Do you avoid eating fat and consume the “fat-free” and “low-fat” foods still?
We grew up being told fats are bad for us… eating fat will kill us and make us fat.
Well as you may have heard over the years on my podcast “FIT FAT FAST” and now “THE WHOLE ATHLETE” – as well as many blogs and book reviews…we need fat to survive but not all fat is good fat.
We should not be afraid of eating fats- I understand if you are still afraid as I was the same for years until recently I started learning more and thinking outside of the box- away from the influence of mainstream media. Plus I am learning a lot in my Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program as well as the few years in my “Superhuman Coach” program and the “Holistic Lifestyle Coach” program by the CHEK Institute. Read the book – “The Big Fat Surprise” for the history on how and why (or who) made us afraid of eating healthy real fats- including saturated fats that are naturally occurring in animals and tropical sources.
Fat Facts:
- Good sources of animal and tropical fats provide us with energy
- Fats help regulate our energy as eating fats slow down the absorbtion rate of food and keep us full longer (and satisfied as well as make food taste better!).
- Good quality fats are required for optimizing our health as well as essential fatty acids are needed as the body doesn’t make them.
- Fats, besides the excess fat we store on our body, compose about 15% of our body weight.
- Fats help us absorb some vitamins and minerals- fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K.
- Fat is needed for our cell membranes and the sheath surrounding our nerves
- Fats are building blocks for our hormones
- Fats are needed for blood clotting
- Fats serve as a protective lining for the organs of the body
- Fats are needed in muscle movement- endurance muscles
- Fats are needed for inflammation- prostaglandin production (see another blog on this topic)
Good sources of fats:
- Monounsaturated fats: olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocados, and most nuts, as well as high-oleic safflower and sunflower oils.
- Polyunsaturated fats:
Good sources of monounsaturated fats are
Bad sources of fats:
- industrial made trans-fats: the process of hydrogenation of fats takes healthy oils into solids
- partially hydrogenated oils
What are essential fatty acids (EFAs)?
- EFAs are fats that are required for normal body functions that are body does not make itself so we must get these fats from our diet.
- Prostaglandin production are formed from elongated EFAs and these hormone like substances are needed by nearly all body tissues and fluids in the body. Their functions include cell communication system, helping with homeostasis, blood flow in kidneys and controlling inflammatory function.
- To control the inflammatory function- the body must be able to inflame before it anti-inflames (PG1 and PG3 anti-inflammatory and PG2 are pro-inflammatory fats).
Poly unsaturated fats:
- Omega-3 fatty acids: fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, flaxseeds, walnuts,
- Omega-6 fatty acids: corn, safflower, peanut and most oils (LINOLEIC ACID)
- GLA = Gamma Linolenic Acid = Black Current Seed, Evening Primrose Oil and Borage Oil
- DGLA = Dihomogamma Linolenic Acid
Most people are deficient in fat… or rather fatty acid deficiency. If we don’t have proper digestion, proper liver function or the enzymes required to breakdown fats – then we are often deficient in fats -especially essential fatty acids required to help with prostaglandin formation to aid in the inflammatory process in the body.
See part two of this blog- Prostaglandin Formation
