Archivi dei tag: Metabolic Health

Fat Is Good, But Not the Fat You Think

For thirty years, butter was a villain (for me still is, as I don’t like butter but this is another story). Diets preached lean proteins and low-fat everything; margarine sat on the shelf as the “healthy” option. Then the trend changed. Whole milk, eggs, olive oil, avocados: suddenly eating fat felt like a form of self-care. The question is no longer whether to eat fat, but which kind, in what quantity, and for what purpose.

The body needs fat

Fat is not a flaw in the diet. It’s infrastructure. Cell membranes are built from lipids; hormones are synthesized from cholesterol; vitamins A, D, E and K refuse to be absorbed without it. Even the body’s own fat stores have been reclassified: adipose tissue now counts as an endocrine organ, secreting leptin, adiponectin and dozens of other molecules that regulate metabolism, appetite and inflammation.

But where the fat is stored matters enormously. Subcutaneous fat — under the skin — is relatively quiet. Visceral fat, wrapped around the organs inside the abdomen, behaves differently: it pumps inflammatory cytokines (chemical messengers that help control inflammation, immunity, and cell  growht) straight into the portal vein feeding the liver, driving insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction.

Saturated fat

Evidence supports clearly: the damage blamed on saturated fat may have been partly caused by its replacement with refined sugars and processed grains, rather than by the fat itself. Swapping butter for white bread was arguably the worse move.

Trans fats: the one real enemy

If there is a fat category with a unanimous scientific consensus against it, it’s artificial trans fat. Partially hydrogenated oils raise LDL, lower HDL, promote inflammation, and were banned from U.S. food manufacturing after the FDA revoked their “generally recognized as safe” status in 2015. Natural traces remain in meat and dairy at negligible levels.

Ketosis: medicine or marketing?

The ketogenic diet with very low carbohydrate, high fat, inducing a metabolic state called ketosis, has moved beyond fitness culture into clinical research. In Alzheimer’s disease, small trials show modest improvements in cognitive scores, possibly because ketone bodies offer an alternative fuel source when glucose metabolism falters in the brain.

In oncology, the picture is less encouraging. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that ketogenic diets lowered blood glucose in cancer patients but showed no significant effect on tumor markers, weight, or quality of life.

So, ketosis is a real metabolic state with genuine biological effects, but “eating fat burns fat” oversimplifies a relationship that varies dramatically by individual genetics, baseline health, and what exactly is being eaten.

Omega-3s: fish first, pills second

Eating fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring) twice a week carries robust evidence for cardiovascular benefit. Supplements tell a more complicated story. An AHA advisory found no benefit of omega-3 supplements for the general population or for diabetic patients preventing cardiovascular events.

Practical takeaway: get your omega-3s from food when possible. If you want to take supplements, ask your doctor, and don’t trust a wellness influencer.

What actually belongs in the shopping basket

  • Extra virgin olive oil — the most studied culinary fat, rich in monounsaturated oleic acid and polyphenols. The backbone of Mediterranean dietary patterns is associated with lower cardiovascular mortality.
  • Avocado, nuts, seeds — whole-food sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, and micronutrients bundled together.
  • Fatty fish — the best practical source of marine omega-3s.
  • Butter and full-fat dairy — acceptable in moderation, especially grass-fed; the fear they inspired was disproportionate to the actual risk for most people, though those with familial hypercholesterolemia or established cardiovascular disease should still monitor intake.
  • Coconut oil — high in saturated fat (about 80%), mostly lauric acid. Popular in wellness circles, but the evidence base for unique benefits over other fats is thin. Fine occasionally; not a daily staple.
  • Partially hydrogenated — avoid. Check labels for “partially hydrogenated” even in products marketed as natural.

The bottom line

Fat isn’t the enemy it was painted to be, but “eat more fat” is not a good strategy. The body requires diverse lipid inputs, and the quality and context of those inputs shape outcomes more than any single nutrient number. Eat mostly plant-based fats, some animal fats, plenty of fish, skip anything with partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list, and treat extreme dietary regimens as medical interventions rather than lifestyle upgrades.

