Dr Joel Fuhrman – VALUE OF HIGH FAT FOODS

Summary

The transcript discusses the importance of both macronutrients and micronutrients in a healthy diet. It emphasizes that while diets often focus on the ratio of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, the key to health may lie more in micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. The speaker argues against extreme diets, suggesting that a balanced approach with nutrient-dense foods is better. They also warn against the dangers of low-fat diets, especially those under 10% fat, and highlight the American diet's reliance on unhealthy fats like animal fats and trans fats.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Macronutrients (fat, carbohydrate, protein) are essential for energy but excessive intake can lead to disease.
• 🔍 Many diets focus on the ratio of macronutrients, but the key is to consume less of each in a balanced way.
• 🚫 A diet very low in fat (10% of calories) can be unhealthy and potentially cause medical problems.
• 🥗 Micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, are crucial for cell function and health.
• 📈 The discovery of vitamins and minerals led to a false belief that supplementation could prevent disease, which coincided with a rise in cancer rates.
• 🌱 Phytochemicals, found in natural foods, are vital for immune function and detoxification, and their importance surpasses that of vitamins and minerals.
• 🥦 The ideal diet should be high in micronutrients and low in calories, emphasizing green and colorful vegetables, berries, and nuts.
• 🇺🇸 The typical American diet is high in fat, particularly from unhealthy sources like animal fats, trans fats, and refined oils.
• 🧠 The perception of fat's role in heart disease is skewed because studies often focus on unhealthy fats rather than healthy fats like those from nuts and seeds.
• 🥜 Replacing butter or margarine with olive oil can have some health benefits, but adding olive oil to a diet doesn't necessarily improve heart health.
• ⚖️ The American diet's high fat intake, especially from unhealthy sources, contributes to weight gain and health issues.

Q & A

What are macronutrients?

Macronutrients are nutrients that contain calories and include three types: fat, carbohydrate, and protein.

What is the relationship between macronutrient excess and disease?

Macronutrient excess is a major factor in creating disease, with most Americans consuming too much fat, carbohydrate, and protein.

Why is a diet of 10% of calories from fat considered unhealthy?

A diet that is only 10% calories from fat is considered unhealthy because it may be too low and can create medical problems and disease in a large segment of the population.

What are micronutrients and why are they important?

Micronutrients are substances that don't contain calories but are essential for normal human cell function, including vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. They are important for immune system function and the cell's ability to detoxify from metabolic waste products and toxic compounds.

How did the discovery of vitamins and minerals lead to a cancer epidemic?

The discovery of vitamins and minerals led to the belief that adding them to food or taking vitamin pills would prevent disease. However, this approach did not consider the balance of nutrients and led to an increase in cancer rates for 75 years until women started smoking less and doctors stopped prescribing excessive estrogen.

What is the role of phytochemicals in our diet?

Phytochemicals are natural substances found in plant-based foods that are essential for the immune system and cell detoxification. They are considered more abundant and important than vitamins and minerals.

What is the ideal diet according to the transcript?

The ideal diet is one that is higher in micronutrients and lower in calories. It involves consuming less fat, carbohydrate, and protein, but ensuring that the consumed amounts are nutrient-dense.

Why are green vegetables and colorful fruits considered high in micronutrients?

Green vegetables and colorful fruits are high in micronutrients because they naturally contain high amounts of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.

How does the American diet differ from the ideal diet described in the transcript?

The American diet focuses on foods that are low in micronutrients and often contains excess calories, particularly from animal fats, trans fats, and refined oils.

What is dietary lipo-augmentation?

Dietary lipo-augmentation refers to the process of quickly gaining weight and fat on the waist by consuming a diet high in unhealthy fats and excess calories.

What is the impact of substituting olive oil for butter or margarine?

Substituting olive oil for butter or margarine can have some health benefits, but the addition of olive oil to a diet does not necessarily improve heart health. It is more about it being less harmful compared to other fats it might replace.

