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High fat diet mistakes
If you want to make a mouse fat, just feed it MORE FAT. But fat is now not supposed to make you fat, so what gives ? These high fat diets are missing something
Low carb, high fat diets seem to work for people and are all the rage. But, the idea that a high fat diet makes you fat, was not sucked out of thin air.
If you want to make a mouse fat, a quick and easy way to do it, is to feed it MORE FAT.
Granted, there are other ways to make a mouse FAT, but high fat feeding is an acceptable way to achieve the objective.
So this begs the question……………….
The eating fat dilemma
If fat is not the problem, how come do mice get fat, on a high fat diet ?
It’s a legitimate question and one I have pondered on.
The answer to it, is important, especially if you’ve taken the plunge and adopted a low carb, high fat diet.
Can you do a high fat diet, incorrectly ? Do high fat diets work for everyone ?
I am pretty sure genes matter. But, I suspect many people who adopt a high fat diet, make one of two mistakes.
High fat diet mistakes
Mistake # 1
They eat too much of the “wrong” fats. The type of fat that is most problematic, is not the usual suspect – SATURATED FAT. The problem fat(s) are the so-called heart healthy polyunsaturated vegetable fats. They do lower cholesterol, but at a price……..
Mistake # 2
They eat TOO MUCH FAT and miss out on FIBRE.
A group of researchers based at Georgia State University recently demonstrated this is why mice get fat, on a high fat diet.
Mouse dinners
When scientists conduct research using rodents, they don’t spend time in the kitchen, preparing fancy meals for their little chargers…….
They buy them “dinner”, from the local “supermarket”.
Companies that supply laboratory animal food, have a range of options. Most of the time, mice get fed, ordinary chow. Unless, the researchers want a fat mouse. When a fat mouse is required, they more often than not, choose a high fat pellet.
What’s for dinner ?
Ordinary mouse chow, is a hodge podge of things…………… there is a little plant protein and a little animal protein, manufactures plop in, whatever is available. Satisfying a hungry mouse is not complicated, they’ll eat anything, even doors.
We just had an unwelcome wild visitor, tuck into the laundry door.
The food that goes into ordinary chow, is not highly processed.
But, high fat pellets………..
Are processed food
The high fat pellets, on the other hand, are processed. They have to be…………….. the manufacturers have to follow a specific recipe, to create these special pellets. High fat pellets require the right mix of nutrients.
Starting with HIGH FAT.
Typically the percentage fat is set at 60 %. Lard or vegetable oil can be used to achieve this figure. Next, the other macronutrients are added, the protein content is usually set at 20 %, leaving carbs to make up the last 20 %.
But, loading up the pellet with macronutrients is not enough………….. just like us, mice need to get their vitamins and minerals, to thrive. A dollop of vitamin and mineral mix, plus a pinch of choline and some sulphur amino acids, rounds off the nutritional ingredients.
The final thing typically added, is a smidgeon of fibre, frequently insoluble fibre is the fibre of choice.
A smidgeon…………
Back in the lab
Laboratory mice enjoy their dinners.
But, there is a difference between a highly processed dinner and something a bit more NATURAL.
Our team wondered if this mattered. So they fed batches of mice, different dinners.
Mice eating processed dinners
Were fatter.
The amount of fat in the dinner, did impact the level of fatness – but mice eating a low fat (10 %), processed dinner, were still a lot fatter, than mice eating the less processed, ordinary chow.
Oops.
Fat was not the only factor, causing fatness.
Gut atrophy
When the team looked inside the mice, they found, mice eating the highly processed diets, had less intestine.
Seriously, they had more fat and less intestine.
When the animals intestine’s were weighed and measured – they were significantly shorter and they weighed less.
What could cause the intestine to shrivel up like that ?
Lack of fibre…
A series of further experiments found, the mice eating processed dinners, had the “wrong” crowd, living in their gut.
The reason – they weren’t getting enough soluble fibre.
When the team supplemented, the processed food, with generous quantities of soluble fibre, the animal’s guts looked normal.
Gut morphology, the long stringy bit is the small intestine, the bag on the end is the large intestine. When more soluble fibre was added to the high fat diet, the gut looked “normal”, without it, the gut was rather wizened
And their weight problems, improved.
A high fat, low fibre diet
Is a disaster……………. for mice.
Odds are, it is not a health move for humans either.
The problem with lab based, high fat diets, is not the fat per se, it’s the lack of fibre.
Unfortunately, if you’re eating lots of high fat foods, you are at risk of being short of fibre. Both food manufactures and Mother Nature, don’t pack these two ingredients together, on a routine basis.
So it is a mistake that is easily made.
Are you making this mistake ?
This research suggests countless scientists are making this mistake – are you ?
Remember to do butter WITH broccoli, if you want to create BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY !
Further reading
Those healthy fats aren’t as healthy as you believe
Now, it’s okay to eat fats, as long as they’re “healthy” fats. Which leads to the million dollar question, what are “healthy” fats ?
Broccoli is a sweet treat – seriously
Consuming broccoli, provides your intestinal cells with sweet treats, this makes the cells happy and stops sugar cravings.
Home made fats, not dietary fats are to blame for health troubles
The chemistry of fats is complicated. High fat levels are not because you stacked your plate with butter, meat, cream and eggs – your body made those fats.
Need a little help, managing your weight ?
