Although Brandon is usually wary of documentaries because they can come packed with bad advice for those looking to transform their fitness and nutrition, he was really impressed with "Fat Fiction" from director Jennifer Eisenhardt. Forget everything you've been told about fat...
Mark Hyman has a great book called:
What the heck should I eat.
We discussed many of these topics in more detail in the episode The Big Fat Truth so be sure to go back and listen to that.
We talk about the history behind the formation of the food pyramid. And many of the statistics and how they have changed since following these guidelines.
Although many doctors, nutritionists, and health professionals disagree with the recommendations, there has been very little change. The ADA did recently take cholesterol off their bad list but are still recommending cutting out saturated fats.
The American Heart Association has received 28 million in donations from drug companies, so it's hard to have an open mind about the veracity of the data being given.
Brandon shares his stance on the keto diet: I think it's a great way to jump-start a health change. It may be sustainable. I think with all the social norms and in most people's environment, it's not sustainable for some people. If it is: good for you, I think there are some health benefits to it.
And an incredible analogy from the documentary was that of kindling. High carbohydrate foods and sugars burn really bright and fast and quick, but then they burn out. I used to make fires all the time. When I was a boy scout, I didn't get the toilet paper to burn or the pine straw to burn no problem with my little spark kit. But I couldn't get the sticks in the logs and things to light. So fat is going to be like those logs. It doesn't burn as quickly. It takes longer to get going, but it's going to burn all night for hours and hours instead of two minutes, pine straw goes up in seconds. So carbohydrates are the pine straw. Fat is the logs. It's gonna give you sustainable energy.
And ketogenic diet is called that because when we start burning fats for energies, we get something called ketones. And they give us that long, sustainable energy.