Outlines

00:00

🥗 Macronutrients and Micronutrients in Diet

The speaker begins by discussing the role of macronutrients in our diet, which include fat, carbohydrate, and protein. They emphasize that while many diets focus on the ratio of these macronutrients, the key to a healthy diet might not lie solely in these ratios. The speaker suggests that reducing the overall intake of macronutrients could be beneficial. They also introduce the concept of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, which are essential for human health but do not contain calories. The speaker argues that a diet rich in micronutrients and low in calories is ideal. They critique the American diet for focusing on macronutrients and neglecting the importance of micronutrients, which are found in higher quantities in green and colorful vegetables, berries, and certain nuts and seeds.

05:00

🌱 The Importance of Nutrient-Dense Foods

In the second paragraph, the speaker continues to elaborate on the importance of nutrient-dense foods, which are high in micronutrients and low in unhealthy components like trans fats, acrylamides, and excessive salt. They highlight that the American diet is high in unhealthy fats, primarily from animal sources, trans fats, and refined oils. The speaker points out that less than 5% of fat intake in America comes from healthy sources like nuts and seeds. They also discuss the misconceptions around fats, noting that studies on fat intake and disease often focus on unhealthy fats rather than healthy fats like those found in nuts and seeds. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the need to seek nutrient-rich foods to maximize health and protect against diseases.

Keywords

💡Macronutrients

Macronutrients are nutrients that the body needs in large amounts and they include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. These are the primary sources of energy for the body. In the video, the speaker argues that focusing solely on the ratio of macronutrients can be misleading and that a more holistic approach to diet is necessary for health.

💡Micronutrients

Micronutrients are nutrients needed by the body in small quantities, including vitamins and minerals. They are essential for normal human cell function and play a critical role in various bodily functions. The speaker emphasizes the importance of micronutrients in the diet, suggesting that a diet rich in micronutrients is key to health.

💡Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals are naturally occurring chemicals found in plants that have protective health effects. The speaker mentions that there are over 10,000 known phytochemicals, which are essential for immune function and detoxification. They are highlighted as a significant part of a nutrient-rich diet.

💡Calories

Calories are a measure of the energy content of food. The video discusses the source of calories, emphasizing that not all calories are equal in terms of nutritional value. The speaker suggests that a diet lower in calories but rich in nutrients is healthier.

💡Disease

Throughout the video, disease is mentioned as a consequence of an improper diet, particularly one that is high in macronutrient excess. The speaker argues that reducing overall macronutrient intake and focusing on nutrient-dense foods can help prevent disease.

💡Nutrient Density

Nutrient density refers to the amount of nutrients a food contains relative to the number of calories it provides. The speaker advocates for a diet that is high in nutrient density, meaning that the foods consumed should provide a high amount of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds per calorie.

💡Vitamins

Vitamins are organic compounds that are essential in small quantities for the body to function properly. The speaker discusses the discovery of vitamins about 80 years ago and how they, along with minerals, are critical for human health. However, the speaker also cautions against overreliance on vitamin supplements without a balanced diet.

💡Minerals

Minerals are inorganic substances that are essential for various bodily functions. The video script mentions 14 vitamins and 25 minerals that are essential for normal human cell function. The speaker suggests that while these are important, they are only part of the broader category of micronutrients.

💡Detoxification

Detoxification is the process by which the body removes harmful substances. The speaker highlights the role of phytochemicals in aiding the body's detoxification processes, emphasizing their importance in maintaining health and preventing disease.

💡Ideal Diet

The concept of an ideal diet is discussed throughout the video, with the speaker suggesting that it should be high in micronutrients and low in calories. The speaker also argues against a one-size-fits-all approach to diet ratios, suggesting that individual needs may vary.

💡Fat Intake

Fat intake is a significant topic in the video, with the speaker discussing the dangers of high fat diets, particularly those high in animal fats, trans fats, and refined oils. The speaker also challenges the idea that very low-fat diets are healthy, suggesting that some fat is necessary for a balanced diet.

Highlights

Macronutrients are fats, carbohydrates, and protein, which are the nutrients containing calories.

