The Philippine Online Chronicles

“Masarap ang bawal.”

That is a saying in the vernacular which means it is often hard to resist things that are supposedly taboo. While your imagination can run wild on just about any interpretation you could think of, the same adage is true for our dietary habits. It is no secret that eating fatty food can cause major hazards to one’s health. Yet some people truly enjoy indulging in fat-laden delights like chicharon, crispy pata, and lechon.

Fat facts

Fat has been known to be a major cause of health problems. Fat is a good source of energy on a pound-for-pound basis and there are processes where the body needs the presence of fat. But having too much fat in your diet can be quite a challenge for your body to take.

An increased amount of saturated fat in diet has not yet been proven to be linked with heart disease. But it has been successfully concluded in many studies that an above-average level of fat intake can raise the levels of cholesterol in the blood. The so-called bad cholesterol (low density lipoprotein or LDL) takes up a huge space relative to the other types of cholesterol so they can make blockage of small blood passages more likely in greater concentrations.

A diet that is high in fat is also known to cause various problems that can worsen already existing conditions. It has been proven in studies that an above-average intake of fat (especially the unhealthy variety) can worsen diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that can be quite devastating due to the known complications it causes to a sufferer’s kidneys, heart, nervous system and even eyes.

Eating fat ≠ being fat

A shocking finding is that there is still a contentious link between the intake of fat and obesity. The whole idea of “eating fat makes you fat” has been ingrained in us through years of anecdotal evidence and bad late night show jokes. But, apparently, once this hypothesis is placed under the scrutiny of a scientific lens, it sort of falls flat.

Cross-country analysis of the prevalence of fat intake as well as the prevalence of obesity has shown a correlation and a distinct direct relationship while the United States has exhibited the opposite. Fat consumption has been observed to be going down in recent years but the trend towards obesity is still on the upswing.

Blame it on evolution

If fat does have really bad effects on the human body, why is it so hard to resist the temptation?

If evolution were to be followed, with its precept of “survival of the fittest”, it would make sense that only those who have the best genes for the best behavior and habits (and this would include diet) would be able pass their genes to the next generation.

But why did a horde of fat-hungry people end up being the next generation if evolutionary forces were to ensure that only the fittest would survive?

The best way to understand this would be to go back at how the prehistoric versions of man lived and how different their lifestyle was compared to the modern man’s. Our evolutionary ancestors lived from day-to-day and meal-to-meal. They did not have the luxury of simply popping up at some convenience store to buy a burger whenever they felt like eating. Instead, they had to work real hard to make sure that they can have something to eat. This meant the intervals between actual meals may have been very variable and far apart.

This uncertainty provided one advantage that certain prehistoric people could use. Eating the fatty portions of the animal that was recently hunted would most certainly be a good thing for these people. Thanks to science, we know that fat provides a lot more energy compared to carbohydrates and proteins. In times of scarcity, having fat in the stores would be a great way to stave off hunger and further breakdown of the body. Clearly, having the nose for fat back in the day (and by this, I mean hundreds of thousands of years ago) was a good strategy. This is the reason why a lot of the people now can’t help but to eat fatty good. Our genes and our instincts tell us that it is good for us.

Eating fatty food to feel good

In fact, eating fatty food has become a comfort idea for a lot of people. Fat in the food can cause the dopamine and noradrenaline centers of the brain to fire, giving us the “rush” that can be quite a lifesaver in relatively uncomfortable, depressing or stressful situations. That’s why a lot of people tend to pig out when they’re sad, lonely or frustrated. It may seem dumb, but it’s really a sort of “reward system” that evolution has wired up during human development.

Unfortunately, times have changed. Fat does not come in scarce amounts anymore. Anyone could just down a triple-patty burger for all three meals of the day and the intake is nowhere near the prehistoric man’s. It should also be said that the amount of physical activity of trapping and hunting a big cat or mammoth isn’t exactly similar to the effort required to pick up the phone and order a pizza. The changes in human civilization have happened to fast and, obviously, the process of evolution does not move in the same pace.

Evolution-diet lag

Civilizations only started to flourish and discover the wonders of agriculture and animal husbandry in the last five millennia. Man has been around for a few hundred thousand years, so the last five thousand years are relatively a small drop in the bucket. It was only a few millennia ago that people started having food served at regular intervals. Considering how many generations it needs to make minute changes in the evolutionary story, it’s no surprise that mankind has not yet adjusted to this new trend. The story of evolution may look very dramatic but most of us look at it with millions of years of evolution scrunched into a small book spread. The changes that happen within millennia are bound to be harder to see.

The high-fat trend in the diets only started sprouting up in the last century. Large-scale animal farming has never been done in similar level in the past and it is only now that the market can sustainably supply the restaurants and meat product manufacturers with enough produce to feed the demand.

Evolution just can’t keep up with this break-neck speed. Evolution is more of the slow and steady type like the turtle – it will never catch up with the hare.

So the next time somebody asks you “bakit masarap ang bawal?”, say: it’s evolution!

Photos: “Fatted Calf Bacon” by sam, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved / “Nice Belly” by bob huberman, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.