The Top Fat Loss Secrets for Flat Six-Pack Abs and a Lean Stomach

an interview by Geovanni Derice with Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

I had the pleasure of being interviewed recently by a fitness professional from NYC, Certified Personal Trainer, Geovanni Derice. The interview is below and I think you're going to like it... I reveal some of the hardest hitting strategies for getting rid of that stubborn stomach fat to uncover those flat six pack abs that everyone wants.

"GD: Welcome Mike to our 4-ever-Toned Fitness Journal. For those who do not know you, please tell us a few things about yourself and how you can help our readers with their fitness and health.

MG: Thanks for having me, Geo. Well, to go back a little, I have been heavily involved in fitness and sports for about 17 years now, ever since I was a teenager. Being involved in sports in high school got me interested in strength training and conditioning.

At that point, once I started feeling more energetic, getting stronger, and looking better, I was instantly hooked for life. I'm 33 now and still addicted to the way living a healthy and fit lifestyle makes me feel energetic, confident, strong, and youthful on a daily basis.

I decided earlier in my 20's that I wanted to make the commitment to help other people experience the excitement of being fit and getting in the best shape of their lives, especially since we've reached an epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, etc. That's why I became a fitness professional. It just gives me so much satisfaction to help others, who have struggled for years to get in good shape, and show them that it can be done, and it can be fun in the process.

I've expanded over the years from just reaching local individuals with personal training, into being able to help people all over the globe achieve their fitness goals with the reach of the internet. I only hope that my passion for fitness inspires people to take action and improve how they look and feel for life.

GD: Now Mike, there's so many things out there as to what works and what does not work... if you had to pick 3 things that work time and time again to get flat lean abs, what would they be?

MG: The first and most important thing to get control of in order to lose your belly fat and get flat abs is cleaning up your diet. Exercise is important, but your diet is king when it comes to losing body fat so that you can see your abs.

There's so much confusion these days about what a healthy diet that promotes fat loss really is... after all, we are bombarded by conflicting messages in the media about what is healthy and what is not, and you have all of these gimmicky diet books about low carb, low fat, high protein, vegetarian, fasting, atkins, south beach, liquid diets, and hundreds more. There's so much conflicting info, that the average consumer doesn't even know where to start when it comes to eating for fat loss.

The second thing that works time and time again, is to focus on the intensity of your workouts and focus on working the body as a whole in order to get the best metabolic response to lose that stubborn stomach fat.

In order to really get lean, the workouts should have a high intensity, with short rest periods, working the largest muscle groups of the body, instead of trying to isolate specific small muscles like the biceps, triceps, or calves.

For the third thing, let's talk about actually training the abs specifically. When it comes to training the abs, if you want real results, I always recommend forgetting about the crunches and situps for the most part. They are ok for someone that is really deconditioned, but most people that already have some training under their belt need a much better stimulus for their abs than crunches. Crunches are one of the abs exercises that actually provide the least amount of resistance, and remember that resistance is what develops and tones the muscles.

I provide a ton of great abs exercises in my book, but one of THE highest resistance exercises for the abs, is hanging leg raises (but NOT the way you see most people at the gym doing them). The key to doing these and actually working the hell out of your abs is to curl your pelvis up as you raise your legs. Almost nobody ever does this right. To be honest, the majority of people cannot do this at first, but I provide some strategies in my book as to how to progress to doing these correctly.

GD: What are people doing wrong when it comes to developing the coveted "6 pack abs"?

MG: Well Geo, I know this sounds funny to most people, but the MAIN thing that people are doing wrong to get those flat 6-pack abs is... are you ready for this?

They spend entirely too much time focusing on training their abs! WAY too much time spent on abs exercises. Sounds crazy, but it's true.

Remember, having a flat and visible six pack of abs is all about getting down to a low body fat percentage. In order to do that, your workouts must focus on stimulating a fat burning hormonal environment in your body, and increasing your metabolic rate. That just does not happen when you focus too much time training a small muscle group like the abs.

