2011/09/26

Daily tip #22| Fats

Fats are made to look evil by the media, and uninformed people too, ofcourse. While that is true, there are good and bad fats, although everything is bad when there's too much of it. So let me explain.


You might be confused with all the blame on fat for obesity, why would fat be good? Fat is actually crucial for the human body. Many processes of the body rely on fat, without fat, fat-soluble vitamins could not be distributed. One of the good fats is saturated fat, found in tropical plants, dairy products and meat. Why is it considered good? Well, saturated fats make 50% of the cells membranes, which gives the cells their very needed stiffness. Saturated fats are also very important for your bones. In order for calcium (important for bones) to be properly absorbed, half of the fats you consume must be saturated fats. Saturated fats also help protect the liver better from toxins like alchohol and others. These fats also enhance the immune system, letting you stay less prone to diseases. They're also needed to properly utilize important fatty acids like omega-3, these fatty acids are better kept in the tissues when there are more saturated fats.



So as you see, fats are essential in order to stay healthy. Unsaturated fats are also healthy, the difference between unsaturated and saturated fats is that unsaturated fats contain a double bond between carbon atoms, while saturated fats only have one bond.


Unsaturated fats reduce thickness of the blood and clotting, help you regulate blood pressure, they lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, which is used to repair blood vessels and transport fat-soluble vitamins throughout the body.

There are also polyunsaturated fats which have two and more double bonds between carbon atoms. These fats are good too and they're in liquid form. Corn oil, fish oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil and hemp oil are all polyunsaturated fats. And as you know, they're in liquid form. Why did I mention liquid form?..


Trans fats.. These are the fats you should avoid. They're made by hydrogenating of partially hydrogenating oils. Why should you avoid them? They lower good cholesterol and raise the bad type. They raise the total serum cholesterol levels. Trans fats increase insulin levels and resistance, thus giving you more risk of diabetes, and making it worse for diabetics.




Trans fats are found everywhere, mostly found in processed foods, like baked goods, snack foods (mostly all of them, cookies, crackers, potato chips, popcorn) and fried foods like fried chicken and french fries.Trans fat consumtion should be kept to a bare minimum, for obvious reasons mentioned above. What you don't realise is that 'fat free' foods are the most horrible foods you can eat. Fat has gotten such a bad reputation from the media, when in reality it is essential if you want to be healthy. So what do companies do? They make 'fat free' products, with trans fats and refined sugars, which is obviously far worse than saturated and unsaturated fats. You shouldn't think that if you eat 'fat free' foods you won't consume any calories, in fact you might become even less healthy if you keep consuming trans fats.


Avoid those 'free fat', 'non fat' foods at all costs, carefully read the labels for anything that is 'hydrogenated' or 'partially hydrogenated'. Also avoid margarine and butter substitutes.


I'll recommend on how to cut down on these:

Eat healthy snacks, like sprouted nuts and seeds. They're rich in omega-3.
Make more foods with organic flax meals. (fibers, healthier digestion)
Use olive oil.
Use 'raw' butter and dairy products instead of 'fat free' ones, explained above why.
When cooking, use virgin coconut oil. (healthier intestinal tract, improves digestion, absorbtion of nutrients, helps control sugar levels, helps keep cholesterol healthy.)



After reading this post I'm sure you've realised mistakes which you might have been doing every day. Maybe  that's why that fat hasn't been in the mood to leave?..


As always, sleep better, eat after working out and drink water. Remember! It's better to cheat for a day than  quit! Have a nice day.

38 comments:

dora said...

thanks for more helpful info!

AGA-KA said...

thanks so much. ;*

Hasidic Plumber said...

You are making a very very good job educating people. This is the kind of things that should be taught in schools.

Rob Forget said...

Thanks for the info! +followed, come check my blog out when you get the chance! http://mightyideas.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

yep...i find the marketing of products hilarious using these facts to mislead and deceive the public. Even more funny, i works and its so easy :)

Al Penwasser said...

