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Conventional dietary advice for the last 30 years has been something like this: “Eat less fats.”

Well, for over 30 years Americans have been cutting out saturated fats and the result? More obesity, more diabetes, and more heart disease. Recent studies are showing that the “health professionals” who decided to pick saturated fats as the culprit for many of our ailments and weight problems, might have the wrong target in their sights.

A recent article in Scientific American says,

Processed carbohydrates, which many Americans eat today in place of fat, may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease more than fat does—a finding that has serious implications for new dietary guidelines expected this year.

A study published on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (March 2010) reported in a study that consumption of saturated fats had no association with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, or cardiovascular disease.

And conclusions like this from studies in recent years seems to indicate that the refined carbohydrates that most Americans eat in place of saturated fats might be the culprit linked to coronary heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.

Most low-fat refined carbs cause us to be more hungry and eat more which in turn leads to weight gain, not weight loss. Those same carbs also stimulate fat storage and inflammation, and can mess with our insulin sensitivity.

Now, I’m not advocating that you go out and gorge yourself on saturated fats, but I do think there is something to dig into in this whole “eat fat to lose fat” notion.

Check below for pictures and more information on what I’m doing to slim down and feel great these days.

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A 2008 Study of over 350,000 people across Europe published in the New England Journal of Medicine says that having a large waistline can almost double your risk of dying prematurely even if your body mass index is within the ‘normal’ range.

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CUD from Joe York on Vimeo.

Great documentary (less than 16 minutes in length) about a cattle farmer in Early County, GA.

Is your beef really good for you, the environment, and the cattle?

Workout Brother, Jon, loses almost 18 lbs with Insanity Workout Program

Here’s 2 major tips for getting decent results in any workout program (Insanity, P90X, Crossfit, Primal Blueprint, Body For Life, or whatever you’re doing):

1) Do it: Yep, you’ve got to actually get off the couch and do something. I’m not one to challenge people to over train so for me a beginning of the year boost is how I see most of these 60 and 90 day DVD driven workouts. Start your year off with a bang. Grab one of these programs and rock it. Other programs (plans) like Crossfit, Body For Life or Primal Blueprint are more lifestyle workouts. These are sustainable (for the most part) all the time. Depending on who you ask, some people will tell you that you’re not over training when you do these workouts daily, but it is wise to make sure that you’re not over training.

But the kicker is this: whatever you choose to do, do it consistently at least 3 times a week. And try and incorporate other exercise, sport, and play into your life.

2) Eat right: You have got to eat right to see ANY decent results. Functional fitness is more about what you put into your body to fuel it, than spending hours in the gym to look a certain way. But let’s face it, we all want to look a certain way too, right? Of course. You will not get Insanity abs or pecs by eating junk food all the time. Even if you work out harder than you ever have.

I’ve read and heard that becoming a lean, functionally fit person is about 80 percent what you eat and about 20 percent what you do with your body (exercise). If that’s accurate, then that means you’d be better off spending time planning your meals and eating right, than spending hours and hours under a weight machine or doing endless cardio.

Results are going to come with dedication to a consistent lifestyle of functional fitness and a disciplined approach to eating. Both are tough to incorporate but as we do, we see our bodies change!