Instead, you must use the majority of your time focusing on training the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, back, and chest. That's what stimulates your metabolism and the fat burning hormones that will get you truly lean and sporting a flat sixxer!

GD: Which exercises are the top exercises that people need to do if they are to get maximum defintion with their midsection?

MG: When it comes to developing the abs themselves, I again refer to any kinds of hanging abs exercises, as well as some good floor abs exercises like lying leg thrusts (all described and illustrated in my book).

However, maximum definition in the abs and midsection comes from losing bodyfat, and the most effective exercises featured in my program for that goal are various forms of swings and snatches (unique dumbbell or kettlebell exercises that almost nobody ever does in normal gyms), squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, clean & presses, mountain climbers, sprinting, and other full body exercises and calisthenics. If you want great looking flat abs, focus on those instead of focusing so much on training the abs directly!

GD: When it comes to diet Mike, people really have tried millions of ways to get one thing... and that is fat loss. What recommendations have you used to successfully help your clients lose body fat and keep it off?

MG: I have included a fully comprehensive discussion of this topic in my book, which accounts for almost half of the book, but I'll try to make some nice simple generalizations to get people started on the right path immediately. The most important thing is that your diet is as natural and unprocessed as possible. It almost always comes back to the overprocessing of food that makes it unhealthy, and makes it totally wreck your metabolism and hormone balance in your body.

For example, why eat refined grains, when you can eat whole grains (even better are sprouted grains, as I usually recommend limiting grain foods overall for best results).

Why eat refined sugar, when you can get natural sources of sugar from a high nutrient whole food like fruit. Why eat highly processed, refined, and hydrogenated vegetable oils (these are THE worst thing in the modern diet), when you can eat natural sources of healthy fats like nuts, avocados, fish, eggs, coconut milk, organically raised meat, and so forth.

The point is to not fall for some gimmick like extremely low carbs (although I do believe in a fairly reduced carb intake as that is a big problem for most people), low fat, super high protein, or any other combination that has you focusing on one macronutrient vs. another.

Your body needs all macronutrients to thrive and obtain a variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. Trying to cut an entire food group out just works against what your body needs. I get into much more detail on this vitally important topic towards losing body fat (especially that stubborn stomach fat) for life in my book.

GD: Thank you very much Mike for sharing with us all of this great information.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this interview and plucked several nuggets of info to get you motivated and started on showing off your flat abs shortly. If you don't already own a copy, be sure to pick up a copy of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book and discover the entire system I've developed for ridding yourself of that extra ab fat for good!

Sculpt a Better Body with Proper Post-Workout Nutrition

Ideas for healthy post-workout shakes to help build muscle and enhance fat loss
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

As you’ve probably heard before, your post-workout meal may very well be your most important meal of the day. 

The reason is that when you’re finished with an intense workout, you’re entering a catabolic state where your muscle glycogen is depleted and increased cortisol levels are beginning to excessively break down muscle tissue. These conditions are not good and the only way to reverse this catabolic state (and promote an anabolic state) is to consume a quickly digestible post-workout meal (can be a shake or smoothie) as soon as you can after training.

The goal is to choose a meal with easily digestible quick carbs to replenish muscle glycogen as well as quickly digestible protein to provide the amino acids needed to jump start muscular repair.  The surge of carbohydrates and amino acids from this quickly digested meal promotes an insulin spike from the pancreas, which shuttles nutrients into the muscle cells.

The post-workout meal should generally contain between 300-500 calories to get the best response. For example, a 120-lb female may only need a 300-calorie meal, whereas a 200-lb male may need a 500-calorie post-workout meal. Your post-workout meal should also contain anywhere from a 2:1 ratio of carbs:protein to a 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein. While most of your other daily meals should contain a source of healthy fats, keep the fat content of your post-workout meal to a bare minimum, since fat slows the absorption of the meal, which is the opposite of what you want after a workout.

