Don’t Worry, There’s No Oil?

Not the right idea… This morning at Whole Foods, I perused the prepared foods area as I often do, to see if there were any new, Paleo friendly options being offered. I saw a dish containing yam and pineapple and when I asked for more information, and then, given that it was just yam and pineapple, and I’d just finished a masters’s swim workout, the friendly woman who was helping me offered her input. “It’s very healthy…no oil or any fat added!  In fact, all the salads you see with a purple label are all fat free, so very, very good for you!” She was so enthusiastic and the salads were, indeed, very real-food looking, with ingredients like raw kale, Brussels sprouts… even wakame! But fat-free = healthy? Oh, dear. Obviously setting aside Whole Foods’ use of canola oil in some of their dishes; how about all the other great healthy fat options? And who is still promoting fat free as a healthy option? We’ve got to stop resorting back to the way we all approached nutrition in the early 90s, myself included in that group.   I, too, thought fat-free and low cal was the way to go… but that gets us nowhere in terms of health, weight loss or overall well being. Pile on the avocado, douse the veg in olive oil and scoop up the coconut oil for that stir fry. And what of the lovely, albeit lacking in fat, new options at the Whole Food’s prepared food counter?  Go ahead and partake; just be sure to eat some good fat and protein along with that raw kale!