‘Too low fat?’
‘I don’t eat the yellow bit of the egg, no good for you that’
‘Nuts? Do you have any idea how many calories are in those?’
‘I never cook with olive oil, way too much fat’
Guilty of saying the above? Are we guilty of actually damaging our health when trying to do the opposite? Many of us have heard that fat is important to our bodies but how many of us actually listen?
Today we’re going to make it clear as to why fats are important and how they can benefit your overall health. Let’s talk about the different types of fat and what they do for your health
Saturated fat
Saturated fats are often given a bad name. Yes too much of them can prove detrimental to your health, just like anything else and reinforces the saying ‘too much of anything is bad’. Saturated fats are found in dairy, meat, cakes and biscuits. Eaten in the right amounts, saturated fats can help the following:
- · Stronger bones
- · Improved liver health
- · Healthy lungs
- · Healthy brain
- · Proper nerve signaling
- · Strong immune system
Unsaturated Fat
Both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats don’t appear to raise LDL, which is known as bad cholesterol. The fact that people refer to all fats as bad gives them the bad name they don’t deserve. They are essential to your health as they help keep the body warm, store energy and keep your hair and skin healthy.
Trans Fats
There are two types of trans fats found in the foods we eat; naturally occurring andartificial trans fats. Naturally occurring fats are derived from animal products such and milk and meats whilst artificial trans fats are created through processing hydrogen and liquid vegetable oils together. Unlike unsaturated fats, trans fats tend to raise LDL and actually lower the good cholesterol (HDL)in our bodies, as well as increasing your chances of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke!
Amongst protein and carbs, its true that fats hold the most amount of calories weighing in at 9calories per gram as apposed to 4 calories per gram of protein or a carbohydrate.
Of course, too much of anything is bad for us and in the next article we’ll talk about burning fat and give you guys some tips on the best ways of doing so…
Image Credit: Pic taken from Flora Pro Activ