Many diets focus on macronutrient ratios, but micronutrients are also crucial for health.

Macronutrient excess is a major factor in creating disease.

There is no one-size-fits-all ratio for macronutrients; different ratios can be appropriate for different individuals.

A diet with only 10% of calories from fat is not healthy and can create medical problems.

Micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, are essential for human cell function and health.

Phytochemicals, with over 10,000 types, are more abundant and important than vitamins and minerals.

An ideal diet should be high in micronutrients and low in calories.

Green and colorful vegetables, berries, and nuts are high in micronutrients.

The American diet is high in fat, particularly from animal sources, trans fats, and refined oils.

Excess fat intake, especially from unhealthy sources, contributes to weight gain and health issues.

When substituting olive oil for butter or margarine, there are some health benefits observed.

Adding olive oil to a diet does not decrease heart attack rates or improve cholesterol levels compared to no oil.

The focus should be on nutrient-dense foods rather than just surviving or maintaining basic health.

The ideal diet should not only contain undiscovered nutrients but also avoid foods that undermine health.

The American diet's focus on low-micronutrient foods is a significant health concern.

To maximize health, one should strive for an ideal way of eating that includes nutrient-seeking behavior.

Transcripts

now Food Supplies us with macronutrients

and

micronutrients macronutrients are those

nutrients that contain calories and

there are only three of those fat

carbohydrate and

protein and while many diets address

just this macronutrient issue they try

to tell you eat more fat and more

protein and less carbohydrate or they

tell you eat more carbohydrate and less

fat or more prot in other words they try

to juggle some some precise and correct

ratio of fat carbohydrate and protein

and they think that that ratio of

micronutrients is going to make some

positive influence on your health and

I'm suggesting that that's not the main

factor that governs whether a diet is

healthy or not we already know that

macronutrient excess is a major factor

creating disease and that almost all

Americans get too much fat get too much

carbohydrate and get too much protein

we'd all do better with less fat less

carbohydrate and less protein but let me

remind you

there's not one precise amount of fat

carbohydrate or protein that's correct

there could be many different Rel ratios

of fat carbohydrate and protein that

could be excellent and be that could be

appropriate for a particular person or

appropriate for the mass for the for

most people and I'm suggesting as the

result of this talk and what you're

going to hear today that that

appropriate ratio of fat carbohydrate

and protein might so a diet might be 15

or 20% of calories from fat and that

that might be a good diet or a diet of

40% of calories and fat might be a good

diet too but one thing I am making clear

to say today and that is that a diet of

10% of calories from fat is not a

healthy diet and May in fact be too low

and create medical problems and disease

in a large segment of the population and

that's what we're going to talk about

that we need we do need some fat in our

diet so one of the critical messages I

teach is that food doesn't just is not

just a source of macronutrients

micronutrients are critically important

about 80 years ago scientists discovered

vitamins and minerals they they revealed

14 vitamins and 25 minerals that were

essential for normal human cell function

and they said wow and people said this

is terrific this is fantastic we can

stop being so sick we can add vitamin

pills we could sprinkle them on our food

we can add B1 and B6 to cool a we could

put thamin and ROFL and and nasin into

Cocoa

Puffs our problems are

solved and lo and behold that sparked a

cancer epidemic never seen before in un

history and we saw cancer rates increase

every year for 75 years in a row it

wasn't until two years ago the cancer

rates went down and we know because

women are smoking less cigarettes and

doctors stop prescribing so much

estrogen actually had its effect to let

it go the other way but can you imagine

75 years in a row cancer rates

increasing and most of you you know in

the year 1900 only 2% of the population

had heart attacks and strokes in America

and today it's 40 it's 40% heart attacks

11% Strokes 51% di heart attacks and

strokes about 18 years ago we got some

additional information and we learned

that it's not just vitamins and minerals

that Natural Foods also Supply us with

phytochemicals and that by this point

there's more than 10,000 of

phytochemicals and the magnitude by

volume and by amount of phytochemicals

even overwhelms V and minerals and

