Dietary fat serves many important functions and is good for the body when the right fat is consumed.  Secondly, having excessive adipose tissue—body fat—does not denote that a person lacks self-control or will power, but is the result of an inappropriate diet.  Humans evolved with a “famine reflex” that caused metabolic changes to conserve fat and ensured survival when food was scarce.

Humans depicted in Baroque traditional art, that by today’s standards would be considered, “fat” lived before industrial vegetable oils and seed oils became the norm in most processed food, and before our intake of processed omega-6 linoleic acid doubled or tripled, while our intake of omega-3s from plants and marine animals fell tenfold.

Luckily we can control this to a great degree.  The key is to reduce your omega-6 intake and to consume undamaged, unprocessed omega-6 in the form of plant seeds and tree nuts, not vegetable oils, while simultaneously increasing omega-3 intake, especially marine based versions.  As a general recommendation, aim for 3-4 grams of omega-3 EPA and DHA, and 1 to 2 grams of whole food-based omega-6 linoleic acid per day.