When choosing what to make for your post-workout meal, the first thing to realize is that you DON’T need any of these expensive post-workout supplement formulations that all of the fancy ads you see everywhere will tell you that you absolutely NEED!  I tend to prefer to make my own post-workout shakes from natural ingredients instead of using a commercial mixture, since many of them are low quality.

For the shakes that I make myself, here are some things to keep in mind if you try it...

A good source of quickly digestible natural carbs such as frozen bananas, pineapples, honey, or organic maple syrup are perfect to elicit an insulin response that will promote muscle glycogen replenishment and a general anabolic (muscle building) effect. The more you can assist the muscle repair process, the more you increase your metabolic rate and can help your fat loss as well.

The best source of quickly digestible protein is a quality non-denatured whey protein isolate and/or some fat-free or low-fat yogurt. Here are a couple ideas for delicious post-workout smoothies that will kick start your recovery process:

Chocolate Banana – blend together 1 cup water, ½ cup skim milk, one and a half frozen bananas, 2 tbsp organic maple syrup, and 30 grams chocolate whey protein powder – 38 g prot, 72 g carb, 0.5 g fat, 440 calories.

Pineapple Vanilla - blend together 1 cup water, ½ cup vanilla yogurt, one cup frozen pineapples, 2 tbsp honey (preferably raw), and 30 grams vanilla whey protein powder – 35 g prot, 71 g carb, 0.5 g fat, 425 calories.

When looking to lose body fat, keep in mind that post-workout meals should have the opposite characteristics of all of your other meals throughout each day. While post-workout meals should have quick high glycemic index carbs and quickly digested proteins, all of your other meals throughout the day should be comprised of low glycemic index, slowly digested carbs and slow release proteins. 

These are powerful strategies towards developing a lean muscular body with a low body fat percentage.  Another great thing about post-workout meals is that you can satisfy even the worst sweet tooth, since this is the one time of the day where you can get away with eating extra sugars without adding to your gut. Instead, it all goes straight to the muscles! But ONLY if your workout was super-high intensity and involved resistance training for large portions of the body.  If all you did was some low intensity cardio, forget about doing this type of post-workout shake.
Enjoy!

