FAT!
FAT!
FAT!
The word alone has been ingrained in us to make us cringe. We should not be scared of the word or what it means. Fat in itself is very important for our overall health and well being. We all have believed that in order to lose weight and keep it off, we need to cut out the fat. It makes sense to cut the one thing from your diet that you want to lose. To a certain extent this is correct, we do need to cut out unhealthy fat and consume more healthy fats. Having some fat in your diet is actually vital to not only helping you lose weight but keeping it off.
Here's why:
Saturated Fats: are found in items like coconut oil, butter, beef fat, and chicken fat. They are solid at room temperature. Up until very recently it was believed that these fats were bad for us. In a sense they are; considering too much of any thing can be bad. But consumed in moderation, they are good for us. Saturated fats found in healthy organic foods like, coconut oil, butter, heavy cream, and lean cuts of meat have been proven to be beneficial. Including saturated fats in your diet reduces the levels of a substance called lipoprotein, which reduces your risk for heart disease. Eating saturated fats raises your HDL, the "good cholesterol." Adding this fat to your diet has been shown in medical research to encourage the liver to dump their fat content; which helps keep the body from storing fat in the mid-section. Additionally, saturated fat has been shown to protect the liver from damage caused by alcohol and medications like NSAIDs and Tylenol. Saturated Fats also keep our lungs healthy. For proper function, the airspaces of the lungs are coated with a thin layer of what's called lung surfactant. The fat content of surfactant is 100% saturated fatty acids. Replacement of these critical fats by other types of fat makes for faulty surfactant and can cause breathing difficulties. Some researchers believe the foods that have been replaced the hydrogenated Trans fats is playing a major role in the rise of asthma among children. Saturated fats found in butter (real raw butter), coconut oil, and palm oil; function directly as a messenger to the body on when to release insulin. Without the correct signal to organs and glands from healthy saturated fats the body won't get the job done or it’s done improperly. They play a direct role in our metabolism. Saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil play key roles in immune health. Loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in white blood cells hampers their ability to recognize and destroy viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Monounsaturated Fat: These fats are typically liquid at room temperature. They are almost solely from Oleic acid. Olive oil and cocoa (real chocolate) are excellent sources of oleic acid. Monounsaturated fats consumed in moderation have been proven to be beneficial to our health. They help reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. They provide nutrients to help develop and maintain your body’s cells. Monounsaturated fats are also typically high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that most of us need more of. Examples of foods high in monounsaturated fats include vegetable oils such as olive oil, and peanut oil. They are also found in avocados, peanut butter, nuts and seeds. Macadamia nuts contain the highest amount at about 80%, while almonds come in second at 60%. Other nuts that are good sources are hazelnuts, pecans, peanuts and cashews. Good sources of seeds include cumin, sunflower (which is excellent on top of your salads) and sesame seeds. Pay very close attention to serving size though, nuts and seeds are very high in calories.
Polyunsaturated Fat: These fats are considered essential fatty acids because they cannot be synthesized in our bodies, we can only get them from outside sources. They are essential as hormone precursors and as components of cell membranes. There are two essential fatty acids, Linoleic and Linolenic acid, also known as Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids or PUFAs. These fatty acids are necessary for normal growth and for healthy blood, arteries, and nerves. They keep our skin from drying out and getting scaly. They are necessary for the transportation and breakdown of cholesterol and for the production and balance of hormones. Polyunsaturated fats have a beneficial effect on your health when consumed in moderation and when used to replace Trans fats. Foods that are high in polyunsaturated fat include a number of vegetable oils, including soybean, corn and safflower oil, as well as fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and trout. Other sources include some nuts and seeds such as walnuts and sunflower seeds.
Trans Fatty Acids: This is the unhealthy fat that we need to eliminate or at least reduce as much as we can from our diets. Trans fats were invented in 1890 and began making their introduction into our foods in 1910. The use of these fats really took off in the 70's when it was believed that saturated fats where bad for us. Scientist believed because it was derived from more healthy vegetable oils, that it would be a much healthier alternative to saturated fats. Vegetable shortening and margarine have undergone a process called hydrogenation; the process turns unsaturated oils to a more solid fat. These fats are found in all kinds of processed foods and are listed on the label as "partially hydrogenated fats" and they are more dangerous to our body's then saturated fat. Ingested in small quantities, our bodies will burn them off as energy and conserve the natural fatty acids for more important functions. However, if there is an over consumption which exceeds our bodies ability to break them down, disease begins to manifest because our body attempts to use altered molecules for vital structures and functions. Trans fats increase total cholesterol levels and LDL (bad cholesterol) and even worse it lowers HDL (good cholesterol). They also interfere with the body's ability to use omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health.
So don't feel guilty about enjoying those fats! Just keep a close eye on serving size. The key is moderation.