You're right. Fat really gets a bad rap. We all need fat to live. Except I think that Michael Moore and Chaz Bono are pretty much good to go.

Douglas said...

Fat is trickier than the media makes it out to be. Good information you got there!

Sub Radar (Mike) said...

Great read, it's irritating that people treat all fats as evil.

Max Power said...

i'm trying to cut down on my fat intake, my doctor says i have a fatty liver

Unknown said...

Great info. Unfortunately, sometimes it's very difficult to have healthy habits because of the society we live in.

Anonymous said...

Where I live, we cook everything with a unhealthy dose of oil and fry practically anything. I guess that was an OK diet back when we were just farmers and such, but now? It's incredibly unhealthy.

Heaven. said...

Good to know :)

Lord Phrozen said...

Oh, food... I complete forgot about that. I've been eating instant food and canned goods because I can't cook, I guess that's why I feel weak and unhealthy. I've also been cheating on my daily routine lately because there's a storm and I'm really scared to go outside the house.

Anonymous said...

Cool blog, you know what your talking about! Following!

Samantha VĂ©rant said...

I'm an avocado freak – a good fat, or so I've been told. I make it a point to try and drink a lot of water throughout the day, but sometimes I forget. : )

aki! said...

You're incredibly helpful. What's the difference between virgin coconut oil and virgin olive oil?

And is raw butter always labeled as such? I find almond butter in my stores, is that raw?

Thanks for your help!

Justin said...

OM NOM good fats :)
Im sure i could diet better!

Electric Addict said...

it's those carbs making people fat!

Magdalena said...

Thank you so much honey!!! Good to know!!

xoxoxo

neatfit said...

@Aki! Virgin coconut oil is saturated fat. It also contains 'special' (medium chain) fats found in human breast milk. It is not stored in your body so it doesn't become cellulite, it's immideatly used up as energy. It's really safe to use and contains nothing of harm.

Virgin olive oil is unsaturated fat, so it's low in saturated fats. Good for the heart and cholesterol levels, as I've mentioned above! I'd say Virgin coconut oil is the best oil you can use though, it's really pure and has a lot of benefits.

neatfit said...

@Lord Phrozen http://neatlift.blogspot.com/2011/09/daily-tip-9-jump-rope.html :).

Couture Carrie said...

Very informative post!
Loving your blog!

xoxox,
CC

erika sorocco said...

I could seriously live on fruit alone - it's my favorite! :)

GADAFINY said...

thanks for the info !

Unknown said...

Thanks for these great tips!

Mai Yang said...

I actually need them (fats) according to my health evaluation. hahahaha

I gotta catch with 9kls to be have a normal weight and that will surely need a lot of hard works :(

Anonymous said...

I am a margarine junky. :(
Guess I need to change that!

Gizmo said...

If you made an pool, I bet that more than half people would say they're bad. Good that there are guides and blogs like this one to clarify facts from fiction :P

Petush said...

Oh my god you're so nice! ♥ Thanks for the comment. In fact, I know very well that I should excercise, but you motivated me, excercise = good mood for me, exactly what you said. So thanks ♥

http://petushs.blogspot.com

Adam said...

Good advice

kukiskuku said...

thanks for your lovely comment on my blog.following you now.please follow back if you like my beauty and fashion blog. :)

DWei said...

I could use more fat in my diet seeing as how thin I am...

ScrewsAndFeathers said...

Yeah, a lot of people forget that fats are actually quite essential.

Raymond Sequenza said...

Thanks for explaining!

Anonymous said...

I did not know this! Very educative post. (:

Movies on my Mind said...

So glad this blog exists. Feel heartened to know that my Snickers for breakfast wasn't quite as evil as others assmued.

DEZMOND said...

ah, most of my own fats really are bad, definitely not good :)

Morphie said...

I am currently trying to get fit :p this comes useful, thanks.

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