What do you think of the ketogenic diet?

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Fibremaxxing: What It Is and Why It Has Become a Wellness Trend

I’m not usually the person who chases wellness trends. Give me a new supplement, a juice cleanse, or a “biohack” (the practice of making intentional changes to our biology, lifestyle, or environment to improve health, performance, or well-being) and my default reaction is a slow blink and a quiet “no thanks.” So when fibremaxxing started appearing everywhere, I braced myself for another overhyped fad.

Then I looked at the numbers, and honestly? This one earned its spot on my feed.

First, what even is fibremaxxing?

Strip away the internet slang and it’s disarmingly simple: fibremaxxing means making a deliberate effort to eat more fibre. It’s essentially the plant-based sibling of proteinmaxxing — the trend that had everyone counting grams of chicken at every meal. With fibremaxxing you’re reaching for beans, oats, fruit, and vegetables.

The term racked up well over 150 million views on TikTok, which tells you two things: it landed hard with younger audiences, and it arrived wrapped in very 2026 packaging. But underneath the meme label sits something researchers have been nudging us toward for decades: the recommendation that adults aim for roughly 30 grams of fibre a day.

And here’s the part that made me decide to embrace it: most of us aren’t anywhere near that mark. Government data puts it at about 96% of UK adults falling short, averaging just around 16 grams a day That gap between what we need and what we actually eat is the whole story. This isn’t a trend solving an invented problem; it’s filling a very real, very old nutritional hole.

Why I got on board

Fibre doesn’t get the same celebrity treatment as protein, but the case for it is strong. Adequate intake is linked to better gut and metabolic health, a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, improved satiety so you feel fuller for longer, and even a reduced risk of certain cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. A nutrition professor put it bluntly: fibre has never been a “sexy” nutrient, and nobody eats enough of it.

Here’s where the trend is actually getting smarter

This is the twist that turned me fully around. The conversation is shifting from “eat more fibre” to “eat different fibres.”

Mintel’s 2026 report flags a move away from rigid maximisation goals toward diverse, functional diets. The focus is moving from quantity to balance. There’s a good biological reason for this: your gut microbiome thrives on variety, and pulling all your fibre from a single source isn’t the smartest play.

Experts are calling this “smart fibremaxxing”, when you should prioritise a wide range of plant-based prebiotic fibres over simply maxing out the gram count.

One honest caveat worth keeping in mind: if you jump from almost no fibre to a bean bowl a day overnight, your digestion may protest. Adding fibre gradually and drinking plenty of water makes a real difference.

How I’d actually do it

You don’t need supplements, or special products. Small, consistent swaps compound fast:

  • Go whole grain. Swap white bread, rice, or pasta for whole-grain versions. It’s the single easiest lever you can pull.
  • Add a tin. Stir chickpeas, lentils, or beans into a curry, soup, or salad. You get fibre and protein in one motion.
  • Keep the skins on. Potatoes, apples, carrots — a surprising amount of fibre hides right there. But wash them with care, to remove pesticides if you don’t buy organic.
  • Upgrade the snack drawer. Trade chips for a handful of nuts, seeds, or fruit.
  • Build meals plants-first. Try vegetables you rarely reach for and discover new plant-based dishes.

Plant-based eating makes this effortless precisely because fibre only comes from plants. Whole grains, legumes, fruit, and vegetables all bring it to the table, and many pack in protein alongside it. A bowl of lentil dahl or a bean chilli is quietly doing both jobs for you. If you’ve been cooking more plant-based lately, there’s a decent chance your fibre intake already crept up without you noticing.

Is it a fad or a foundation?

Here’s my take after watching it evolve: the label might fade and “fibremaxxing” could become normalised and forgettable. But the underlying habit, eating more and more varied plant foods, is exactly the kind of thing that sticks. It’s budget-friendly, satiating, and backed by decades of science rather than a viral moment.

Want to take this further? Drop a comment and let me know if you’d like some easy, high-fibre recipes I can share. I’ve got a few favourites that make adding fibre genuinely painless.

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