrough
themetaphorofbuildingafire.
Togetafirestarted,besidesaflame,youwouldlikelystartbyignitingsomekindling
first. The reason you would do this because it responds to the flame and burns
quickly, yet evenly. This is similar to how protein fuels your body. It is utilized
quickly,needstobeeatenconsistentlyandstokestheflameofyourmetabolism.
Let’sjustsaythatforthesakeofthismetaphoryouwerehavingtroublegettingyour
kindlingtoburn.Oneoptionbesidespouringgasolineorlighterfluiddirectlyonthe
fire, would be to stoke it with sawdust on newspaper. Sawdust is similar to your
carbohydrateintake.Itlightsupfastandthengoesoutjustasquicklydependingon
thequalityofcarbohydrateyouchoosetoconsume.Gasolineis,metaphorically,your
cheapest source of carbohydrates - your processed foods and sugars that light up
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your hormones instantly and then come to a crashing halt by going out just as
quicklyasitlitup.
Ifyouwanttolongevityoutofyourflame,thebestscenariowouldtostartafirewith
aslowburninglogatthebaseofyourfire.First,youwouldusethethesawdusttoget
itgoingandsomekindlingmustcatchonfireinordertoholdtheflamelongenough
to successfully light the slow burning log. This is exactly how healthy fat intake
functionsinyourdailyeatingregime.Whenitcomestothelongestandbestburning
fuel for your body, the answer is healthy fats become the base of all your meals.
Healthy fats are your slow burning log and the fuel that will last the longest while
burningevenly.Thereasonthisissoeffectiveissimplesciencethatbringsusbackto
refreshingwhatwastaughtintheconceptoftheteeter-totter.
e
Protein: Releases energy when the hormone Glugacon is generated with protein
consumption.
Carbohydrates:Storesenergyincellsforlaterusebyreleasingthehormoneinsulinwith
carbohydrateconsumption.
Fats:Arehormonallyneutral.It’soneoftheprimarybuildingblocksofallcellsandtheless
essentialfattyacidswehaveasthebaseofourcellstheolderwelook,thehungrierweare
andthelessourbrainfunctionsoptimally.
Afterreading,youshouldseeWHYweteachthathealthyfatsarethefoundationto
healthyeating.Remember,ourbodycannotmakeessentialfattyacids.Theymustbe
takeninthroughthedietandthisisWHYsomanypeoplearedeficientinthem.They
also are the hardest macronutrient to obtain regularly and come surrounded by a
surplusofinaccurateinformation,commonmisconceptionsandflawedsciencethat
for years has screwed up our relationship with fat and understanding the role it
playsinahealthyeatingplan.Lackoftherightfatsisalsooneoftheleadingcauses
of depression AND most people’s reason that they cant lose those last ten pesky
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pounds they have been trying to shred with a low fat, high chemical laden diet for
years!
Itisalsotheexactreasonwhywetaughtyouwhatahealthybalancedmealonthe
healthchallengeshouldlooklikethis:
There are two ways to become a fat incinerator; feed your body healthy fats that
sustain you, rehab your cells and suppress your appetite OR build muscle that
consistently burns calories thus reducing your fat stores. Since this challenge is
focused on changing your eating habits in this week’s lesson we will focus on
teachingyouhowtodothefirstonesuccessfully.
Quitefranklytalkingaboutfatintakeisalwaysahottopicinoursociety.Foryears
wehavebeenlivingintheLOWFATcraze.Wehavebeentoldthatalowfatdietwill
leadustobetterhearthealthandaslimmerwaistlinewheninfacttheexactopposite
istrue.Justthinkaboutit,foryearsso-calledsciencehassupportedthisstatement
yet the results of this “science” is flawed and have proven otherwise. We are
currentlythesickestandfattestwehaveeverbeenasanation.
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Asyoucansee,despitethehundredsoflowfatproductsthatlinethegrocerystore
shelves and the millions of people who buy them and eat them on a regular basis,
thistrendisnotslowingdownandinfactisactuallygoingtogetalotworsebeforeit
getsbetter.
LetstakealookatsomeofthefundamentalreasonsWHYthelowfatcrazehasbeen
acompleteandutterfailurewhenitcomestogettingyouhealthyandthin.
