Have you heard of the fat first dietary approach to begin your day? I hadn't either, until recently. We live in a world where each day brings a new wellness hack, and I offer myself up as a guinea pig (voluntarily) each time. From collagen to spirulina, I’ll try anything in the pursuit of good health. So when I noticed that the fat first approach was gaining traction, the lure of a healthier lifestyle reeled me in.
First of all, what is the fat first approach?
“Fat first is a simple concept of making sure you start your day right and prime your body for stable blood sugar levels first thing in the morning,” explains nutritionist Rashi Chowdhary, who specialises in gut health and hormonal balance. “Instead of waking up to a fruit or a breakfast loaded with carbs, you wake up to a good source of fat with negligible amounts of carbs that won’t raise your blood sugar levels quickly. When you consume fat first, the fat content behaves like a pseudo-carb to give you instant energy minus the rise in blood sugar levels. Nothing works efficiently in our body with disregulated blood sugar levels. Eating too many carbs raises our blood sugar levels, contributing to inflammation. Starting your day with fat is one way to initiate stable blood sugars so you don’t crave too many carbs throughout the day.”
What foods are good sources of fat?
“You can start the day with a spoonful of organic ghee, coconut oil, or butter,” shares Chowdhary. “If this feels too nauseating, try macadamia nuts (highest fat content) or three Brazil nuts if you have thyroid (selenium supports the TSH and T3 levels), or a handful of mixed nuts or coconut meat. Avocado slices and olives are good options, but most people aren’t keen on these first thing in the morning.”
Or do as Chowdhary does – have butter coffee. “My butter coffee is a tweaked version of Bulletproof Coffee by Dave Asprey,” she says. “Mix organic coffee powder with 5-7 grams of organic grass-fed butter, and add a small quantity of hot water before you blend it with a frother (research shows that blending it is better for the gut). You can do the same with matcha or coconut milk masala chai. Don’t forget to follow it up with a high-fat high-protein breakfast to sustain stable blood sugar levels.”
What are its benefits?
“Fat first is ineffective if that’s the only thing you do in the day,” explains Chowdhary. “It has to be accompanied by some of my other principles that also help in making your blood sugar levels stable, like consuming protein and fat for breakfast and maintaining an active carb-to-veggie ratio of 1:3. With these two food principles along with fat first, you can achieve a more steady glucose response throughout the day which will have the following benefits:
Indian diets lead to too many blood sugar spikes that cause the formation of advanced glucose layer end products (AGEs). This basically means we secrete too many free radicals and increase oxidative stress that ages us faster.
People who don’t enjoy counting calories to drop weight can benefit by keeping their appetite in check by balancing blood sugar levels. Eating enough fat boosts the GLP-1 enzyme secreted by our gut that keeps us satiated. It is the mechanism that medications like Ozempic function on. This is not to say that fat first will have the same effect, but if you want to do things naturally, small changes that trigger GLP1 are a good idea and fat first is one of them.
Without stable insulin levels, we disrupt our sex hormones. Too much insulin tells your ovaries to secrete more testosterone, resulting in PCOS-like symptoms of acne and hirsutism. It also triggers the release of cortisol from your adrenal glands. This causes miscommunication in our OAT axis, where our Ovaries-Adrenals-Thyroid glands communicate with each other and work like the holy trinity for women.
When our blood sugar drops quickly after a high-carb meal, we tend to get jittery and edgy, often wanting more carbs. Our body secretes adrenaline – a fight-flight hormone – making us anxious. The adrenaline will then ask the liver to convert some glycogen to release glucose into the bloodstream. This is why you feel hungry after a big plate of fruits for breakfast versus an omelet with avocado or nuts.
So many Indians have undiagnosed thyroid or are on thyroid medication for years but see no improvement in their symptoms. One way to ensure your thyroid pills work is to balance your blood sugars.”
How soon before you can see a difference?
“In about two straight weeks of being on fat-first, protein and fat for breakfast, and an active carbs-to-veggies ratio of 1:3, you will see a difference,” states Chowdhary. “Add enough protein (up to 2 grams per kg ideal body weight), and you can expect to drop fat (almost 1.5 to 2 kgs of fat, not muscle). I know this because of the body fat analysis machine we use on our clients, not just the weighing scale.”
Why I liked the fat first approach
Chowdhary’s Instagram is where I got introduced to the fat first approach. As a health nut, I decided to give it a go. Like most people, I kickstart my day with caffeine. It gives me the energy boost needed to power through a morning workout. It takes getting used to, but the promise of a healthy start to the day makes it palatable.
One month in, and there was an uptick in my energy levels. The afternoon slump I was prone to was all but gone. Most importantly, I was snacking less and not craving those sugary treats as much as my sweet tooth usually demands – a vice that has been a challenge to overcome. I realised it was working, more so, because I combined it with protein and fat for breakfast and a carbs-to-veggies ratio of 1:3 on most days, if not every day. The shift was palpable. Will I continue doing it? The answer is yes.