Fats are the dreaded nutrient that many do not understand. The truth is that fats are an essential nutrient to our body. Fats provide at least 40 percent of our daily energy. Fats also help in nutrient absorption, nerve transmission, maintaining cell membrane integrity, and much more.
To really understand fats we must break down fats. Fats are categorized in four groups; saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and trans-fatty acids (also known as trans fat). We will start with the bad fats then work to the good fats. Yes good fats.
Bad Fats
- Saturated fats: mostly found in animal products such as, meats, eggs, dairy, and seafood. Saturated fats can also be found in plant foods such as, coconut oils, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. These fats raise the cholesterol in our blood, and our bad cholesterol known as LDL (bad cholesterol). The intake of this fat should be no more than 6 percent of a healthy diet.
- Trans Fats: these fats are our enemy. Trans fats are made by scientist (this should tell you something). Trans fats are used in packaging foods, giving these foods a longer shelf life. These fats also give butter that solid state, also known as hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is the process of heating an oil and passing hydrogen bubbles through it. The fatty acids in the oil then acquire some of the hydrogen, which makes it denser. If you fully hydrogenate, you create a solid (a fat) out of the oil. But if you stop part way, you get a semi-solid partially hydrogenated oil that has a consistency like butter, only it's a lot cheaper.
Trans fats are poisons, just like arsenic or cyanide. They interfere with the metabolic processes of life by taking the place of a natural substance that performs a critical function. Trans fats attach to the cell wall and blocks our good fats from being absorbed into those cells. When that happens more fatty cells are formed to house all the good fats. Then the trans fats attaches to those cells and block the good fats again. This process causes yet another creation of fat cells, and so on and so forth. Then before we all know it more and more fat cells are being created and we get bigger bellies, love handles, thighs, hips, necks, and faces etc.
Good Fats:
- Monounsaturated Fats: These are one of the three fats that we want to eat. Monounsaturated fats lower our total cholesterol in our blood and the LDL which is our bad cholesterol. While doing this it raises our good cholesterol which is called HDL. In doing this it lowers your chance for heart disease and strokes. These fats also help maintain healthy cells found in your body. These fats can be found in nuts; peanuts, almonds and pistachios. They also can be found in avocados, canola oil, peanut oils, sesame oil and olive oil. Monounsaturated fats are typically high in Vitamin E.
- Polyunsaturated Fats: can help lower LDL cholesterol and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Some studies have shown that these fats can also lower the risk of certain cancers as well. Polyunsaturated fat can be found in grain products, fish and sea food; herring, salmon, mackerel, halibut; soybeans, and fish oil. Foods like mayonnaise and soft margarine may also be good sourcesof polyunsaturated fats.
- Essential fatty acids: there are two families of EFA’s; omega 3 and omega 6. It is important to maintain an appropriate balance of omega-3 and omega-6 in the diet, as these two substances work together to promote health. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation, and most omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation.
An inappropriate balance of these essential fatty acids contributes to the development of disease while a proper balance helps maintain and even improve health. These 2 fats help improve cholesterol levels, blood pressure, heart disease, metabolism, diabetes, weight loss, arthritis, osteoporosis, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eating disorders, burns, skin disorders, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, muscular degeneration, menstrual pain, colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.
Preliminary evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may also prove helpful in protecting against certain infections and treating a variety of conditions, including autism, ulcers, migraine headaches, preterm labor, emphysema, psoriasis, glaucoma, Lyme disease, systemic lupus erythmatosus (lupus), irregular heart beats (arrhythmias), multiple sclerosis, and panic attacks.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may also help to reduce stress and the effects it has on the body. Before taking any supplementation of these EFA’s please seek medical advice from your doctor or physician. This is due to certain drug interactions with the omega fats supplement pills.
The daily recommended fat intake should be between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated fatty acids and of course the essential fatty acids.
