BAS Health Series: Myths and Realities of the Things We Eat, Article 1 of 6
I’ve always loved good food — the kind that makes you slow down, breathe in the aroma, and appreciate how amazing cooking can be. For most of my childhood life, my family avoided fat like it was poison. We swapped butter for margarine, skipped the cheese, ate 5% fat ground beef and turkey bacon. We bought anything labeled “low-fat.” It turns out, like many Americans, I’d been misled.
For decades, fat was the villain. Headlines, fad diets, and even government guidelines told us it was the root of obesity and heart disease. Then, just as suddenly, the pendulum swung. Keto and paleo diets declared fat our savior. So which is it? Is fat killing us or keeping us alive?
The truth, as I’ve discovered through research — and a few unforgettable meals — is somewhere in between.
Myths
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Myth 1: All fat is bad.
For years, we lumped all fats together. But not all fats behave the same. Trans fats and saturated fats can raise LDL cholesterol, while unsaturated fats actually lower it¹. Your body needs certain fats to function — they’re essential, literally. -
Myth 2: Fat makes you fat.
100% not true. Personally, I think this is why we believe the myths that fat is bad. It just sounds too logical. Body fat does not come directly from eating fat. Weight gain happens when calorie intake exceeds what your body burns. In fact, healthy fats help you feel full longer and can actually support weight management². -
Myth 3: Vegetable oils are always healthy.
Many processed seed oils (like soybean or corn oil) oxidize when heated, producing inflammatory compounds³. Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and cold-pressed nut oils are far better choices.
The Science
Fat is one of the body’s three macronutrients (alongside protein and carbohydrates). It’s dense — about 9 calories per gram, more than double the energy of carbs or protein — but it’s also indispensable.
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Cell structure: Every cell in your body has a fatty membrane.
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Hormones: Fat helps produce sex and stress hormones.
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Brain function: About 60% of the brain is fat⁴, and omega-3s are vital for neuron stability.
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Vitamin absorption: Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble. Without fat, you can’t absorb them.
Types of Fat
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Saturated fats: Found in red meat, butter, and coconut oil. In moderation, they’re fine; in excess, they raise LDL cholesterol⁵. High LDLs lead to heart disease.
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Unsaturated fats: Found in nuts, seeds, fish, and olive oil. These improve heart health and lower inflammation. Inflammation is the leading cause of cancer and heart disease.
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Trans fats: Found in processed foods and partially hydrogenated oils. These are the true villains — they raise LDL and lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
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Omega-3 and Omega-6: Essential fatty acids that must come from food. Modern diets often have too many omega-6s (from vegetable oils) and not enough omega-3s (from fish, walnuts, flaxseed), which fuels inflammation.
Did You Know? Your brain alone contains roughly 25% of your body’s total cholesterol — and it needs it for memory and communication⁶.
The French Paradox – When Fat Doesn’t Equal Disease
This entire series started in France. I’ve recently spent time traveling through France, and I’ll admit I ate my way through the country … twice … hopefully in the future. Cheese, butter, pâté, croissants ... things I just point to on the menu … if it was rich and delicious I tried it. I felt so guilty. I felt like each bite was taking days off my life. And yet, the French looked healthy. They weren’t avoiding fat. They were embracing it joyfully. They cooked with butter, drizzled olive oil on everything, and never skipped the cheese course.
So how could a culture that eats so much fat have lower rates of heart disease than we do in the U.S.? That’s the French Paradox⁷: the idea that the French consume more saturated fat but have significantly fewer cardiovascular problems.
It turns out, the answer has less to do with what they eat and more to do with how they eat: smaller portions, fresher ingredients, slower meals, and MOST IMPORTANTLY fewer processed foods. France’s heart-disease rate is roughly 30% lower than the U.S. despite higher fat consumption⁸.
The Fast-Food Fat Trap – How Modern Convenience Rewrites Nutrition
Back home, things look different. The average American now gets nearly 40% of daily calories from fat. That’s actually not all that bad. Unfortunately it comes from fried or processed foods⁹ and that’s really bad. That’s not the kind of fat our grandparents cooked with. Trans fat is cheap industrial oils that can be heated over and over again. It cuts down operational costs by loading the oil with with trans fats and paired with refined carbs and sugar.
