High Fat Foods Stimulate Appetite and Entice People to Eat More? page

[ani]

I'm currently taking a CW nutrition course. Yesterday in class it was presented that High Fat foods stimulate appetite and entice people to eat more, while complex carbohydrates (like whole grains!) fill people up. I know this is an absolute lie, but I keep thinking about where this might be coming from and questioning my own experiences since I do tend to eat a lot of fat (perhaps more than I really should be on days? I really like well dressed salads). I guess I'm wondering if there's any truth or something more to the whole eating fat makes you eat more theory?

[Shelli]

Well, from my own experience, if I eat a lot of high-fat crap food like processed/junk/fast food, I can't get filled up. If I eat something whole and natural like a good well-marbelled steak or salad with avocado and olive oil - even if it's within a certain calorie restricted range - my stomach is full and happy and satisfied.

[Melantha]

The problem with CW is that what they consider "high-fat" food is often very high-carb, along with some processed vegetable oils. I mean, CW guidelines say that fat should be no more than 30% of daily calories, so something that's 35% fat calories might be considered "high-fat." Add on the fact that fat has twice as many calories per gram as carb and protein, and you end up with something that's very little fat, by weight, and probably a lot of refined carbohydrates. Those refined carbs stimulate the appetite. Yes, whole grains will be more satiating than refined carbs, to some extent, due to their fiber content, but a truly high-fat meal would be much more so.

For example, according to CRON-o-meter, a McDonald's cheeseburger has 313 calories, 126 of which are from fat (14g), so that's 40% of calories from fat, "high-fat" by CW standards. But that little cheeseburger has 33g of carbohydrate. Also, processed junk food has flavor enhancers the increase appetite and mess with satiety signals. By comparison, you could have 3 eggs fried in a tablespoon of butter for 316 calories, but it would have just a gram of carbohydrate, and 26g of fat, which is 74% calories from fat, and no artificial flavor-enhancers.

The thing that bugs me is that these same nutritionists who spout the "high-fat junk food makes you eat more" crap also say that you should include "healthy" fats at every meal to increase satiety.

[freethinkingcavewoman]

Well, from my own experience, if I eat a lot of high-fat crap food like processed/junk/fast food, I can't get filled up. If I eat something whole and natural like a good well-marbelled steak or salad with avocado and olive oil - even if it's within a certain calorie restricted range - my stomach is full and happy and satisfied.

This exactly. Plus I stay satisfied for a very long time. =)

[MalPaz]

i mean steamed broccolli isnt to pleasant, but butter coated broccolli is a different story. theres something to it but primally i think youd fill up before making a huge dent. i have also read about a LOT of people on this forum who overeat nuts...

[ani]

Thanks! All of your responses help me make sense of it. I love my fat and I will continue to eat it. I think there is definitely something to be said for quality over quantity though. If I were eating out I would definitely stick to the lean(er) options.

[Chaohinon]

Thing is, when mainstream nutritiontards throw around the phrase, "high-fat", they're being dishonest and manipulative. Calling potato chips and ice cream "high-fat" foods is kind of like calling Ted Bundy a "well-groomed gentleman". There's a whole lot they're NOT saying.

It's blatant linguistic trickery being used on an already under-educated (de-educated?) population.

If you haven't already, I recommend reading Kurt Harris' "No Such Thing As a Macronutrient" posts. The whole narrative of "fats" and "carbohydrates" and whatever is broken and incoherent, and needs to be rethought from the ground up.

[CoyoteVick]

I ate 1/2 cup of ice cream tonight. Less than 1/3 of what I normally eat. I haven't had a sugar craving in a week, and then as soon as I ate that BLAM! Super hungry and craving sugar.

I've been eating fat, and it's like I'm never hungry. I think about food, and I think about "oh, that'd be tasty" but it's not in an uncontrollable "OMG! If I don't eat NOW I'm going to die!" kind of way, like it used to be.

For me, fat satisfies me, sugar/carbs makes me super hungry, bingey and uncontrollable. I'll stick with the fat...

[CoyoteVick]

i mean steamed broccolli isnt to pleasant, but butter coated broccolli is a different story. theres something to it but primally i think youd fill up before making a huge dent. i have also read about a LOT of people on this forum who overeat nuts...

I think nuts are different though. They fall into the "mindless eating" category. It's tough to mindlessly eat a pound of bacon, or a steak, or even a salad. But chips (veggie or potato) or nuts, or seeds, basically anything small, it's really easy to eat a TON before you realize it. And since they don't don't take up a lot of space, and aren't easily digested, your body doesn't say "STOP" the way it does with animal fats.

[js290]

The problem with CW is that what they consider "high-fat" food is often very high-carb, along with some processed vegetable oils.

Yep, the good ole cum hoc or common cause fallacy.

Honestly, who cares about CW any more? Just grin and bear it to get your grade.