1)Thelowfatcrazehasleadustohavemoresugarandartificialingredientsinour
foodsupply,becausewhentheyremovethefatittastessobadthattheyneedtoadd
sugartogetyoutoeatordrinkit!Ofcourseasyoulearnedinweek1,sugarhasBAD
side effects. It destroys your hormonal response, suppresses your immune system
andfeedschroniclevelsofpainandinflammation.
2)LowfatproductsalsoDONOTeverfillyouup.Sopeoplethateatalotofthemin
most scenarios are often grumpy, hungry and depressed all at the same time. You
continue to fill that skim milk glass with a second serving, because your body says
thatwasemptycaloriesandIneednutrientdensecalories!Thereforeconsumption
oflowfatproductsincreasesoverallconsumptionanddisplacesmorenutrientdense
caloriesthatyourbodycravestofuelit.Inaddition,lowfatfoodsareusuallyhigher
incarbohydratesduetohigherprocessingmethodsthatconcentratesugars.
3) When it comes to low fat and processed foods many low fat products also use
trans fats AKA manmade artificially and chemically constructed fats that cannot be
metabolizedbythebodyeffectivelytogivethemshelflife.Inaddition,manmadefats
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contain more Omega 6 fats that come from plant oils which dramatically alters the
delicateratioofyourOmega3[healthyfats]toyourOmega6[unhealthyfats]ratio
in the body. This then leads to excess inflammation in the body and ultimately
sickness,diseaseandobesity.
Yes, just like anything, you can overdue it with fat intake, but in most cases when
someoneislookingtoloseweightandbuildhealth,itsnotasmuchaquestionabout
howmuchfatisinthedietasmuchasitstoomuchexcesscarbohydrateinthedietas
was illustrated in the carbohydrate curve in week 2. Lets dive in to find out WHY
healthyfatintakeisthenextcriticalhabityouwillwanttomasterduringthehealth
challengeandwhereyouwanttogetthesefatsfrom,alongwithwhichonesyouwant
toavoidentirely.
WhyYouNeedanampleamountofHealthyFatsatEveryMeal.
Fatsareaconcentratedsourceofenergyinthediet.Itproducesmorethan2times
theenergyofproteinandcarbohydrate[9Grams]ofenergypergramoffat.Theyare
calledessentialfattyacidsforareason.Yourbodycannotmakethemonitsownlike
it can make glucose through the process of glucogenesis. This means they must be
taken in through the diet on a CONSISTENT basis for your body to use them
effectively.
Fatisanessentialfor:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Buildingblockofallcellularmembranes
Hormoneregulationandutilizinghormone-likesubstances
CarryingfatsolublevitaminsA,D,E,FandK
Neededformaximizedmineralabsorption
SupportsoptimalImmuneFunction
NecessaryforoptimalCentralNervousSystemfunction
Theidealmacronutrienttofuelyourbrain
Only macronutrient with a neutral hormonal response that will suppress
ratherthantriggerappetite
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As an added bonus fats are the foundation that regulates blood sugar release and allows
youtofeelfullerlonger.Thisiswhytheadditionofessentialfatswillhelpyoumoderate
your appetite while increasing the nutrient density of your diet and help you boost your
overallhealthveryquickly.
WEEK 4: FEED THE HABIT
IncorporatingFatsThatPROMOTEHealthintoyourdailydiet
1) THE ESSENTIALS-AdailyamountofOmega3FattyAcids.Omega3boosts
brainpower, heal depression and boost your immune system They are critical to
restoring hormone function and lowering inflammation in the body as well as
necessaryforanoptimalfunctionnervoussystem.Omega3fattyacidsareespecially
effectiveatacuteconditionswhereacceleratedhealingisnecessary.Theyalsohelp
healguttissue,improveskintoneandtexture,andrebalancingyouradrenalglands
thatgetoverworkedforanunnaturalamountofstress.
Yourgoalshouldbetoeatcoldwater,fattyfishatleast2-3timesperweek.Yournext
goal should be to eat grass fed beef 1-2 times per week. In a perfect world,
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occasionally one of these servings should be organ meats such as liver or a stew
made with bone broth base. Organ meats are healing foods rich in fatty acids. In
addition, if you are following the recommendations we made for supplementation
you will now understand why we recommend daily use of a high quality fish oil
supplementasyourinsurancepolicyforyourhealth.
