Bodynomics

Bodynomics

Saturday, January 23, 2010

FATS: WHAT’S GOOD AND WHAT’S BAD?

FATS: WHAT’S GOOD AND WHAT’S BAD?

There are Good Fats and there are Bad Fats. What make Good Fats “GOOD?”

***First note that good fats just as well as bad fats can contribute to being overweight**

Now let’s differentiate between the two:

Good fats are necessary for healthy body functions. These fats are what we call EFA or Essential Fatty Acids. These fats can not be produced by the body itself so we get them from the foods we eat. These fats aids in supporting the fight against infection, helps regulate blood pressure and among others, it helps to repair your cells and get rid of waste products. It’s also been stated that EFA additions may be helpful with cases of depression.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of unsaturated fats which are “good fats” and are very heart healthy. Omega-3 is a Polyunsaturated fat and you can find this fats in foods such as fish, salmon, sardines, tuna, walnuts, sunflower seeds, canola oil, flax seed oil, shell fish and leafy green veggies like cabbage, collard greens, turnip greens, leek, and lettuce. Monounsaturated fats are also beneficial in search for better eating habits because it has many health benefits like being high in vitamin E, reducing “bad” cholesterol levels and lowering risk of heart disease and stroke. Foods high in monounsaturated fats are olive oil, peanut oil, avocados, macadamia nuts, cashews, and almonds.

Remember even though these fats are considered “good fats” they are still “fats” and we need to monitor our intake. Every gram of fat has 9 CALORIES while carbohydrates and protein only have 4 calories per gram.

Now let’s talk about the ugly, BAD FATS! Bad fats are not good for our health. Bad fats are the Trans fats and Saturated fats that you see listed on your food labels. Hydrogenated oil and partially hydrogenated oil is Trans fats and are detrimental to your health. Trans fats are mainly man-made fats and can be avoided altogether. Bad fats can raise the level of “bad cholesterol” (LDL) in your body and it can decrease the “good cholesterol” (HDL) because usually food with bad fats are high in cholesterol. High cholesterol is linked to stroke, heart attacks and the hardening of your arteries causing them to narrow therefore blood is not able to flow like it should.

Food with high levels of trans fats are packaged cookies, crackers, margarine, soup cups, cake mixes, chips, breakfast cereal, salad dressings ,processed food and solid shortening. Completely eliminating all trans fat in your diet is probably impossible but reducing it as much as possible is attainable and should be done. Food from animal sources like dairy products, fatty meats like pork, beef and lamb, butter, eggs, milk is a small list of foods that contain saturated fat. Many trans and saturated fats are found right in your neighborhood fast food restaurants. You really have to be careful when eating out because you never know what and how much of the “bad” fats you’re digesting.

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