Fat has been receiving bad name for years. Consuming fat has been blamed for increase in weight, obesity, increase in bad cholesterol(LDL) & various other health problems.
A large number of medical practitioners have been advising people to follow a low fat diet as a perfect recipe for weight loss & managing health issues. Similar to false assumptions related to carbohydrate consumption, fats have been referred to as bad food item for a longer period of time.
It is important to note that fats are as important for our body as are protein & carbohydrate. The following discussion will throw light on why fat is an essential element of our diet:
Our bodies need fat
Fats are one of three macro-nutrients required for proper functioning of the body. This essentially means a larger % of fat should be consumed to maintain a good health. Around 25% to 35% of calories should come from fats. Fats are required for growth & development, energy, vitamin absorption & maintaining cell membranes. Fats contain essential molecules influencing how muscles respond to insulin & control response to inflammation. Fats also provides energy & fitness aspirants rely on fats during workouts.
Good fats keep the body healthy
Amount of fat in the diet is not related to weight or disease. It is the type of fat & calories consumes that impacts your health. Good fat keeps body healthy while bad fat increases your bad cholesterol level. All fats are not treated as equal & endeavor should be keep bad fat away from diet.
With don’t eat fat syndrome, we have stopped consuming good fats beneficial for our overall health. While choosing good fat is better for our health, when it comes to waist line, all fats have the same amount of calories
Giving importance to proportion of good fat in total fat consumption will help not only in weight loss but also lead to healthier & longer life. Some of healthy fats include avocados, Olive oil, nuts & seeds, chia seeds, fish, coconut, cheese, yogurt, eggs & lean meat( beef & port)
The good fats
Good fats are known as unsaturated, monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fats. Some health benefits of consuming good unsaturated fats include lower cholesterol levels, reduced inflammation & stable heart. A larger part of good fats comes from food from plants such as olive oil & vegetable oil, nuts & seeds. All of them are liquid at room temperature. There are two types of unsaturated fats:
- Monounsaturated fats: These are heart healthy fats which are generally liquid at room temperature but solidify when refrigerated. Olive oil is one of the most prominent monounsaturated fats. Other items high in these fats includes olives, avocados, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanut & canola oils.
- Polyunsaturated fats: These fats are well known for reducing overall bad cholesterol & triglyceride levels. Omega 3 fatty acids are one of the famous polyunsaturated fats that provide healthy heart benefits. Other food having these fats include salmon fish, catfish trout, flax-seeds & walnut. It is recommended to extract Omega-3 fatty acids from food sources rather than supplements.
The Bad fats
Bad fats are known as saturated & trans fats & increases the risks of diseases. Cutting back on saturated fat is good for health if they are substituted by good fats, especially polyunsaturated fats. At its best, saturated fats should be consumed in cautiously & in controlled quantity. Two types of bad fats are:
- Saturated fats: Linked to high cholesterol level, clogged arteries & heart disease. Saturated fats are found in animal food sources such as red meat, eggs, high fat dairy & vegetable fats that are liquid at room temperature. Ideally saturated fats should not contribute more than 7% to total calorie intake.
- Trans fats: This is bad saturated fat which is derived from heating vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation. This process gives food unnaturally & artificially higher shelf life. The process converts liquid food into a solid food product. Trans fats are generally used in restaurants for baking, frying, processed snack foods, Ideally your diet should not have trans fat exceed 2 gms per day.
