When he first started out as a personal trainer in 1990, Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, was alarmed by the new low carbohydrate diets that were popularized at the time. Before the Atkins Diet was world famous, the idea of eating all fats and proteins seemed like a dangerous concept.
 
“My clients would come to me and say, ‘Look, this low fat thing isn’t working for me … I’m going to try Atkins,’” he explained. “And we’d go apoplectic. We would go, ‘You can’t do that! That is the most unhealthy diet in the world! You’re going to eat all that fat, and your cholesterol is going to go up, and you’ll diet of a heart attack!’… But they did it anyway. And guess what? They didn’t die.” In fact, these clients reported a reduction in belly fat, cholesterol, triglyceride levels and blood pressure, as well as an increase in energy.
 
Dr. Bowden began seeking out research supporting a low-fat diet and was surprised to find that it didn’t exist. However, research to the contrary was becoming more common. In one study (Journal of Nutrition, 2002), it was found that a six-week ketogenic (very low-carbohydrate) diet reduced biomarkers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among 20 normal-weight men. Similar research was published in 2003 (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism) demonstrating that a low carb diet was more effective than a low fat diet for short-term weight loss, and resulted in reduced risk of CVD after 6 months, in female subjects.
 
Even the chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Walter Willett, spoke out on the mounting research, which was unable to connect fat to negative health factors like CVD. Discussing his own research, he said, “The relationship of fat intake to health is one of the areas that we have examined in detail over the last 20 years in our two large cohort studies: the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. We have found virtually no relationship between the percentage of calories from fat and any important health outcomes.”
 
The nail in the coffin for low-fat diets came with the 2015 publishing of a report in Open Heartdemonstrating that the dietary guidelines introduced in the U.K and U.S. in 1977 and 1983 to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) were not backed by supporting evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A systematic review of meta-analysis of RCTs published prior to 1983 found no correlation between dietary fat, serum cholesterol and the development of CHD.
 
‘Cholesterol Skeptic’
At this point, Dr. Bowden became a self-described “cholesterol skeptic.” He said, “People were not dying from these diets. They’re eating more fat, more protein and fewer carbohydrates, and they weren’t having heart attacks. I started wondering—is cholesterol really the problem? Is this really what causes heart disease?”
 
This led to Dr. Bowden’s collaboration with Stephen Sinatra MD, FACC, on the book The Great Cholesterol Myth, which outlines the evidence suggesting cholesterol does not impact cardiovascular health. He summarized the guiding message of the book saying, “Cholesterol does not cause heart disease; it’s not even a good predictor of it. The old test for ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol is obsolete. And conventional wisdom on saturated fat is wrong.” The culprit, he said, is actually sugar and junk food, which are more clearly linked to negative health outcomes.
 
Enter Healthy Fats
His next venture was a partnership with Dr. Steven Masley, author of The 30-Day Heart Tune-Up. Initially the two didn’t see eye to eye; Dr. Masley was the medical director with the Pritikin Longevity Center, famed for its foundation on the low-fat diet, while Dr. Bowden was a consultant for Atkin’s second book. What they could agree on was that low-fat diets are lacking in healthy fats, which are extremely beneficial to overall health.
 
Together, the two wrote Smart Fat, which became available to the public on Jan. 19, as an attempt to dismantle the conventional wisdom that all fat is bad. “Stephen and I really wanted to explain what healthy fats do,” Dr. Bowden explained. “They increase the immune system and make stronger bones. They make fat loss easier and reduce inflammation. They have all these wonderful benefits that people just don’t know about.”
 
Rather than identify what percentage of the diet should be fats, proteins and carbohydrates, this new method attempts to help dieters understand which items within each category actually offer benefits to health.
 
As an example, he underscored that all protein is not equal. “Some protein comes from deli meat and salami, and junky stuff like that. And some comes from grass fed cows. And some fats come from very bad sources and very good sources.” Carbohydrates also vary in quality, he said, with fried, starchy, French fries occupying the same category as fresh fruit, vegetables and legumes.
 
“Clearly, what we need is a better system of classification,” he stated. “We can’t just talk anymore about protein, carbs and fats like they’re all the same things.”
 
When examining fat consumption, Smart Fat delineates fats into three categories: toxic, neutral and Smart Fat. Smart Fat, he said, actually has research demonstrating health benefits in humans. Some examples of Smart Fat include olive oil, fish oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts and nut oil, dark chocolate and cage-free organic eggs.
 
The book also separates the “clean protein” from the “mean protein,” stressing the benefits of humanely raised, grass-fed, steroid- and antibiotic-free beef over low-grade, wheat-fed beef. Cows fed grass, he noted, provide meat that is higher in omega-3s, vitamin B6 and beta-carotene; is lower in fat and cholesterol; and can contain as little as 140 calories per serving. Comparatively, wheat-fed cattle provide greasier meat that is higher in cholesterol. Additionally, cows raised in factory farm environments are regularly fed steroids and antibiotics, leaving the meat toxic for human consumption.
 
Carbohydrates, he said, must be rich in fiber in order to support a healthy diet. In previous high-protein/high-fat diets such as the Atkins Diet, Dr. Bowden saw the lack of fiber as an Achilles heal for optimal health. “You want low-glycemic (meaning low impact on your fat storage hormone, insulin), low sugar, and high fiber,” he said. “That’s your perfect carbohydrate.” Whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables and beans exemplify healthy carbs, while store bought cereal and processed snacks are considered carbs to be avoided.
 
This trifecta should be consumed daily in five portions of smart fat (minimum), five servings of clean protein (minimum), and 10 servings of fiber (approximately 30 grams, minimum).
 
The last essential ingredients in the Smart Fat diet are spices. “Spices are a medicine cabinet in your super market and people aren’t using them,” stressed Dr. Bowden.
 
A wide variety of spices are highly anti-inflammatory, rich in antioxidants, and possess numerous benefits for human health, he explained. “Take turmeric for example—this is the super spice of all time, which is loaded with something called curcuminoids, which you can actually get as a supplement. This is one of the most anti-inflammatory, liver friendly, antioxidant rich spices.”
 
He added, “The thing about spices—not only do they provide this extra antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power, but they make food taste good! And who is going to stay on an eating plan if it makes food taste like cardboard?”
 
Supplemental Support
Supplements are also an essential component in a healthy lifestyle, according to Dr. Bowden. While he said his list of top supplements changes from time to time, here’s a look at the dietary supplements he currently recommends:       
 
Omega-3s: Known as the “wellness molecule,” they are among the most anti-inflammatory molecules on earth.
 
Vitamin D: Dr. Bowden calls vitamin D an “all around superstar” for health, with benefits for cancer prevention, mood, weight loss, physical performance, bone health, and more.
 
Probiotics: Beneficial bacteria provide benefits for the gut and mood health, the immune system and beyond.
 
Magnesium: With more than 300 biochemical operations, magnesium helps lower blood pressure, relaxes arterial walls, and helps control blood pressure.
 
CoQ10: CoQ10 naturally depletes with age, but is needed to produce energy (ATP) in the body. Organs such as the heart need CoQ10 most.
 
Citrus Bergamot Extract: The botanical extract has been found to lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure, raise HDL cholesterol and lower inflammatory LDL cholesterol.
 
Curcumin: The potent antioxidant supports the liver, but is not absorbed well when consumed in food.
 
Resveratrol: Shown to turn on “longevity” genes (SIRT), Dr. Bowden said to look for
trans-resveratrol on product labels.
 
Vitamin K2: With indications for heart health, K2 helps prevent against arterial calcification.