Is Fat Making You Fat?

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With the amount of obesity and overweight people nowadays - isn't it time we knew our Fats?
Some interesting points with this post
Fats
Because fat is so important for so many bodily functions, you must consume an adequate amount of fat each day. Unfortunately, our society has developed a fear of fat. In turn, many companies have produced fat-free or low-fat products that contain high amounts of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, both of which increase hunger and cravings for sugary foods.

Because fats are an essential part of any meal plan, it is important to recognize them as good or bad. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to tell the difference.

Fats to Avoid
All fats are not created equal. The most detrimental fats are hydrogenated ones called trans-fatty acids (also called TFAs or "trans fats")—most commonly listed as hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils on food labels—and should be avoided in your diet.

Hydrogenation is a chemical hardening method commonly used to create fats that are shelf-stable and have a higher melting point than their source material.

To hydrogenate a liquid vegetable oil, the oil is first washed, bleached, and deodorized and then heated to a high temperature along with a metal catalyst (nickel, zinc, or copper). Next, hydrogen gas is bubbled through the mixture. Partial hydrogenation results in a product that is semisolid at room temperature (like margarine or a salad dressing oil that doesn’t separate), and full hydrogenation results in a product that is solid at room temperature (like Crisco shortening). Regardless of the ultimate result, hydrogenation completely alters the liquid oil’s molecular structure so that it no longer resembles a natural fat; in fact, it becomes an unhealthy trans fat. Because the body does not recognize the transformed molecule as a natural fat, it cannot process it and treats it as a toxin.

The molecular structure of a trans-fatty acid is closer to that of plastic than to that of a normal fatty acid (Chek 2004, 72). Still, many processed foods—even some considered to be healthy are laden with trans fats. Food manufacturers use hydrogenated oils because they have a long shelf life and are cheaper to use than the real thing, but research has shown that these fats are detrimental to your health.

Trans fats can raise levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs, commonly known as "bad cholesterol") and lead to clogged arteries, elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer (Mercola with Droege 2003). The body has no use for trans fats and stores them in fat cells and arteries. Consuming trans fats actually causes fat cravings; these cravings continue until the body receives the essential fatty acids (EFAs)—the good fats that it needs.


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Good Fats
Good fats are derived from healthy food sources. Adequate amounts of the ideal fats for your metabolism type naturally occurring in your food, used in cooking, or taken as supplements・will fulfill your daily nutritional needs and keep you from getting hungry.

Essential Fatty Acids

The human body cannot survive without some fats specifically, EFAs. EFAs are necessary for the healthy function of every bodily process, including

brain and nervous system activity,

regulation of hormones,

function of organs and the immune system,

cell function, and

digestion.

Our bodies need EFAs but cannot make them on their own; therefore, we must get them from the foods we eat. The two kinds of EFAs are omega-3 and omega-6. Foods that are high in omega-6 fats are grains, commercially raised meats, oils used in processed foods, and many commonly used cooking oils, including corn, safflower, and sunflower. Omega-3 fats are found in leafy green vegetables, oily fish (like salmon), walnuts, organic eggs, and naturally raised meats.

The ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats is between 1:2 and 1:4. Unfortunately, because the typical American diet is abundant in grains and cooked oils and lacking in vegetables and healthy fish, the average omega-6 intake is high and omega-3 intake low. This ratio has been calculated in some people to be as high as 1:50! Clearly, we must make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of omega-6s and increase the amount of omega-3s that we consume to bring that ratio back toward its ideal. Omega-3 fats are vital for the development and maintenance of the adult brain and nervous system. In The Omega Diet, Artemis Simopoulos and Jo Robinson describe a study in which mice fed a diet low in omega-3 fats (i.e., the most common American diet—lots of carbohydrates; packaged, processed, and fast foods; minimal fruits, vegetables, and whole foods) led to a decreased mental performance compared with mice fed a diet with adequate omega-3s (Simopoulos and Robinson 1998, 87).The same authors state that many behavioral and mood disorders are associated with a lack of omega-3 or an imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats in the diet. Their list of recognized disorders (Simopoulos and Robinson 1998, 16) includes but is not limited to

asthma

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

cancer

depression (even among children)

diabetes

heart attack

insulin resistance

obesity

stroke

While I normally like to keep supplements to a minimum and focus more on nutrients from fresh foods, fish oil supplementation may be vital if you do not consume fresh fish on a regular basis. Also, the health of our oceans and thus of the fish that live in them is not as good as it used to be. Elevated mercury levels are increasingly found in most fresh fish sold for human consumption. Incorporate one serving of fresh fish (especially wild salmon) every week or two, but avoid fishes that often have elevated levels of mercury, such as tuna, shark, and swordfish.

Whatever your choices, consume at least two or three servings of omega-3 fats daily.

 

by Isabel De Los Rios

Alison