When you can’t zip up your jeans, or you realize the past few months of quarantine have adding a little more, well, padding than you’re accustomed to, you may feel tempted to cut the fat from your diet. After all, less fat going into your body means less fat in your body period, right? 

Not even close, according to Dr. Benjamin Bikman, who happens to be a leading metabolic scientist. Bikman’s take on optimal nutrition is simple—and it turns those low-fat diets of the old days on their heads. 

“Science shows that human health and metabolism thrive when we prioritize protein and healthy dietary fats and limit our consumption of carbohydrates,” Bikman said.

The low-fat road to obesity

This thinking goes against something many people grew up believing—fat makes you fat. But that concept didn’t exactly promote lean, healthy bodies either. According to Eat the Butter, the last 40 years have been catastrophic for Americans in terms of increases in obesity and diabetes. It’s no coincidence that, in 1980, the USDA formally set recommendations that Americans follow a low-fat diet.

Unfortunately, those recommendations—along with low-fat dieting trends throughout the world—have not led to better health. According to Medscape, age-standardized diabetes prevalence has more than doubled in men and increased by more than 60% in women worldwide.

With that in mind, the old way of doing things certainly stands to be challenged—particularly concerning fat intake and metabolism. 

Why fat?

Before you consider fat as the holy grail of weight loss and maintenance, it’s important to understand exactly what this nutrient does for your body. Fat isn’t just an energy powerhouse, boasting nine calories per gram, it’s also essential for maintaining optimal health overall, according to Harvard. Fat also protects organs, supports cell growth, promotes the absorption of vital nutrients and keeps blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control.

And, of course, fat is just more filling. Have you ever gobbled up a low-fat meal and felt just as hungry afterward? Or even hungrier an hour later? Fat delivers satiety naturally, allowing you to be more intuitive with your eating habits. Because fat does not raise blood sugar or spike an insulin response, you’re not sending your body on a hungry-full-sick-starving-crash roller-coaster by snacking on a piece of cheese or a boiled egg.

In a nutshell, eating more fat and fewer carbohydrates reduces insulin, naturally curbs hunger and promotes fat burning. And, of course, if you’ve ever had a steak cooked in butter or prefer your broccoli sautéed in olive oil, you know fat is just plain delicious. 

HLTH Code

Bringing it all together

Of course, man (and women) can’t live on fat alone. Protein is also vital for a healthy metabolism—and a healthy body. Protein helps build and maintain muscles and organs, nourishes hair, skin and nails and assists in optimal hormone function and boosts workout recovery. 

Additionally, protein is a natural fat burner, according to a 2004 study, so combining high-quality protein sources with healthy fats is the foundation of a healthy, lean and balanced nutritional lifestyle. 

That’s why the perfect combination of protein and fat is critical for optimal metabolic performance, according to Bikman. Combining the satiating and energy-providing elements of healthy fats with high-quality protein, Bikram created HLTH Code, a meal-alternative that delivers the perfect balance of metabolism-boosting nutrition, affordably and conveniently.

HLTH Code meals—available in mouthwatering flavors like creamy (like, really creamy) vanilla and chocolate macadamia, are created from whey, egg white and grass-fed collagen proteins, along with 27 grams of quality fats from healthy sources—think coconut, olive oil, flaxseed, cocoa butter and grass-fed ghee.

Along with nailing the macros, HLTH Code features an ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats, ensuring your next breakfast, lunch or dinner is nutritionist approved. 

And if you’re hesitant to adopt so called frankenfoods to your diet (as you should be!), fear not; HLTH Code is completely natural, with ingredients taken straight from nature—and, of course, no added sugars. 

If you’re ready to experience the slimming effects of fat—done right!—check out HLTH Code’s completely balanced shakes.