So why has the full-fat myth lingered for so many years? As early as 2005, food writer and author Jennifer McLagan wrote a book entitled Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, which detailed both the then little-known nutritional benefits of animal fat and the culinary benefits it has to offer. “I thought I would change the world; instead, no one believed me,” she admits. “It is socially and culturally ingrained that people who eat fat, get fat.”
Medical research is expensive; but there is no money in promoting whole foods, which are not modified to reduce the cost of production and so offer very limited profit margins. As a result, studies supporting the “eat fat, get fat” argument have been more likely to get sponsorship – and publicity – than those critiquing it.
“It’s fascinating when you read scientific papers when they are not being sponsored by someone who profits from low-fat food or anti-cholesterol medication,” McLagan continues, citing an Iranian study in 2017 which concluded that “the majority of evidence supports the hypothesis that dairy fat intake is not typically accompanied with a higher risk of weight gain, CVD [cardiovascular disease], or Type 2 diabetes. This is in contrast to most dietary guidelines recommending the increased consumption of low-fat or fat-free dairy products.”
Taste over calorie counting
Yet this trend is not just about health. It’s also about flavour, which in the Waitrose report was as oft-cited as gut health as a reason for switching to full fat. “The reason they add sugar and flavourings to fat-free yogurt and cheese is that it doesn’t have the satisfying richness,” McLagan says. “Fat is flavour and taste.” Fat is satiating. “It slows the flavour across your tongue.
If you think about having skimmed milk versus whole, it takes longer to take in those flavours,” she continues. Sure enough, I’ll linger longer over – and eat less of – Yeo Valley’s black cherry yoghurt with live cultures than I will over a cherry-flavoured Muller Light “equivalent” – which incidentally is so unsatiating it was downgraded from “syn-free” to a “syn” by Slimming World in 2018, because members were consuming too much.
We are health-conscious, then – perhaps more so than ever before – but still value taste. We’ve rediscovered that good flavour goes further, whether it’s milk, yogurt or artisan cheese, and that enjoying one’s food should not be a secondary function. It is a good thing that the young – and old – are switching to full-fat foods. I just hope the shops stock up.
The changing face of fat
1940s
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