they're absolutely essential for

functioning the immune system and for

the cell's ability to detoxify from

metabolic waste products and toxic

compounds and without phytochemicals

just getting vitamins and minerals we're

going to be we're going to still have a

lot of disease and perhaps if the

vitamins and minerals are not balanced

in an appropriate

fashion they could even increase a risk

of cancer like for example people taking

vitamin A and beta carotene and these

vitamin E and individual nutritional

supplements that have been shown to

increase cancer risk rather than

decrease it so we've learned a lot in

recent

years so micronutrients are those

substances that don't contain calories

and I've

suggested that a simple way to remember

how to frame the concept of an ideal

diet is that we're looking to eat a diet

that's higher in micronutrients that's

higher in nutrients and lower in

calories we have to eat less fat but the

fat we eat has to be high nutrient fat

we have to eat less carbohydrate but the

carbohydrate it has to be high nutrient

carbohydrate and we have to eat less

protein but the protein we eat has to be

high nutrient protein got

that so I showed this slide last year

and this is just the micro the

micronutrients added up for equal size

portion of food to give people a rough

structure just to get an idea of what

foods are higher in vitamins and

minerals naturally occurring and to

recognize that the foods that have the

highest amount of discovered vitamins

and minerals are the same foods that

have the highest amount of undiscovered

nutrients like

phytochemicals as well you guys got

that so clearly the American diet

focuses on these foods that are low in

micronutrients and they want and they

try to juggle some right correct ratio

but the foods that are high in

micronutrients we hardly even

eat and the foods highest in

micronutrients right and in each

category the vegetables that are highest

in micronutrients are green vegetables

and colorful vegetables like carrots and

red peppers and the fruits that are

highest in micronutrients are things

like berries and papaya and Kiwis and

grapefruits right and beans in high in

nutrients and nuts that are highest

nutrients and things like sesame seeds

and sunflower seeds and flax seeds and

walnuts right so we have we're trying to

be nutrient seeking we want a nutrient

seek for Health you want to ask yourself

when you eating food are you nutrients

seeking when you make food choices

because we're like Jeff novic just said

we're not looking to survive we're

looking if you want to know what's ideal

and to protect yourself from

onslaughts and from your past bad habits

or from stresses in your life or in your

past life we want to have a diet that we

want to know what the Hallmark of an

ideal way of eating would be so we can

strive to that to maximize our

health so does this does this food not

only contain nut the Undiscovered

nutrients but does it not contain foods

that might undermine our health like

trans fats acrylamides salt or other

chemicals and

things but we have to

recognize that the American diet is very

very high in fat and obviously eating

excess calories of any type especially

especially excess fat causes us to gain

weight and I call it dietary lipo

augmentation meaning that we can eat in

a way to quickly put fat on our waist

and we could augment ourselves so we can

make ourselves look fatter very easily

by eating the diet most Americans eat

almost all the fats in the American diet

come from animal fats trans fats and

refined oils so in other words when I'm

saying Americans are eating 40% of

calories from fat we're saying that that

40% is totally made up of animal fats

Transat F and refined

oils so when we look at the in

scientific studies on the relationship

between fat intake and disease you're

not really studying the relationship

between fat intake and disease you're

studying the relationship between those

types of fats and disease because less

than 5% of fat intake in America comes

from nuts and seeds what we're calling

the healthy fats studying the dangers of

fats a fat and a diet in medical studies

doesn't look at nuts and Seed

consumption they look at those low

nutrient dangerous fats did you follow

that so we can look at studies on

various fats and we could see that

number one something to keep in mind is

that when you substitute olive oil for

butter or margarine we see some benefits

when we look at the addition we look at

studies that look at the addition of

olive oil to a diet over no oil we find

that it actually increases heart attack

rate increases heart attack rate and

increases LDL or the bad cholesterol

so it's not that olive oil has any

beneficial effects on the heart it's

just that it's not as bad as some other

fats might have been replaced

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