Health benefits of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)

An ounce of Prevention

I saw a recent article in Prevention magazine about what to eat when you get diagnosed with diabetes. Guess what they said? Foods that are packed with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). These include: oils, olives, nuts, seeds, avocados, and even dark chocolate.

They wrote this as if it were a big surprise. I’ve been extolling the virtues of a diet high in MUFAs (with an emphasis on my favorite source–macadamia nut oil) since 2008. But rather than toot my own horn, let’s check out what Prevention had to say…

First they cited a landmark government study that found eating a diet with “good” unsaturated fat helped people with prediabetes reduce their risk of developing full-blown type 2 by almost 60 percent.

Then they elaborated, stating that, “…emerging research points to MUFAs in particular as potential superheroes for controlling blood sugar, reducing insulin resistance, and fighting belly fat specifically visceral belly fat, the dangerous kind found deep in your abdomen and strongly associated with prediabetes and diabetes.” (See, like I said on Monday, you really don’t need orange juice to do this.)

That’s the good part of their reporting. Next, they went on to discuss oils. Their top choice was canola oil. Such a wrong choice!

Canola oil couldn’t be any less healthy for you. In fact, it could kill you.

Here are a few more facts about a diet rich in MUFAs that the Prevention article left out…

1. Research has shown that people with type 2 diabetes who followed a MUFA-rich diet had their fasting blood sugar drop by 30 points–which is enough to decrease or even eliminate medications
2. One study showed that a MUFA-rich diet led to a 20 percent reduction in dangerous visceral fat.
3. An international research team put more than 300 moderately obese people on a low-carb, low-fat, or Mediterranean diet rich in MUFAs. They all lost weight after 5 months, but only the MUFA group maintained their weight loss after two years. The other two groups regained weight.

That’s what makes my New Hamptons Health Miracle, which is chock-full of delicious, MUFA-rich foods, including my favorite–macadamia nut oil–such a no-brainer. Follow it and before you know it, you’ll be slimmer and healthier than you’ve been in years–without so much as a hint of feeling deprived.

It truly doesn’t get any better.