Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ

by Giulia Enders

Sugar is the only substance our body can turn into fat with little effort.

Of particular interest to those fighting fat is that olive oil also has the potential to help get rid of that spare tire. It blocks an enzyme in fatty tissue—known as fatty acid synthase—that likes to create fat out of spare carbohydrates. And we are not the only ones who benefit from the properties of olive oil—the good bacteria in our gut also appreciate a little pampering.

But merrily drizzling your olive oil into the pan for frying is not such a good idea as heat can cause a lot of damage.

Hotplates are great for frying up steaks or eggs, but they are not good for oily fatty acids, which can be chemically altered by heat. Cooking oil or solid fats such as butter or hydrogenated coconut oil should be used for frying. They may be full of the much-frowned-upon saturated fats, but they are much more stable when exposed to heat.

Nutritional physiologists recommend we get between 25 and a maximum of 30 percent of our daily energy requirement from fat.

There are plants that do contain all the necessary amino

acids in the necessary quantities. Two of these are soy and quinoa, but others include amaranth, spirulina, buckwheat, and chia seeds.

Constant snacking means there is no time for cleaning. This is part of the reason some nutritional scientists recommend we leave five hours between meals.