Motivated For You That Want to Lose Weight

If you have been trying to lose weight for some time that we know how difficult it can sometimes be just to get motivated to lose weight and most importantly to maintain weight.
I've been there. For years I struggled with "trying to lose weight" and lack of motivation.
I knew I had to lose weight. I wanted to lose weight, but after a long day at work just wanted to relax on the couch and to get some food.
Get some exercise or even have a healthy meal was so hard to do. Then I felt guilty and ashamed of myself for lacking any motivation or willpower.
I struggled with how motivated to lose weight until I discovered a few simple ways that I pulled the sofa, which prevented me from eating the wrong foods and led me to do "simple things" that had to do to lose weight and avoid to return.
1. I clearly identified the "why" I wanted to lose weight in the first place.
Therefore, to follow my foot steps asks "Why I want to lose weight?" Then write the reasons "why" you want to lose weight on a piece of paper or even better in a journal. Go ... do it now. And make it the first day it is absolutely start your weight loss process.
1. Be very specific about your reasons.
2. Talking about it in the "present time", as is already happening.
The more specific you get, the more real it is for you. Relate the reasons for his present life and not in the distant future. What do you want now and exactly what you want?
You should be able to imagine the reasons "Why?" visually.
For example:
I'm losing weight so you can have a thinner face, fair skin and bright.
Versus: I want to lose weight so you can see better.
My husband or my boyfriend or my crush to notice and compliment me how good I look.
Versus: I want people to account and pay attention to me.
I feel more confident when I talk to my boss at work and I can see how they appreciate the great work I'm doing.
Versus: I can be more sure of myself
See what's going on here? ... The more specific you are getting to "Why?" you want to lose weight and the more the reasons relate to his current life, rather than being motivated to lose weight and actually what happens now.
2. Surround yourself with the right people that keep you motivated to lose weight.
Being close to the right people at all times is critical to achieving and maintaining weight loss motivation.
You know there is a saying .... "Tell me who your five closest friends are and I'll tell you who you are"
You spend time with and surround yourself with makes a big difference in the actions you take and habits that way.
Just hang out with thin people long enough and POSITIVELY see the difference yourself.
If your 5 best friends are slim and in shape and is surrounded by thin people, then there is only one of two things can happen.
1. They develop habits to gain weight or 2. You get to lose weight and influence to be more "like them".
They unconsciously do things that you need to lose weight only about himself with the right people.
Being around positive reinforcement of the people. The people who support and re-assure you. Stay away from negative people, even if they are your current best friends and family!
The negativity can pull down. However, the positive vibrations of positive people will up and stay on track and motivated to keep losing weight and staying healthy.
Get started today with the association of people online. Your friends at Facebook, youtube friends and even weight loss support groups and online communities will help you with the way the motivation to lose weight and stay motivated.
3. Build your 2 "What if ?...." NOW sheets.
What if ...? And what happens if ...? In the What if ...? piece of writing at the top ...
"These are big changes going to happen to me from 1) tomorrow, 2) within 2 months and 3) in 1 to 2 years."
Then write down all the good changes you can imagine that's going to happen in the short term, short term and long term .... if you start taking action now to lose weight.
Thus, for example:
In the What if ...? sheet could be writing things like ....
- Tomorrow I will feel very well have begun to take steps to lose weight. I'll stop feeling guilty. Instead I'm more power since I'm on the right track.
- Tomorrow I will just wake up feeling better and have more energy and I eat right tonight.
- Within 2 months from now will have lost XXX (insert your specific goal) pounds or kilos.
- Within two months from today, my boyfriend / my husband told me I'm losing weight and looking great!
- Within a year I go shopping for new clothes that perfectly fit my hourglass figure.
- Within a year, I'll be talking about my success story of weight loss itself and inspire many others to follow my footsteps.
- Within a year I will have much more energy to play with my children, spend more time with my husband and make the most fun for many.
Now in its 2nd sheet, write down everything you can imagine what will happen unless we take action now to lose weight ...
At the end of each sentence also write ..... I will not allow this to happen.
Thus, for example:
In the What if ...? sheet could be writing things like ....
- Tomorrow I'll feel guilty again for not doing anything to start losing weight. I will not feel good knowing I'm not in the right way. I will not allow this to happen.
- Tomorrow I'll wake up feeling tired and lethargic again! I'll have trouble getting out of bed and feeling low energy. I will not allow this to happen.
- In 2 months from today I will be the same. What is worse, could have gained more weight. I will be afraid to stand on the scale and ashamed of myself. I will not allow this to happen.
- In two months from now my husband still can not see any change in me and I will be the same weight and have the same body. I feel like I'm cheating him and me again. I will not allow this to happen.
- In time of 1 year, I'll still be with clothes to "try" to hide my weight and are thin. I'm going to be aware of going in public and meeting new people because of my weight. I will not allow this to happen.
- In time of 1 year of my boyfriend can not find me physically attractive may want to leave me. You may have difficulty finding a "significant other" who thinks I'm attractive and wants to be with me. I will not allow this to happen.
Now that you have written everything you can imagine, has a vivid and clear to get motivated to lose weight. Be aware of your 2 "What if ..." lists. Read the list three times a week.
See what's happening? Yes, you're getting motivated to lose weight now even while reading your lists.
Keep doing this and you will be in action. Then, their habits are changing rapidly. Then start to see results.

How to Lose Ten Pounds, Quickly And Naturally

If you've heard of people asking how to lose ten pounds in a month, then there are skeptical. Although successful in a certain diet and removal is difficult, not impossible. There are people who have lost so much in just one month and the good news is that you can be one of those who have been successful.

