I’m standing in my kitchen at 61, eating full-fat yogurt straight from the container while reading an article about how fat will kill me, and I can’t stop laughing. Because thirty years ago, I was eating fat-free everything and felt like death. Now I eat butter, avocados, and whole eggs, and my blood work is better than it was at 35.
Everything we were told about fat in the 80s and 90s? Wrong. Completely, spectacularly, “let’s make an entire generation sick” wrong. And we fell for it. We ate cardboard cookies, rubber cheese, and yogurt that tasted like sweetened paste. We got fatter, sicker, and more confused.
So here’s your quiz, and spoiler alert: Everything you think you know about fat is probably backwards. Let me blow your mind with some truth bombs from someone who lived through the fat-free disaster and came out the other side with butter on her vegetables.
Quiz: Test Your Fat Knowledge
Question 1: Eating fat makes you fat.
Answer: FALSE
This is the biggest lie we were sold. I spent the entire 90s eating fat-free everything. Fat-free cookies (pure sugar), fat-free salad dressing (more sugar), fat-free yogurt (sugar with a side of chemicals). Guess what happened? I gained 20 pounds.
Why? Because when you remove fat, food tastes like sadness. So they add sugar. And sugar, not fat, is what makes you fat. Your body needs fat to feel satisfied. Without it, you’re hungry an hour after eating. Those nutrition myths we believed? This was the biggest one.
Now I eat full-fat everything. Greek yogurt with the fat. Whole milk in my coffee. Real butter on my toast. I’m lighter at 61 than I was at 40 when I was afraid of avocados.
Question 2: Saturated fat causes heart disease.
Answer: It’s complicated (but mostly FALSE)
This myth started with one flawed study in the 1950s and became gospel. We threw out our butter and bought margarine (trans fats, actually deadly). We stopped eating eggs and started eating cereal (sugar bombs). We avoided red meat and loaded up on pasta (blood sugar roller coaster).
Curtis’ Dad had a heart issue. You know what his cardiologist told him? “Eat eggs. Eat fish. Use olive oil and butter. Stop eating processed food.” Not a word about avoiding saturated fat. Because the real culprit? Sugar, refined carbs, and processed oils.
My cholesterol? Better now eating eggs daily than when I was eating Special K for breakfast.
Question 3: Low-fat diets are healthiest.
Answer: SO FALSE IT HURTS
The low-fat craze of the 80s and 90s coincided with the obesity epidemic. Coincidence? Nope. When the government told us to eat less fat, we got fatter. Diabetes skyrocketed. Heart disease increased.
Why? Fat helps you absorb vitamins (A, D, E, K are fat-soluble). Fat keeps you full. Fat stabilizes blood sugar. Fat makes your brain work (your brain is 60% fat). Without fat, you’re hungry, foggy, and nutrient-deficient.
I did low-fat for years. I was constantly hungry, my skin was dry, my hair was brittle, and I had the energy of a dead battery. Now? My wellness plan includes plenty of healthy fats, and I have more energy at 61 than I did at 41.
Question 4: All fats are created equal.
Answer: FALSE
This is where it gets interesting. There are fats that heal and fats that kill:
Good fats:
- Olive oil (liquid gold)
- Avocados (nature’s butter)
- Nuts and seeds (portable perfection)
- Fatty fish (brain food)
- Coconut oil (cooking champion)
- Butter from grass-fed cows (yes, butter is back)
Bad fats:
- Trans fats (margarine, processed foods)
- Vegetable oils heated to high temps (inflammatory)
- Anything that says “partially hydrogenated”
- Deep fried anything (sorry, donuts)
The difference? Good fats reduce inflammation. Bad fats cause it. And inflammation is what’s actually killing us, not the butter on our bread.
Question 5: You need to count fat grams.
Answer: FALSE
I counted fat grams religiously in the 90s. Maximum 20 grams a day. I was miserable, hungry, and ironically, fatter. Now I don’t count anything except blessings and occasionally cocktails.
Your body knows what it needs. When you eat real food with natural fat, your body tells you when to stop. When you eat processed low-fat food, your body stays confused and hungry. Just like I had to change my money mindset, I had to change my fat mindset.
My Fat Journey (The Embarrassing Truth)
The 80s: Discovered Jane Fonda. Ate rice cakes. Thought fat was the enemy. Weighed myself daily. Miserable.
