Stop fearing fat: why it’s time to rethink what you eat
- Akke Boogaard
- Feb 10
- 5 min read
Most of us have grown up with the believe that fat is bad for you. I remember putting 'healthy' margarine on my sandwiches for school instead of butter and strip the fat of the meat I ate. We were told we couldn't eat too many eggs, because that would increase our cholesterol levels, which was (mistakenly) associated with health risks.
For decades, we were led to believe that eating fat was the primary cause of weight gain and numerous health issues. "Low-fat" became the health mantra, and grocery stores filled their shelves with fat-free products laden with sugars and processed carbohydrates. But it turns out, we’ve been misled. The real culprit isn’t fat — it’s sugar and refined carbohydrates. Let’s look into the misconceptions about dietary fat and why it’s time to rethink our approach to nutrition.
The myth of fat making us fat
For most of human history, our diets contained very little sugar or starchy carbohydrates. If you put all of human history into one year, it’s only in the last day that grains and bread appeared, and in just the final hour that sugar entered our diets. Our ancestors thrived on diets high in healthy fats and moderate amounts of protein. So why did we suddenly villainize fat?
The rise of the "low-fat" craze was largely driven by flawed studies and aggressive marketing. But research now shows that fats, particularly healthy ones, are essential for good health and even weight loss. In contrast, excess carbohydrates — especially from refined sugars — spike insulin levels, which is a key driver of fat storage.
Why insulin matters more than calories
Insulin is a powerful hormone that affects every cell in your body. Its primary role is to regulate blood sugar levels. But when you consume carbohydrates, especially refined ones, insulin levels spike. This triggers your body to store fat. In fact, insulin is often referred to as the “fat storage hormone.” Protein has a minor effect on insulin, while fat hardly has any impact at all.
This is why focusing solely on calorie counting is misleading. Instead, success should be measured by improvements in markers like blood sugar reduction, lower insulin levels, reduced inflammation, and better blood pressure. So if you want to lose weight step 1 should be: lower your insulin. So control your carbohydrates, stop eating carbohydrates that come from packages with barcodes.
Essential nutrients: fats and proteins
Our bodies require essential fats and essential proteins to survive. These nutrients are called “essential” because we must consume them to sustain life. Surprisingly, there are no essential carbohydrates. There is no biological need for us to consume any carbohydrates at all.
When you structure your diet around healthy fats and moderate protein, your body becomes more efficient at burning fat for fuel. This metabolic state, often called ketosis, can speed up your metabolism and help you shed body fat. On the other hand, a diet high in carbohydrates slows down your metabolism and promotes weight gain.
The dangers of processed vegetable oils
Not all fats are healthy or created equal. Healthy fats, like those from avocados, nuts, olive oil and wild fatty fish (omega-3 fatty acids) are beneficial. However, industrial, highly processed vegetable oils such as soy, canola, corn, and sunflower oil are highly inflammatory. These oils are extracted using heat, chemicals, and high pressure, which oxidizes the delicate oils. Consuming these oxidized oils generates free radicals in the body, contributing to inflammation, heart disease, and even cancer.
These oils belong in car engines, not in your food.
Unfortunately they are found in most processed foods, because they are cheap. Seed oils are often found in ultra-processed foods, like biscuits, crackers, crisps, sauces, dressings, but even in 'healthy' options like houmous (which is often made with sunflower oil instead of the healthy olive oil it is supposed to be made of).
The food industry’s role in the carbohydrate craze
The food industry has profited immensely from the increase in carbohydrate-heavy diets. Convenience foods, processed carbs and sugary snacks trigger insulin spikes, leading to a cycle of hunger and overeating. When insulin levels crash after a sugar high, people crave more food, creating a perfect storm for increased consumption and profits.
This business model keeps consumers coming back for more, while contributing to rising rates of obesity and metabolic diseases. This consequently leads to benefits for the Pharmaceutical industry as well, who can hugely profit from this massive increase in metabolic diseases.
What does an ideal diet look like if you want to stay healthy and possibly want to lose weight?
Based on some research, an optimal diet might look something like this:
Mostly healthy fats: Think avocados, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, and for cooking use coconut oil, Ghee or butter.
Moderate amounts of protein: Choose high-quality sources like wild-caught fish, grass-fed meat, eggs (preferably organic and free-range), legumes and beans like lentils, chickpeas and black beans or nuts and seeds.
Minimal carbohydrates: Aim for less than 20 grams a day, focusing on non-starchy vegetables and fruit.
This approach aligns with how our bodies have evolved to eat and thrive.
Other research advocates a higher amount of vegetables, which you might favor because of environmental or ethical beliefs.
The impact on health and longevity
The consequences of our modern, carb-heavy diet are evident, resulting in sometimes rather drastic consequences. In the United States, 71% of people aged 17 to 24 are ineligible to serve in the military, largely due to obesity and related health issues. That’s 24 million young people out of 34 million in that age group. The situation isn’t much better in other parts of the world, as ultra-processed foods become the norm.
Shockingly, less than 20% of medical schools in the United States require nutrition training for physicians. In the Netherlands, while the situation is slightly better, the time allocated to nutrition education during medical training remains minimal. On average, Dutch medical students receive just a few hours of nutrition education throughout their entire training. This lack of nutritional knowledge means many doctors misunderstand the root causes of chronic diseases, which are often driven by poor diet. They focus on treating the symptoms of a disease (often with medication) rather than acknowledging the cause lies in bad lifestyle choices.
What you can do now
To take control of your health, shift your focus from counting calories to managing your insulin levels. Choose whole, unprocessed foods, prioritize healthy fats, and reduce your carbohydrate intake. Try to only eat the healthy carbohydrates from vegetables and fruit. Measure success by improvements in your energy levels, blood sugar stability, and inflammation markers.
It’s time to break free from the fat-phobia that’s held us back for so long. By understanding the science behind fat, insulin, and metabolism, you can transform your health and thrive in a way that was never possible on a low-fat, high-carb diet.
As the renowned insulin expert Dr Benjamin Bikman emphasized, “Managing your insulin is the fastest way to strip fat and reclaim your health.” And that starts by putting healthy fats back on your plate.
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