When it comes to weight loss, motivation is a determining factor for the change of lifestyle. Your eating habits will largely determine how far you can reach your goals. You are what you eat.

You have two options: either to eat to live or live to eat.

Before thinking about touching food - just stop and think about what you are putting into your mouth. Is it worth it? And what will the food to your body? Get into the habit of asking if there are reasons to eat healthy foods to eat. You can then make a decision not to eat.

But if you are eating for an emotional reason, do not. Find other types of construction to satisfy that feeling you are after. And when you do not eat it, give yourself a pat on the back and say, 'Well done! In the end, if not eat it, just think of the exercise is to do. Better yet - like the exercise we are doing now will give you more fat loss results.

Here are 4 reasons why you should eat more, but rather of good food:

1. The food is good is to build muscle and other body tissues
2. Good food is for energy, the fuel that drives all day
3. Frequent mini meals of good food stimulates fat burning metabolism
4. The food is fine that is high in nutrition is very good for your body, mind and soul

The food is okay, is not the enemy, bad food.

When it comes to food choices, you are our best friend or worst enemy.

Ask yourself: "How much further would you be if you eat well all week?

If you want to know how to lose ten pounds in a month, then the first thing you can do is start a diet program that can be a combination of a healthy diet plan, a healthy exercise regimen and a plan that makes use of other materials diet or supplements.

It is important to reduce unnecessary consumption of calories. It is necessary to reduce the food they make, all you have to do is carefully choose the foods that do not contain as many unnecessary calories that your body does not need. Reduce consumption of junk food and sweets can be a good start. It is also important to drink more water to replenish lost fluids.

You can incorporate a strict exercise plan your daily regimen. You need to put in mind that you need to burn whatever is stored in your body and you need to burn those who do not need to function well.

Finally, you can incorporate the use of certain dietary supplements and specific programs that can make the process faster diet. You can use cleansing supplements that can remove toxins and fat from your body unused. You can also check the new diets that can increase the speed of your metabolism to burn fat faster.

Now this is the way how to lose ten pounds fast.

Do You Looking For The Quickest Way to Lose Weight?

With spring and summer coming, many are concerned about the extra kilos that have appeared during the winter season. Soon the T-shirts and bathing suits will come out, but no one wants to be heavier than the previous year, then something must be done. This is when you start the contemplation of things like what is the quickest way to lose weight. In fact, there are many effective methods to lose weight relatively quickly, however, to try to lose significant amounts in only a couple of weeks, is not very reasonable, is not very healthy. The best bet would be to do research on different types of diets, choose the one that suits your lifestyle and stick with it for a long period of time.

When asked what is the quickest way to lose weight, most experts will stay with the tried and true methods of reducing calories, reducing fat in children. This means that you restrict your calorie intake to a maximum of 1,500 on a daily basis and eat only nonfat or low fat. This can work, but it is important to ensure enough vitamins and minerals below and watch the intake of protein and carbohydrates, and that a diet rich in fat and calories restricted itself not only results in weight loss but also loss of muscle and important fluids like water.

Other methods of losing weight are the systems that are offered through central societies, such as Slim Fast, South Beach diet, Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem. All these methods have their success stories and promote a general habit of healthy eating. Weight Watchers is especially famous for helping people lose weight and keep it off through their point system actually allows a daily serving of dessert or a snack to eat. These systems help to structure your meals and Control Calories and fat intake while maintaining nutrition in mind. The back of these plans is cost. Some require a monthly fee and they all have special pre-made meals that you have to eat and can cost hundreds of dollars each month. Another plan that does not require the purchase of games of food is the Atkins diet. But what is the quickest way to lose weight? This is based solely on limiting carbohydrates, but allows a lot of fat and protein you want. Many have lost significant weight within weeks of starting this diet, however, many forget that there are good fats and bad. Eating saturated fat without seeing the amount consumed often results in heart disease and other health conditions, so caution should be taken. Perhaps this is a response to what is the quickest way to lose weight

Finally, there are specific geographic diets. There are the Chinese or the Mediterranean diet, which means basically copying the way those cultures eat and prepare food. This involves a lot of olive oil, vegetables and eating the main meal at noon instead of at night. In the long run, this has proven to be not only slimming, but also very healthy.

