We have heard a lot of news about saturated fats, and rarely do we hear any good news about any kind of fat. As with all food types, the jury is still out on just how good or bad all fats are for our bodies. Dr. Fred Pescatore asks, “When is the attack on saturated fat going to end?” Apparently Dr. Pescatore does not agree with everything negative that has been said about these types of fats and what they do to our bodies once consumed. Dr. Pescatore feels that these major medical associations should be concentrated on the real dietary killer, which he believes is sugar. The American Heart Association is one group tackling the negative effect of saturated fats, the doctor believes that their time would be better spent on studying the negative effects of sugar.
The publication created by the American Heart Association focuses on the fact that they want people to stop eating saturated fats and start replacing them with unsaturated fats. At the same time, the AHA suggests an overall healthy diet such as a Mediterranean diet with plenty of fish and fresh foods. Just about every doctor that concerns themselves with the weight loss of their patients, believes in the benefits of the Mediterranean way of eating. Dr. Pescatore states that he agrees and stands behind the AHA’s ideas of eating more fish and fresher foods, he stops agreeing with them when they tell people that saturated fats and good carbohydrates should be substituted for bad carbohydrates. Dr. Pescatore says that so-called “good carbs” are metabolized by the body the same way that so-called bad carbs are; whole grain crackers and chocolate chip cookies are just the same to the body. He states that the body cannot and does not distinguish between the two “different” kinds of sugar.
The AHA being more concerned with fats recommends polyunsaturated over monounsaturated fats. In layman terms, that would mean that peanut oil is better for you than olive oil. Dr. Pescatore calls this suggestion absurd and says that monounsaturated fats like olive oil and avocado have been proven time and time again to be heart healthy. You cannot recommend a Mediterranean without recommending the consumption of olive oils and avocado. The AHA’s recommendations according to Pescatore contradicts themselves. Many say that the AHA’s publication is the medical industry’s version of “fake news”.
The Western world, the U.S. in particular, is a nation sick with diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. It is imperative that we receive legitimate researched news on what we should and should not be eating. Dr. Pescatore, wants sugar to be the main focus of the AHA’s publications and not saturated, or any other kinds of fat. According to Dr. Pescatore, the advice we have been given so far, much of it conflicting, has gotten us where we are, as one of the sickest nations in the new world.
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