If you’re on a weight loss journey, you may be replacing your usual dietary staples with low-fat alternatives where possible.
It seems logical, doesn’t it? However, an NHS GP has taken to TikTok to challenge this common practice.
“Low-fat foods – they aren’t healthy for you, they won’t help you lose weight and the full fat alternatives aren’t damaging your heart!” Dr Renee Hoenderkamp emphatically stated in a video. The doctor acknowledged that her statement might contradict what most people have been told and proceeded to explain why.
“In order for low-fat foods to be low-fat, they’re ultra processed or processed – and that process alone is proven to be causing obesity and cancer,” she cautioned. Dr Hoenderkamp further explained that low-fat foods can still be high in sugar, sodium and starch to compensate for the taste lost when fat is removed.
“Low-fat foods are often high in carbohydrates, which can increase your triglycerides, which can increase your risk of heart disease,” she warned. Meanwhile, highly processed low-fat foods can also heighten the risk of metabolic disorders like diabetes, while low levels of saturated fats can affect cognitive function and mood, according to the GP.
She added: “Low-fat foods can lack essential nutrients that your body needs, including Vitamins A, D, E and K, whilst they can also leave you feeling hungry, which can lead to you overeating and putting weight on.”
Dr Hoenderkamp concluded her list of the negative effects of low-fat foods with a specific warning for women, stating that they can “disrupt your menstrual cycle and fertility issues”. So, what are the benefits of full-fat alternatives? “We need good healthy fat,” the doctor asserted.
“Fat supports cell function and helps maintain a constant body temperature and it is a great source of energy, providing more calories per gram than carbohydrates and proteins,” she explained. Dr Hoenderkamp also noted: “Fat helps the body to absorb fat soluble vitamins such as A, D and E, and it helps produce essential hormones and improve blood pressure. Healthy fats help reduce inflammation and support gut health and balance mood.”
The doctor summarised by stating that healthy full fats aren’t harmful, unlike processed trans fats. “So just eat a minimally processed home cooked diet full of healthy full fat – and you will be healthy too,” she advised.
Hundreds of TikTok users responded positively to Dr Hoenderkamp’s take on health and nutrition. One person commended: “At last, an NHS doctor giving good healthy food advice.” Another concurred: “Wish more doctors were speaking truth and common sense like you.”
A third chimed in: “Thank the lord. Someone talking sense. I have said for years that ‘fat does not make you fat’.” A fourth person praised the approach, commenting: “So good to hear this, since I’ve changed to full fat again my life is so much better and I’ve lost worth gained muscle and feel fab.”
Whilst a fifth declared: “Brilliant, I cook everything from scratch, I have two or three meals a day and I don’t count calories, but I eat good healthy food! And yes, my jeans are looser now.”
The NHS’ facts about fat can be found here.