When deciding on what is the quickest way to lose weight, there are many options. However, the best diet will not be effective if we exclude the daily exercise. So what I did, combined with improved eating habits and weight more movement going away. What is the quickest way to lose weight is on your mind.

The Shocking Truth about Dietary Fats and Saturated Fats

You've been deceived into thinking that saturated fats are bad for you, but let's look at some facts below...
by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

I’ll preface this article by saying that it will help if you have an open mind and accept that some of these facts are a slap in the face to politically correct nutrition in this day and age where fats are admonished by many doctors, health "experts", and the mass media.
To start, eating an adequate supply of healthy dietary fats is vitally important to your overall health. Fats are one of the main components in all of the cell membranes throughout your entire body. If you eat enough healthy natural fats, your cellular processes will proceed normally.

On the other hand, if you eat man-made, heavily processed, chemically altered fats (damaged fats) that are found in most processed foods, your cellular function will be impaired as these damaged fats become part of your cell membranes, the body will have to work harder to operate correctly, and degenerative diseases can develop.

In addition, healthy dietary fats are necessary for optimal hormone production and balance within the body and are therefore essential for the muscle building and fat burning processes.  Other important functions that dietary fats play in a healthy body are aiding vitamin and mineral utilization, enzyme regulation, energy, etc.

I cringe every time I hear so called "health experts" recommend restriction of dietary fat, claiming that a low-fat diet is the key to good health, weight loss, and prevention of degenerative diseases.  Restriction of any one macronutrient (protein, carbs, or fat) in your diet works against what your body needs and can only lead to problems. 

All three basic macronutrients serve important functions for a lean, healthy, and disease-free body.  As Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D, and one of the leading fats researchers in the world, notes in several of her books and articles, there is very little true scientific evidence supporting the assertion that a high fat diet is bad for us. 

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For example, if these so called "health experts" that admonish fat are correct, and a low-fat diet is the solution to good health, then why did traditional Pacific Islanders who typically obtained 2/3 to 3/4 of their total daily calories from fat (mostly from coconut fat), remain virtually free from heart disease, obesity, and other modern degenerative diseases (that is, until Western dietary influences invaded)?
Also, why did traditional Eskimo populations, consuming up to 75% of their total caloric intake from fat (mostly from whale blubber, seal fat, organ meats, and cold water fish), display superior health and longevity without heart disease or obesity?

Why did members of the Masai tribe in Africa remain free from degenerative diseases and maintain low body fat percentages on diets consisting of large quantities of raw whole milk, blood, and meat? What about the Samburu tribe of Africa, which eats an average of 5 times the quantity of dietary fat (mostly from raw whole milk and meat) as overweight, disease-ridden Americans, yet Samburu members are lean, healthy, and free of degenerative diseases? What about traditional Mediterranean diets, which are known to be very high in fat in some cases (sometimes up to 50-70% fat), and are also well known to be very healthy?

These examples of high fat diets and the associated excellent health of traditional populations around the world go on and on, yet it seems that many doctors, nutritionists, and media outlets still ignore these facts and continue to promote a diet that restricts fat intake.

Well, the problem is that the good fats (the natural unprocessed health promoting fats) have gotten mistakenly lumped together in nutritional advice with the deadly processed fats and oils that make up a large percentage of almost all processed food that is sold at your local grocery store, restaurant, deli, fast food joint, etc. These deadly processed fats are literally everywhere and almost impossible to avoid unless you know what to look for and make smart choices in what you feed your body with.