ThebestsourcesofOmega3fattyacidsare:
• WildSalmon,TunaandNorwegianCodfish
• Anchovies
• Mackerel,HerringandSardines
• Krillandalgaeproducts
• Grass-fedBeef
• WildGameandOrganMeatssuchasliver
• Omega3enrichedeggs[butyoumusteattheyolktogetthis]
• ChiaSeeds:veryhardforthebodytoconvertChiatoOmega3,butstillworth
usingasavegetariansource
Yourbestinsurancepolicyistosupplementwithahighqualityfishorcodliveroil.
WelikeStronger,Faster,HealthierbrandwhichwesellinourofficeorCarlsonlabs
Norwegian Fish Oil. For those of you looking for some added nutrients and
absorptionwerecommendfermentedcodliveroilthatismanufacturedbyGreener
Pastures. For people who cannot tolerate fish oil, your next best bet to get the
nutritionalvaluewouldbesupplementingwithanOmega3EFAsupplementthatis
madefromalgae.
2) SUPER STAR SATURATED FATS-Nextyouwanttofocusongettingan
ampleamountofsaturatedfatintoyourdiet.Saturatedfatthatmakeup50%ofcell
membranes are the fats you want to be eating ample amounts of. Saturated fat is
critical to base mineral absorption such as calcium, magnesium and zinc, which
manyofusaredeficientin.Itbooststheimmunesystemandprotectstheliverwhile
helpingyouprocesstoxinsthatthebodyneedstogetridoff.
Manysaturatedfatsalsocontainanti-bacterialpropertiesthatrestoreguthealthand
boost your immune system. Perhaps the best benefit of saturated fats is that they
stimulatemetabolismandenhancethyroidfunction,whichisyourmasterendocrine
organ.Thyroidconditionsareoneofthefastestgrowingproblemsinthehealthfield
and much of this is do to hormone imbalances from low fat diets in addition to
elevatedstresslevelsanddecreasedsleepcycles.
Byfarthebestsourceofsaturatedfatiscoconutoil!Ifyouarelookingtoloseweight
and shift your body composition coconut oil has thermo genic properties that will
allowyoutodothisveryeasily.Coconutoilisbyfaroneofthemosthealingfatsand
also one of the best sources of energy as its easily accessible source of energy for
yourbodytoutilize.
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The healthiest sources of saturated fat that you will work on consuming this week
with the most beneficial properties are listed below. These are the ones you will
wantincludeinyourdietonadailybasisandtheoneswerecommendyoucookwith
sincetheyareverystableathightemperatures.
• UnrefinedCoconutOil
• CoconutMilk(nosugaradded)
• Ghee(clarifiedbutter)
• Grass-fedButter(WeloveKerrygoldbrand)
• LardorTallow(porkorbeeffat)
• RedPalmOil
• Inaddition,youwillwanttogetsomeamountofsaturatedfatfromnaturally
raisedanimalproductsaswellastosomeothercorenutrientsfrom:
• Grass-fedBeef
• WildFish
• WildGameMeat
• FreeRangePoultry
• FarmFreshEggs
• Remember grain fed meat, fish and chicken sources has incorrect fatty acid
ratiosthatwillputyoursoutofbalanceandyouwanttoavoidthembecauseof
this.Sourcematters.Youarenotonlywhatyoueat,butwhatyoueateatsfrom
week3’slesson.
3)THEAWESOMEADDITIONS:Thebalanceofyourfatintakeshouldcome
fromotherhealthyfatsourcesfrommonosaturatedandpolysaturatedfatsources
thataregreattohaveincludeinyoureverydaydiet:
• Avocados
• Olives(preferablynotcanned,butfreshorstoredinglassjars)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (never heated, best if used unaltered on salads and
veggies)
• MinimallyProcessedSeedOilssuchasSesame,HempandFlax.Flaxandhemp
should never be heated and they are not great replacements for Omega 3
supplementation.
• Nuts: Our favorite are almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and
pistachios.YESpeanutsarenotonthislistforareason.Theyarenotnutsand
containlotsoftoxinsthatdonotpromotehealth.Nutsareveryeasytooverdo
andtomanycanleadtoanincreaseinomegasixratio.Wetellpatientstostick
tonomorethanoneserving10-15nutsperday.
