Fat is now almost a taboo nutrient that’s blamed for the increasing obesity in our society. What happens is it stores itself in the cells of the body and won’t leave. The number of these fat cells are estimated to be in the billions for the average adult, and it can reach double that for obese individuals.
These fat cells are similar to storage tanks which houses energy to be used later, taking up space. It’s been proven for those who are obese, or binge eats, doing so stimulates baby like fat cells to increase the number of these cells.
These “bad” fats consumed are found in foods such as margarine, butter, and certain oil seeds. Research has shown that there are other beneficial fats, such as from fish, canola oil, olive oil, avocado and certain nuts, which contains the vital fatty acids that reduces heart disease, this especially for seniors.
Other most common sources of these “bad” fats include: animal shortening, lard, butterfat, palm oil, vegetable oil. All fats however, should not be lumped together as there are three distinct types which are consumed by the human diet.
• Saturated Fats – This type of fat is usually found in animal products, and are thought to be the most harmful to ones health. They are known to increase the “bad” LDL cholesterol in the arteries. The following foods are known to contain saturated fat: fatty meat, whole dairy, and most baked goods.
• Monounsaturated Fats – Monounsaturated fats are beneficial fats which are known to help in decreasing the LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. The following foods are known to contain this type of fat: Canola oil, Olive Oil, and Peanut Oil.
• Polyunsaturated Fats – Polyunsaturated fats when in trace amounts can help to decreasing bad cholesterol. Examples of polyunsaturated fats includes palm oil and certain vegetable oils.
The Consumption Of Fats
Consuming fats are identified as the major culprit which leads to obesity, this mainly because the fats are high in calories and they remain in the body. A good rule of thumb is keeping your bad fat consumption at 20% percent or less of your daily calorie intake.
But what we also need are some healthy fats in our diets. What these fats do is they provide hormone production, protects the skin while insulating the vital organs. Too much of these fats however, can increase the risk of certain diseases.
The Management Of Fat Consumption
Limit the intake of saturated fats in your diet, the list includes: cream, butter, full dairy products, cakes and pastries, fried foods, and fatty meats such as ground beef.
Instead, choose lean cuts of meat whenever possible, or trim off all the excess visible fat. Always select low-fat dairy products, bake your own goods by controlling its ingredients.
Know of all the hidden fats which are in processed foods, along with foods which are high in salt. Always avoid solid fats by choosing liquified fats such as olive or canola oil over butter, margarine or lard. Also include the unsaturated “good” fats in your diet such as nuts or avocados.
Include the Omega-3 fats as often as possible, this includes fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, and sardines, which are excellent sources. It’s recommend that up to three meals per week of these types of fish be consumed.
Essential Fat In Your Diet
These are the specific fatty acids which exists and are used in every cell of the human body. They’re crucial for the health of a cell, and thus vital to our growth. These essential fats become important when it comes to maintaining our function, but most don’t understood what they actually are.
Basically, there’s two different types of essential fatty acids, which are Linolenic and Linoleic. They’re more commonly known as Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Why they’re considered “essential” fats when it comes to the life sciences is because these particular nutrients can’t be naturally synthesized by the human body.
As a result, what we need is an external supplement or dietary source to supply these to the body, usually by eating healthy food. These essential oils are similar to the 8 essential amino acids.
Essential amino acids and essential fats can be viewed in the same context, the only difference being their functionality. They’re both constantly used and required in every cell of the human body for maintaining better health.
The good news is they can be supplied from the food that we eat, as it’s generally thought that we get enough Omega-6 from our diets. But when it comes to Omega-3, it’s not really known exactly how much we need, if we’re ever getting enough.
The Consumption Of Essential Fatty Acids
Fortunately, Omega-3 is available in abundance from fresh fish along with certain nut oils. If you can’t stomach the taste of fish, you could get your dose from flax oil, along with other certain nuts and seeds which are available from your local health food store.
Don’t allow the word “fat” itself to scare you, this especially when it’s an essential fat, as what they won’t allow you is to gain any unneeded weight when consumed.
What the true definition of weight loss and weight gain is how efficient that the body is able to manage these fats, especially the bad ones. The key appears how its able to use the proper type of fats to its advantage, while being able to rid of the bad fats which are not beneficial, this to reduce the unwanted fat storage in the body.