Take note that I’m not recommending following a super high fat diet. Active individuals that exercise on a regular basis certainly also need adequate supplies of healthy carbohydrates for energy and muscle glycogen replenishment as well as good sources of protein for muscle repair. The above examples of the high fat diets of traditional populations and their corresponding excellent health were simply to prove the point that you don’t need to be afraid of dietary fats as long as you make healthy natural choices and stay within your daily caloric range to maintain or lose weight (depending on your goals).

Following is a list of some of the healthiest fatty foods (some will surprise you!) as well as some of the deadliest fatty foods to try to avoid at all costs:

The Healthy Fatty Food Choices:

• Coconut fat: Coconut fat is approximately 92% saturated fat, yet surprisingly to most people, is considered a very healthy natural fat. The health benefits of coconut fat lie in its composition of approximately 65% medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Specifically, about 50% of coconut fat is a MCT called lauric acid, which has very potent anti-microbial properties helping to enhance the immune system. Also, MCTs are more easily utilized for immediate energy instead of being stored as body fat.  Coconut oil is also an excellent cooking oil for stir-frying, etc. since saturated fats are much more stable and do not oxidize like polyunsaturated oils when exposed to heat and light, which creates damaging free radicals. The best sources of healthy coconut fat are organic coconut milk, virgin coconut oil (available at http://coconut-info.com), or fresh coconut.  

• Extra virgin olive oil:  Olive oil is approximately 71% monounsaturated, 16% saturated, and 13% polyunsaturated. Choose “extra virgin” olive oil, which comes from the first pressing of the olives and has higher quantities of antioxidants. Unlike most other oils on supermarket shelves, extra virgin olive oil is not extracted with the use of harmful industrial solvents and is one of your healthiest choices for liquid oils. Try making your own salad dressing by mixing a small amount of olive oil with vinegar. This is healthier than most store bought salad dressings, which are usually made with highly processed and refined (chemically damaged) soybean oil extracted with industrial solvents. 

•  Dark, bittersweet chocolate (>70% cocoa):  The cocoa bean is a very concentrated source of antioxidants and responsible for part of the health benefit of dark chocolate. The fat portion of the cocoa bean (cocoa butter) is a healthy natural fat, composed of approximately 59% saturated fat (mostly healthy stearic acid), 38% monounsaturated fat, and 3% polyunsaturated fat. I’ll limit the description of healthy chocolate to ONLY dark bittersweet chocolate with >70% cocoa content. Most milk chocolates are only about 30% cocoa, and even most dark chocolates are only about 55% cocoa, leaving the remainder of those products composed of high amounts of sugar, milk fat, corn sweeteners, etc. Look for a quality dark chocolate that lists its cocoa content like Chocolove Extra Dark (77%) or Dagoba New Moon (74%), which contain mostly cocoa and very little sugar. Keep in mind that although dark chocolate can be a healthy treat, it is still calorie dense, so keeping it to just a square or two is a good idea. 

•  Avocados or guacamole:  The fat in avocados (depending on where they’re grown) is approximately 60% monounsaturated, 25% saturated, and 15% polyunsaturated. Avocados are a very healthy natural food that provides many nutrients, fiber, and healthful fats, while adding a rich flavor to any meal. Try sliced avocado on sandwiches or in salads or use guacamole in wraps, sandwiches, or quesadillas. 

•  High fat fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout, etc.:  Just about any fish or seafood are good sources of natural omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, but the higher fat fish listed above are the best sources of omega-3’s. Due to the radical switch to a higher proportion of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats like soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, etc. in our food supply during the middle of the 20th century, the average western diet is currently way too high in omega-6’s compared to omega-3’s, which wreaks havoc in your body. This is where good omega-3 sources like high fat fish, walnuts, and flax seeds can help bring you back to a better ratio of omega-6/omega-3. 

•  Nuts (any and all - walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamias, etc.): Nuts are great sources of healthy unprocessed fats as well as minerals and other trace nutrients. Macadamias, almonds, and cashews are great sources of monounsaturated fats, while walnuts are a good source of unprocessed polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3’s). Try to avoid nuts that are cooked in oil. Instead, choose raw or dry roasted nuts. 

