Fats



Fats

Fats are a tough subject, with so much controversial information and conflicting advice. Hopefully after reading this you realize that keeping to a low fat diet is one of the most counterproductive things we can for our bodies and to stay a healthy weight.

What are these essential fatty acids used for in your body?

Well, literally everything. Every cell in your body is partly made up of these essential fatty acids. To breathe, to have your heart beat, to run, walk, think, to make hormones, to remember anything, you need essential fatty acids for all of these and basically, to live. If you don't eat them in the food you eat, your body will not function properly. And the only place you can find essential fatty acids is in food that has naturally occurring fat in them. So if you try and cut fat out of your body, you will actually be causing harm and not really be doing anything to get rid of the fat already in your body.

Doesn't eating too much fat make you fat?

Eating fat doesn't make you fat. One of the other huge myths is that fat makes you fat. It doesn't. Just as the skin on chicken meat does not turn to skin on your body, fat in food does not make body fat. When you eat fat, your body has to break it down into its little building blocks and then absorb the pieces. The fat you have in your body is not the same as the fat you eat. In fact, the fat naturally found in foods is fat you actually need for your body to function properly. Essential Fatty Acids are the name given to the types of fat that you need to eat. These essential fatty acids are only found with fat that naturally occurs in food. Your body cannot make them, so you must eat them.

Why low fat diets recommended for health?

There is actually little recent evidence to support low fat diets, science research increasingly supports looking at the type of fat rather than the amount. Research shows that people can lose weight just as effectively on high fat diets as they can on low fat ones. A low fat diet is one that is around 35% fat or less; diets that go lower than about 25% are not healthy. Many people with disordered eating habits tend to take recommendations around fat to an extreme and can end up overeating on sugars instead. It’s a very old concept that fats are “bad for us”- have a look at the Harvard School of Medicine web site and see what they say if you are still not convinced.

Aren't saturated fats the enemy?

No, in fact they're absolutely necessary for a whole host of bodily functions. Numerous traditional diets have been studied (African Masai, Eskimo, Mediterranean, French, Japanese, to name a few) where saturated fat is consumed in abundance, and yet these cultures display rates of heart disease or heart attack as well as cholesterol levels that are significantly lower than in western counties. The difference here is that they also eat a lot of unsaturated fats as well. Therefore the key advice is to increase monounsaturated fats in the diet rather than just restricting saturated fat as was the advice around 15 years ago.

Should I buy low fat products?

No! In many low fat foods the fat is replaced with water. As the fat and water repel each other the manufactures have to add emulsifiers and artificial stabilisers to bind them together. Because taking out the fat makes the food less palatable, they also add lots of extra sugar.

Fat does not make you fat. In fact, you need the essential fatty acids found in fat to live.

• Saturated fats are crucial for cell membrane structure and integrity.

• They are a valuable source of fat soluble vitamins, such as A, D, and K, which are often deficient in diets, and these vitamins are necessary for hormone regulation, reproduction, immunity, bone health and much more.

• Strong bone development requires saturated fats, which regulate calcium levels.

• Saturated fat makes cells more resistant to oxidative damage.

• saturated fats are far more stable at high temperatures than other fats, so they are unlikely to become oxidized and turn into cell-damaging free radicals

• More than half of the brain consists of saturated fat and cholesterol, and these fats also comprise a large part of the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers and ensures proper message relaying between the brain and nervous system.

• Saturated fats contain fatty acids such as lauric acid, myristic acid and caprylic acid, which are antifungal, antimicrobial and antiviral, and all contribute towards a stronger immune system.

• Saturated fats are actually GOOD for hearth health, and can increase good cholesterol (HDL).

. Here are six health risks you're taking when you restrict your fat intake too far.

1. Poor Vitamin Absorption

Eating a diet too low in fat can interfere with the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Because these nutrients are fat soluble, your body needs dietary fat to utilize them. These vitamins are stored mostly in the liver and fat tissue and are important in bodily functions such as growth, immunity, cell repair and blood clotting. If you're not eating enough fat to bring these vitamins into your body, they will be excreted, and you may be at risk for a vitamin deficiency.

2. Depression

A diet that's too low in fat, especially essential fatty acids, which your body can only get from food may hurt your mental health. Both omega-3s and omega-6s play roles in mood and behaviour. They are the precursor to many hormones and chemicals produced in the brain. One study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders has linked low and abnormal essential fatty acid intake to depressive symptoms. Other research shows that, because fatty acids help to insulate nerve cells in the brain, allowing these nerve cells to better communicate with one another. People who are deficient in omega-3s may suffer from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and ADHD.

3. Increased Cancer Risk

Colon, breast, and prostate cancers have all been correlated with low intakes of essential fatty acids. Research has shown that a high intake of omega-3s slows prostate tumour and cancer cell growth, too. If your diet lacks healthy fats, you could be increasing your risk of cancer.

4. High Cholesterol and Heart Disease

Low-fat diets also play a role in cholesterol levels and heart disease. When your diet is too low in fat, your body's level of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) goes down. This is problematic because you want your HDL level to be high to help protect against heart disease. HDL collects "bad" cholesterol from the blood and transports it to the liver for excretion. When those ratios are out of balance—and when your LDL ("bad" cholesterol) level gets too high, you face cholesterol problems and an increased risk of heart disease. Essential fatty acids, especially Omega-3s, can elevate HDL, improve cholesterol levels and protect the heart.

5. Imbalance of Nutrients—Especially Carbs

If you're not eating enough fat, then you're likely getting too much of other things, namely carbs and/or protein. This affects the overall balance of your diet, which could lead to health problems. A sugar -rich diet can increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. On the flip side, a high-protein diet taxes the kidneys and liver and may lead to osteoporosis. Both cases can result in nutrient deficiencies. The key is to balance all three macronutrients—fat, carbs and protein—to ensure optimal nutrition and disease prevention.

6. Overeating

Fat leads to fullness and satiety, which means you can get by longer on a meal or snack that provides fat without feeling the need to eat again soon. When that fat is missing, your appetite may get the best of you.

How can I include more monounsaturated fat in my diet?

Considering the health risks of not eating enough fat, it is definitely important to include enough in your diet daily:

• At breakfast add nuts and seed to cereals

• Snack on nuts

• At lunch and dinner add: avocados sliced into a sandwich, hummus, eggs or oily fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, pilchards, trout) as a fillings

• Add olive oil, salad dressings, olives, mayonnaise to salads and sandwiches

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