• Nut and Seed Milks: Almond, Coconut and Hemp Milk. For those that cannot
tolerate nuts in your diet you can use Rice milk. Packaged milks are ok just
make sure they are not adding any sugars, thickeners such as carrageenan,
XanthamGumorGuarGumifyouhaveanydigestiveissues.Theseingredients
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inadditiontoartificialflavoringaredesignedtoincreaseshelflifeandtaste.
Theydonotbelonginahealthydietastheystrayfromtherulesofeatingreal
foodasmuchaspossible.Onceinawhileisokay,butwedonotrecommend
dailyconsumptionofthem.Thesesugarsareusuallyfoundinflavoredmilk,so
youbestbetistosimplysticktotheplainbasicones.Youcanalsomakeyour
own!
WEEK 4: STARVE THE HABIT
FatsThatLIMITHealth.
ThesearethefatsthatyouwanttoTAKEOUTofyourdiet.
Ifyoufocusoneliminatingprocessedfoodfromyourdiet,youwillnothaveahard
time eliminating Omega 6 oils that are overly processed and screw up you’re the
delicatefattyacidratiothatyouareworkingsohardtogetbackinbalance.
PlantSeedoilssuchascanola,cornandsoybeanareinallprocessedfoodsduetothe
factthattheyarecheapANDincreaseshelflife.However,theyarefullofchemicals
andtoxinsthatdonotjivewellwiththehumanbody.Anexcessamountofprocessed
nut and seed oils especially when heated wreak havoc on your hormones and will
make you fatter and sicker at the same time. These harmful fats include lots of
contaminantsandcancauseageneralinflammatoryresponseinmostpeople.These
aretheoilsyouwanttoavoideatingandcookingwithatallcosts:
• SoybeanOil
• VegetableOil
• CanolaOil
• CornOil
• PeanutOil
You don’t need to be a genius to figure out that any food that man manipulates or
makesinchemistrylabisprobablynotgoodforyou.Thisisthereasonwewarned
youabouttheDangersofHFCSinweek1.Belowisanotherfoodthathasnoplaceina
healthylifestyle.
TheDangersofTransFats:
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Transfatsaremadewhenunstablefatssuchastheoilslistedabovethatareexposed
toheat,hydrogenandothergasestomakethemintoastableshelfproduct.Thinkoil
sprays such as PAM and margarine based products like Earth Balance and I cant
believeitsnotbutter which was quite simply the was the worst food invention ever
withthemostsuccessfulfoodmarketingcampaignofalltime.
Transfatsreplacedalotofourhealthierfatssuchascoconutandpalmoil,basedon
the fact that there was a lot of incorrect information that lead to chemistry
experiments gone right for food producers and marketers and gone completely
wrongforusasconsumers.
The good news is we are already seeing less and less trans fats usage in food and
restaurantsforonereasonWEKNOWITSKILLINGUSSLOWLY.Transfatruinsliver
function, destroy blood lipid and crush your insulin sensitivity i.e your hormones.
Weknowthatthiswasahugemistakeasitisonethingourgovernmentispushingto
getlabeledonprocessedfoodproductstoinformtheconsumer.
So,JustHowMuchFatShouldYouBeEating?
Theanswerdiffersbasedonyourbodyweight,butIcangiveyougeneralguidelines
to lead you in the right direction. We like to say that 30-50% of your daily caloric
intakeshouldcomefromfatsourcesinahealthyeatingplan.Nowofcoursewework
activity levels into this. Remember, we are not chasing specific numbers; we are
focused on gaining health. When you add fats you will feel fuller longer, increasing
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your nutrient absorption especially of fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K,
whileboostingmineralabsorptionsuchascalcium,magnesiumandzinc.
Consuming healthy fats requires you to eat a lot less calories in volume that are
usuallyfilledwithanoverloadofunnecessarycarbohydratesthatmakeyoufat!To
meetyourhealthyobjectiveyouwanttofocusoneatingthreebalancedmealswith
anampleamountofhealthyfatineverymealforoptimalhormonalresponse.
1) You want to focus on getting Omega 3 fats first. Your best bet is supplementing
with 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of high quality fish oil with breakfast on a daily
basis.Whenplanningyourmealsthisweekaimtoeat2-3servingsoffreshfattycoldwaterfishsuchassalmon,codortunaand2-3servingsofgrassfedbeefthisweek.
Balancethatoutwithhappypoultryorporkproducts.Weeatomega3enrichedeggs
onadailybasisandthiswillNOTraiseyourcholesteroltrustme.Theonlysideeffect
fromeatinglikethiswillbethatyouwillbefeelingandlookingbetterthanyouhave
inyearsbytheendoftheweek.
