Fat
in Your Everyday Diet
Fat is a nutrient that is
a contributor to the increasing problem of obesity in the world today.
It's stored in the fat cells of the body. The number of fat cells is
estimated
to be around 50 billion for the average person. It can be up to 100
billion
for the obese person.
Fat cells are like storage
tanks of energy to be used for later use. It has been shown that obese
people who binge eat may stimulate baby fat cells to sprout to increase
the number of fat cells they have.
Fats are found in foods such
as butter, margarine, oils, fats, dripping, nuts and oil seeds.
Research
conducted indicates that good fats such as fish oils especially deep
sea
fish, olive oil, canola oil, avocado and nuts contain important fatty
acids
which if taken by people aged 65 plus reduced the risk of a fatal heart
attack by 44%.
Other names for fats include:
lard, animal shortening, coconut oil, palm oil, vegetable oil,
butterfat,
whole milk solids, copra, tallow, chocolate chips, shortening,
margarine,
cocoa butter.
There are three types of
fat to found in the diet.
Saturated fats are found
mainly in animal products and do the most damage and are the most
related
to the build-up of cholesterol in the arteries. Research has indicated
that saturated fats in the diet can increase LDL cholesterol levels in
the blood, which is the unwanted cholesterol and should be avoided. The
following foods contain this type of fat:
Meat
Dairy
Eggs
Cakes,
biscuits and pastries
Monounsaturated fats - Monounsaturated
fats help to decrease the cholesterol and LDL levels in the blood. The
following foods contain this type of fat:
Olive Oil
Canola
Oil
Peanut
Oil
Polyunsaturated fats - Polyunsaturated
fats in small quantities can help to decrease total cholesterol.
Examples
of polyunsaturated dats ould be vegetable oil and palm oil.
As pointed out before, consuming
fats is the major culprit that leads to fat being on the human body
mainly
because fats are high in calories. I recommended that people eat less
than
20% of total their total calories from fat.
We also know that eating
too much fat leads to health problems and weight-gain, but we do need
some
healthy fats in our diet. Fats are a source of soluble vitamins A, D
and
E.
Fats provide hormone production
and skin health and protection of vital organs and insulation. Too much
fat in the diet however, can increase the risk of a number of lifestyle
diseases that are common in the western world.
So please limit the saturated
fats in your diet which includes butter, cream, full-fat dairy
products,
fatty meats, cakes, pastries and fried foods. Choose lean meats where
possible
and trim visible fat and skin before cooking. Select low fat dairy
products
where possible. Be aware of the hidden fats in processed foods and
foods
high in salt. Choose liquid fats over solid fats e.g. olive and canola
oil over butter.
Include amounts of unsaturated
or 'good fats' in your diet. Sources include fish, olive and canola
oil,
nuts and avocado. Also try to include the good omega-3 fats daily -
fatty
fish such as salmon, tuna, and sardines are good sources.
Posted by Maximum
Fitness
Posted on: Tuesday October
11, 2005 7:35 am
