No really, fat is GOOD for you.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Fat is not as evil as we deemed it in the 80's (we only got fatter) and the poor nutrient is in a desperate need of a media makeover. Sure, it's not as simple as 'eat as much fat as you like, it won't matter,' but we do need to start looking at fat in a different light.

Tom Mueller, author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, tackles the subject in Olive Oil and the F Word where he reminds us that fat "controls and modulates your fertility, your appetite and your mood" as well as your immune system. A healthy intake of natural fat also keeps your skin and hair soft and radiant. I remember my favorite esthetician once telling me how she could tell which clients were on low-fat diets due to their skin appearing more thin, dry and dull. Great skin, a healthy immune system, and a regulated metabolism - isn't this what we all want?

So the challenge today is how to convince the general public that it's OK to eat some fat. Perhaps we need to look to Southern Europe, and Greece especially, where families consume large amounts of olive oil - whole pitchers of the stuff - in a matter of days and yet obesity is rare. And it's not just olive oil. Look at the French, for instance. The entire country lives off of cream, butter, and cheese and we envy their waistlines. It's certainly time to start asking some questions. In the meantime, pour on the olive oil!

Letting go of your fear of fat...

As you may have realized by now, I am a huge advocate of eradicating the old notion that fat makes you fat. I know it seems so logical, where immediately upon ingesting the stuff that it would quickly attach itself to your most glorious bodily regions. Well, I am here to dispel the myth and consider myself living proof of the fact. I eat fat with the fullest of pleasure - no lean meats for me! Don't take that skin off my chicken! Pork belly? Bring it on! What do you mean 'drizzle' a teaspoon of olive oil on my salad? Give me the bottle!

Let's face it, fat has suffered a bum rap over the years. What we have forgotten however, is that is in fact a nutrient, one that keeps your hair shiny, your skin soft, and your belly full - saving you from those multiple trips to the kitchen. Now I'm not advocating all fats are great, but I do feel that the industrialization and manipulation of our foods over the years has caused us great damage. I truly believe that fats from natural sources - meats, fish, dairy and fruit oils (olive oil!) - are not as scary as we have been lead to believe, and that certainly not all fats are created equal. As I've said before, I don't know where that liter of olive oil goes that I consume in a week, but it doesn't appear to be going to my thighs.

As I was searching around online to see if anyone else shared my views, I happened upon a wonderful fat-advocating article from the Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit organization who believes in "restoring nutrient-dense foods to the American diet through education, research and activism." The foundation strives to continue the research of Weston A. Price, a nutritional researcher who supported the scientific validation of traditional diets by studying the foods and health of isolated non-industrialized peoples around the world. I highly recommend clicking here to read "Taking the Fear Out of Eating Fat" - their quest to restore some dignity to our friendly nutrient.

*photo courtesy of "The Onion"