7. Questions & Answers

Just how necessary is fat? Can we live without it?

First, we must make an important distinction between fat in the body and fat in the diet. Fat in the body is absolutely necessary for our health. It exists in every cell and performs a vital role in our metabolic functions. We could not live without it. Now fat in the diet is a somewhat different matter. It is also omnipresent. It is in every food we eat. The fat needed in the body can also be formed from the carbohydrates in the diet. Fat in the body does not have to come from high-fat foods.

I like salads, but I couldn't make a meal out of them unless I add salad dressings. Aren't there some acceptable salad oils?

The only acceptable oil for a salad is the oil as it naturally occurs in the complete wholesome food. When you use extracted vegetable oils, you are coating all your foods with a layer of rancid fat. Free oils are simply too unstable and fragmented to be used safely.
There are, however, some acceptable alternatives. I would first suggest eating a small amount of nuts or seeds or avocado along with your salad. By adding a small amount of these high-fat foods, a salad can give you the "full feeling" which is caused by the slow digestion of the accompanying fats. The second alternative, while not as good, is to blend a few nuts or seeds or avocado with a tomato and/or a small amount of distilled water. This makes an acceptable salad dressing substitute if used immediately after making.

Nuts and seeds are hard for me to digest. How can I get my fats?

By eating a calorie-sufficient diet of wholesome foods. It is not necessary to eat high-fat foods to obtain fat in your diet, nor should we feel obligated to eat any foods, even wholesome foods, because of some particular nutrient value. Eat only what you can relish and digest. Many Life Scientists go for months without eating high-fat foods, especially during the warmer seasons.

I'm underweight. Shouldn't I eat high-fat foods to gain weight?

Many underweight problems arise from metabolic instead of dietic problems. Fats are difficult to digest. If your powers of digestion and assimilation are somewhat weak, as is often the case with underweight people, fats are not good foods to eat. The best foods for weight gain are not the high-fat foods, but the high-carbohydrate foods. Sweet fruits such as bananas, dates, figs, grapes, raisins, etc. are the best high-carbohydrate foods for weight gain.
Fats play a variety of roles in the health of the body. Most diets today have an excess of fats, which contributes to a number of diseases and problems. The fat intake in a diet should be limited as much as possible.
A deficiency of fats in the diet is a nutritional rarity. Usually this can only occur after a period of nutrient starvation or from a metabolic impairment. Fats are present in every food we eat.
High-fat foods are difficult to digest and should be consumed in small quantities. Only wholesome high-fat foods should be eaten at all. This means that no animal fats, free oils or heated fats should ever be included in the diet.
A diet consisting chiefly of fruits and vegetables eaten in their natural state, possibly supplemented by moderate amounts of seeds and nuts (at separate meals) can supply us with all the fats we need and optimally meet our other nutritive needs as well.