The 90s: Fat-free everything. SnackWells cookies by the box (fat-free = eat the whole box, right?). Gained weight. Blamed myself for lack of willpower.
The 2000s: Atkins diet. All fat, no carbs. Lost weight, lost mind. Dreamed about bread. Gave up after three months.
The 2010s: Discovered real food. Started eating fat again. Stopped dieting. Weight stabilized. Energy returned. Mind blown.
Now: Eat butter, avocados, whole eggs, full-fat dairy. Don’t count anything. Trust my body. Feel better at 61 than at 31.
What Actually Happened (The Science Made Simple)
When we removed fat from our diets, we replaced it with carbs and sugar. Our insulin went crazy. We stored more fat. We got hungrier. We ate more. We got fatter.
Meanwhile, our brains (made of fat, remember?) suffered. Depression increased. Anxiety skyrocketed. Those mood-boosting chemicals need fat to work properly.
Our hormones (also need fat) went haywire. Especially fun for women: Low-fat diets mess with estrogen and progesterone. Hello, worse PMS and menopause symptoms.
Our skin, hair, and nails (all need fat) looked terrible. We aged faster trying to stay young.
The Truth About Fat After 50
Here’s what nobody tells you about fat after menopause:
You need MORE fat, not less. Your hormones are already confused. Your brain needs support. Your joints need lubrication. Fat helps all of this.
The right fats fight inflammation. Omega-3s from fish, olive oil, nuts – these are anti-inflammatory. After 50, everything hurts. Fat can help.
Fat helps with nutrient absorption. As we age, we absorb nutrients less efficiently. Fat helps us absorb the vitamins we need for bone health, immune function, and energy.
Fat keeps you satisfied. With metabolism slowing, the last thing you need is to be constantly hungry. Fat keeps you full longer than carbs ever could.
My Daily Fat Reality
Here’s what I actually eat now:
Breakfast: Eggs cooked in butter, avocado, whole grain toast. Or full-fat Greek yogurt with nuts. Coffee with real cream. My morning routine always includes satisfying fat.
Lunch: Big salad with olive oil dressing, cheese, nuts, and whatever protein I have. No sad, fat-free dressing that tastes like disappointment.
Snacks: Nuts, cheese, apple with almond butter. Real food with real fat.
Dinner: Whatever Curtis makes (bless him), but always with vegetables roasted in olive oil or butter. Fat makes vegetables taste good. Revolutionary.
Dessert: Dark chocolate. Real ice cream occasionally. No fat-free frozen yogurt pretending to be ice cream.
How to Heal Your Relationship with Fat
If you’re still afraid of fat (trauma from the 80s is real), here’s how to start:
1. Stop buying anything that says “low-fat” or “fat-free.” It’s processed garbage. Your body doesn’t recognize it as food.
2. Add one serving of good fat to each meal. Avocado at breakfast. Olive oil at lunch. Nuts for snack. Butter on vegetables at dinner.
3. Notice how you feel. More satisfied? Less hungry between meals? More energy? Better mood? That’s fat doing its job.
4. Get your blood work done. Watch your numbers improve while eating fat. Mind-blowing but true.
5. Stop counting. My morning affirmation: “I trust my body to tell me what it needs.”
The Bottom Line
Everything we were told about fat was wrong. We suffered through decades of cardboard food for nothing. We got fatter avoiding fat. We got sicker eating “healthy” low-fat diets.
The truth? Fat isn’t the enemy. Sugar is. Processed food is. Fake food is. But real, whole-food fats? They’re medicine.
At 61, I eat more fat than ever. I’m healthier than ever. My brain works better. My joints hurt less. My skin doesn’t look like parchment paper. My energy lasts all day.
So go ahead, eat the avocado. Use real butter. Have the egg yolk. Your body will thank you. Your taste buds will thank you. And thirty years from now, you’ll thank yourself for ignoring the bad advice and trusting what your body knew all along: Fat is your friend.
Ready to overturn more myths? Check out why midlife is the perfect time to start something new, including a new relationship with food.
P.S. – Last night I ate butter straight off the knife while cooking. Curtis caught me and said, “That can’t be healthy.” I reminded him that I spent the 90s eating fat-free cookies by the box. He said, “Fair point, carry on.” Marriage is about perspective. So is nutrition. Butter wins both times.