•  Seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds):  All of these seeds are great sources of natural unprocessed healthy fats. In particular, flax seeds have received a lot of attention lately due to their high omega-3 content. However, keep in mind that omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are highly reactive to heat and light, and prone to oxidation and free radical production. Therefore, freshly ground flax seed is the only way to go. Instead of using the store bought ground flax seed, you can buy whole flax seed and use one of those miniature coffee grinders to grind your own flax seed. Try grinding fresh flax seed into your yogurt, cereal, or even your salad.  If you’re using a flax oil, make sure it’s a cold-pressed oil in a light-proof refrigerated container, and use it up within a few weeks to prevent it from going rancid. NEVER cook with flax oil! 

•  The fat in organically raised, free-range animals:  This is where most people have been misinformed by the mass media. Animal fat is inherently good for us, that is, if it came from a healthy animal. Human beings have thrived on animal fats for thousands of years. The problem is, most mass produced animal products today do not come from healthy animals. They come from animals given loads of antibiotics and fattened up with hormones and fed un-natural feed. The solution is to choose organically raised, free-range meats, eggs, and dairy. At this time, the price is still a little higher, but as demand grows, the prices will come down. I've found an incredible website that actually offers free-range grass-fed meats delivered right to your doorstep at very reasonable prices. Believe me, it's very hard to find grass fed meats at any grocery stores, so I was pleased to find this site.

The Deadly Fatty Foods:

• Hydrogenated oils (trans fats):  These are industrially produced chemically altered oils subjected to extremely high pressure and temperature, with added industrial solvents such as hexane for extraction, and have a metal catalyst added to promote the artificial hydrogenation, followed by bleaching and deodorizing agents…..and somehow the FDA still allows this crap to pass as food. These oils aren’t even worthy of your lawnmower, much less your body! They’ve been linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more. Even small quantities have been shown in studies to be dangerous. If you care about your health, check the ingredients of everything you buy, and if you see partially hydrogenated oils of any kind, margarine, or shortening, protect yourself and your family by choosing something else.  

•  Refined oils:  Even if the oils are not hydrogenated, most oils on your supermarket shelves are refined, even most of the so called “healthy” canola oils. Most refined oils still undergo the high temperature, high pressure, solvent extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing processes. Anything labeled vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, and even many canola oils have been damaged by this refining process (unless they say "virgin" or "cold expeller pressed"). This damages the natural structure of the fats, destroys natural antioxidants, creates free radicals, and produces a generally unhealthy product. Take note that the explosion of heart disease in the middle of the 20th century coincides quite nicely with the rapid increase in the use of hydrogenated and refined oils in the food supply. 

•  Anything deep fried: including tortilla chips, potato chips, French fries, donuts, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, etc. All of this crap shouldn't even pass as real food in my opinion! 

•  Homogenized milk fat - Milk fat is a very healthy fat in its natural raw state. Milk and beef from grass fed organically raised cows is known to have higher quantities of healthy fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids compared with grain fed cows. Traditional populations around the world have thrived in perfect health while consuming huge quantities of raw, non-pasteurized, non-homogenized, full fat dairy products.  Once again, food processing ruins a good thing by pasteurizing and homogenizing milk fat, rendering it potentially dangerous inside the human body. Unfortunately, you will find it almost impossible to find raw milk in the US unless you personally know a farmer. Check out http://www.realmilk.com for more info on the benefits of raw milk and to find out if it’s available near you. As an alternative, cultured dairy products like yogurt have at least had beneficial microorganisms added back to them making them better for you.  Realistically, since you probably won’t find raw milk, sticking to skim milk is the best option to avoid the homogenized milk fat. If you use butter for cooking, your best option is grass-fed butter.

I hope this article has shed some light on the truth about dietary fats and made you realize their importance in a healthy diet.