2)NextareSaturatedfats:minimumof1–3tablespoonsperday
How to get it: cook your breakfast with coconut oil or melt down a tablespoon and
put it in a smoothie. Substitute coconut oil in a baking recipe for other oils that do
nothavemanyhealthbenefits.Cookveggiesthataremorefibroussuchasbroccoli,
brusselsproutsandkalewithbutterorghee.Evenbetter-bakefishorchickenwith
butterORsearyourgrass-fedsteakinit.Thenthankuslaterforencouragingyouto
doso.Trustus,youmaythinkwearecrazy,buttoreachthisgoalwestarteachday
withaCowgirlcoffee.Nowmorecommonlyknownasabulletproofcoffee.Onceyou
trythisyouwillwonderwhywewaitedtolongtoteachittoyou.
Hereishowyoucanmakeitandyouwillbeshockedhowaddictingthisis!
• Take1cupbrewedcoffee
• Putitintoyourblender
• Add1teaspoonortablespoongrass-fedbutterorghee
• Add1tablespoonofextravirgincoconutoil
• Blendandenjoyyourhealthyfatburningfueled“latte”
• Welovetoaddadashofcinnamontotopitoff,butthatisuptoyou
3)Otherwaystoincorporatehealthyfatsthatwelovelikeavocado,oliveoilandnuts
andseeds:
• Use extra virgin olive oil as a base for a dressing made with apple cider
vinegar,someherbsandwholegrainmustard.Usethisallweekforsalad
dressingsandmixwithfreshherbstotopsteamedveggies.
• Makeanolivetapenade,nutbasedpateorusetahini(sesameseedpaste)
todipcutupveggiescruditésin,asasnackorappetizerthisweek.
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•
•
•
•
Keepfresholivesonhandandmaketheseintopartofyoursnack.Welike
toeatthemwithslicesofsalamionthesideandpretendwearediningin
Italy or simply keep on hand to add to any meal where healthy fat is
missing.
One fat serving is 10-15 raw almonds or walnuts, 8-13 brazil nuts or 25
pistachios. To make the nuts even better we recommend soaking them
overnight. The water they take on will help you stick to the serving size
easier
Substitute nut milks such as coconut, almond and rice milk for dairy
sourcesinbakingandsaucesthisweek.
We use avocados on everything: with eggs in the morning, with roasted
chicken,inoursmoothiesandourfavoriteofcourseisguacamole.Weeat
it as a snack with sweet potato chips, homemade crunchy kale chips or
plantain chips. Just don’t overdo it so that you wont eat the rest of you
dinnerJ
WEEK 4: ACTION ITEMS
1) HEALTYFATSAREYOURHEROES:Thisweekyourgoalistoaddanample
amountofhealthyfatsourcesateverymeal.Theseshouldcomefromavarietyof
differentfatsourcessuchOmega3’sfromfish,grassfedbeefandenrichedeggs,
saturatedfatsfrombutter,gheeandcoconutoilandmonosaturatedfatssuchas
olivesandavocado.
2) TRASHTHEMANMADEFATS:Anythingmadeinachemistrylabshouldnotcross
yourlipsEVER.ThisweekyouwanttoavoidanyOmega6fatsthatincrease
inflammationalloverthebody.Thisincludesanyproductswithplantseedoils
usedtomaketransfatssuchascorn,peanutorsoybeanoil.Canolaandvegetable
oilsandanyproductsmadewithsuchasmargarine,whichhasnoplaceina
healthydiet.Thisweek,alsomakesureyouDONOTgooverboardwithtomany
nutsornutproductssuchasalmonds,walnutsandcashews.Anythingoverthe
recommendedservingof10-15nutsperservingoranabundanceofbaked
productswithfloursmadefromthesenutswillderailyoureffortsandincrease
yourOmega6ratio.
3) You’reinthehomestretch!Thisweekaimfor30%ifyouarenotveryactiveto
50%ifyouareveryactiveofyourtotalcaloriescomingfromhealthyfatsources.
Makesureyoumaintainafoodjournalsowecanhelpyouseehowamazing
healthyfatscanmakeyoufeelandhowtheyroundoutyourcommitmenttoa
healthyeatingplan.
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