Eat some Fat!

Over the past 40 years, the “public enemy number one” of food has been fat.  We spend billions of dollars per year on low-fat foods, fake-fat chips, pills that block the absorption of fat into the digestive system, and all types of specials diets and cookbooks.  And, in the past 30 years, we have reduced the amount of fat in our diet by 34 percent, on average.  The problem is, we aren’t any thinner or healthier for all this effort.  Actually, we are larger and unhealthier than ever.  One of the reasons for this is, there are some fats that are good for you and we are not including them in our diet. 

Let’s take a look at which fats need to remain minimal in your diet and which should be eaten.  There are four main categories of fatty acids: Saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fatty acids.  Fats have many important jobs within the realm of nutrition.  Fats serve critical functions in the body, including insulation, cell structure, nerve transmission, and vitamin absorption and hormone production.  In addition, consuming the proper amount and types of fats reduces the hunger we feel in between meals and snacks.  That hunger, perceived or real, drives us to eat more and more calories.  Calories, whether from fat or not, add up to more pounds and kilos and a wider waistline. 

The benefits of consuming both monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats include lowering your LDL (bad cholesterol) and raising your HDL (good cholesterol). They also prevent an increase in triglycerides that can occur in a high carbohydrate diet, and reduce the development of irregular heart beats, and reduces the incidents of blood clots. Trans fats, found almost everywhere, need to be avoided at almost all costs. They have been found to be very aggressive in starting or sustaining the process that will lead to clogged arteries.  Saturated fats need to be limited to no more than 10%-12% of your dietary intake.

One of the main things to remember is that eliminating any food group completely, or reducing it to levels that virtually eliminate its benefits is only going to be detrimental to your health.  We need unrefined carbohydrates, we need proteins, and yes we need fats.  

Alan Freishtat

www.loseit.co.il