Here’s what makes fast-food fat so dangerous:
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Repeatedly heated oils break down into toxic aldehydes that can damage DNA¹⁰.
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Trans fats are still hidden in some fried foods and pastries, even after FDA restrictions.
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Oversized portions: a single fast-food meal can exceed your entire daily fat allowance.
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Salt-and-sugar combo: Fat by itself is satisfying, but mixed with sugar and salt it becomes addictive — your brain’s reward system lights up like a slot machine.
A single large fast-food burger meal with fries and a shake can contain over 70 grams of fat — more than the entire recommended daily amount¹¹. I’m not anti-burger. Cheeseburgers may be my favorite food. I’ve just learned to cook them at home with real ingredients and fresh oils. That’s food worth enjoying. Drive-thru calories? Please, don’t do it.
Pros and Cons of Fat
Pros:
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Supports brain health and mood regulation.
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Improves hormone balance.
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Protects heart health when unsaturated fats replace refined carbs.
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Enhances absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Cons:
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Excess saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol.
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Processed trans fats increase cardiovascular disease risk by up to 23%¹².
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Fried and oxidized fats produce free radicals that accelerate aging.
The Truth
Most nutrition experts recommend 20–35% of daily calories from fat¹³ — roughly 45–75 grams for a 2,000-calorie diet. For a healthy lifestyle, a third of your diet should be made up of fat.
A Practical Guide
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Choose unsaturated fats whenever possible like olive oil, avocado, salmon, and nuts.
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Limit saturated fats to healthy levels (red meat, butter, cheese).
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Eliminate trans fats — check labels for “partially hydrogenated oils.”
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Cook at moderate heat to avoid oxidation.
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Balance omega-3 and omega-6 sources.
Healthy Tip! Replacing just 5% of your daily calories from saturated fat with unsaturated fat can reduce heart-disease risk by nearly 25%¹⁴.
My Opinion
As someone who loves to eat, I’ll never give up fat. I’m so happy to discover and share that we shouldn’t. Food is meant to be enjoyed. Fat isn’t something to fear; it’s something to understand.
I still enjoy butter on toast, bacon on Sunday mornings, and a steak every once in a while. But I balance it with olive oil, fish, and plenty of vegetables. That’s not compromise — that’s appreciation.
The goal isn’t to cut fat. It’s to eat it wisely, savor it slowly, and live like the French with balance, joy, and maybe a little butter … on everything.
The Myths and Realities of the Things We Eat
By Ken York, President of Benefit Airship
As someone who loves food — the smell of a sizzling pan, a great cup of coffee, a perfectly cooked steak — I’m fascinated by what we eat and how it affects us. I also get frustrated by the constant noise around it. One day butter is a superfood, the next it’s poison. Coffee adds years to your life — unless it’s silently killing you. Every week seems to bring a new diet, miracle supplement, or shocking study that contradicts the last one.
I’ve spent years researching health and wellness — both personally and professionally — and I’ve learned that truth in nutrition is rarely simple. What’s good for one person might not be for another. But there is science behind how these foods work, and it’s not as mysterious as the headlines make it seem.
Sources
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Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Types of Fat Explained
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Mayo Clinic, Healthy Fats and Weight Management
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Journal of Nutrition, Oxidation of Seed Oils Under Heat
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National Institutes of Health, Lipid Composition of the Human Brain
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American Heart Association, Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Risk
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Nature Neuroscience, Cholesterol and Synaptic Function
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European Journal of Epidemiology, Dietary Fat and Mortality in France vs. USA
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World Health Organization, Global Heart Disease Mortality Statistics (2024)
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CDC, U.S. Dietary Intake Survey (2024)
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Food Chemistry, Thermal Degradation of Frying Oils
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USDA FoodData Central, Fast-Food Nutrient Database
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WHO, Trans-Fat Elimination Report (2024)
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dietary Guidelines for Americans
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BMJ, Substituting Saturated Fats and Heart Disease Risk (2023)
