Fear of Fats...Why you don't need to be

[karenisraw]

I have always been afraid of fats my whole life because I gained weight so fast.

I learned about fats at a lecture by my raw vegan doctor that brought everything into a new perspective and ever since then I happily eat my coconut oil and avocados without an ounce of fear or hesitation. I have even lost weight!

I learned that among many other things, your cells membranes are made of fats so obviously you have to have them to live.

There you are. One big beautiful reason for you to enjoy and not be scared to eat avocados or my favorite, coconut oil on a cracker.

I just wanted to post this because I see so many postings of people who are new to raw who are scared to eat fats.

Any other knowledge about fats would be appreciated for others that are scared of fats.

[karenisraw]

Also, I think that if you feel cravings for avocados (or in my case I couldn't get enough of coconut oil), and are afraid of eating too much of them, I think that your body will tell you when you have had enough.

When I first started raw 4 weeks ago, I just kept wanting to coconut oil especially, but also avocados and olive oil. Just starting today, my desire for coconut oil and avocados as well as olive oils seem not as appealing to me and I cut down on the coconut oil because I felt I only wanted 1 tablespoon instead of my usual 2.

I feel that now after these 4 weeks, my body is saying that I don't need as much and thus my cravings for these fats has lessened.

I just wanted to post this so that if you are scared to eat fats, to feel confident that when the time is right, your body will tell you when it is not as interested in the fats.

So, there is no need to fear overdoing it as if you overdo it you will probably know it by feeling sick or something.

[choleblack]

I agree Karn! Don't fear the fat!

alright I"m just justifying my high fat day today. I was going with what my body was asking for (avo, flax oil, coconut oil & lots of almonds) and how can listening to what our bodies want be bad?

Chole

[DrPr]

I don't know... I've read that there is such a thing as too much fat regardless of the source of that fat. Frederic Patenaude is one of the people saying this:
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/rawfat.html

Does Alissa Cohen believe that you don't have to watch fat content as long as it comes from raw foods? I tried to find reference to that at alissacohen.com but cannot find anything. Does her book discuss it? I'm thinking of buying the book when I have some money. Everyone seems to love it.

[RawTruth]

Definitely buy the book. First of all, it's excellent and will answer all the questions you're posing. Secondly, it's an amazingly good deal (in fact, get her DVD, too). Thirdly, this part of her website -- this forum -- was created (and funded) by Alissa as a support group for those using her approach to being a raw vegan according to her book. You won't find a bunch of information on her site like you may on other "experts'" sites who may not have published books or may not have as extensive backgrounds as Alissa has. The basic information is in the book ... and some is in the section of this forum entitled "Need to Know More About Raw?".

For a quick, succinct, and (I think) completely satisfying answer directly from Alissa herself about FATS in the raw diet, read post #5 in this thread which is from back when she had enough time to post here herself:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3937

p.s. For any newbies reading this, a great place to start is in the section I've mentioned above. You can get to it from the Home page of this forum. Here is what it looks like (the emphasis is mine):

Need to know more about raw? (http://forumdisplay.php?f=19)
This non –posting forum is for reading articles and often asked basic raw food questions. Especially helpful for newbies! This is to help cut down on repeated Q+A throughout the posting forums

. . .

[DrPr]

Thanks for a great answer! When I have some money I will definitely be looking for Alissa's book. I tried to get it from the library, but no luck, and Barnes&Noble didn't have it. I look forward to getting hold of one!

[RawTruth]

DrPr --

Look above at the very left and click on the button that says "Alissa Cohen Books, DVD's & other raw diet products." That's where you order the book. Or, if you have a LOLF teacher near you, he or she might have some. If you lived here, I'd sell you one myself, but I'd probably talk you into a DVD, too. :eek: