The Truth About
Fats
Fat is
actually an essential nutrient, but a very small amount is
needed on a daily basis to maintain normal body function.
Fat is also a back up reserve of energy when the body runs out
of glycogen (carbohydrates are stored as glycogen). Cholesterol
can be thought of a measure of dietary fat intake as it is
found in the blood. Therefore, measured blood levels of
cholesterol are a reflection of the dietary fat intake.
The following is the different forms of fats:
Saturated
Fats Saturated fats are fats
derived primarily from animal sources such as beef and similar
products. These fats are hard at room temperature.
Saturated fats are the type you generally would like to
avoid. The more saturated fats you eat, the more
cholesterol builds up in the blood and can increase the risk of
heart disease and other
problems.
However, If an
animal is “free range” or “grass fed” and allowed to eat
most of its diet through organic natural sources like grass,
the meat will generally be much leaner and the fat from that
animal will be much healthier to
consume.
Most people are not aware of
that. People asume that all saturated fat is bad, and
that's not true. Mike Geary told me the truth
about saturated fats and informed me on what type of fat was
good to consume. He actually wrote an ebook and
created fat loss videos in a program called
Your Six Pack Quest which
includes detailed information about fats and how eating certain
fats can actually make you leaner and help to flatten your
stomach.
Unsaturated
Fats
Unsaturated
fats come from plant sources such as canola oil, olive, and
similar products. Unsaturated fats consist of
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
fat.
Monounsaturated
fats
It is recommended
that you replace saturated fats with monounsaturated fats
whenever possible as these are thought to be generally
helpful from a health standpoint. Monounsaturated fats
include peanuts, pecans, olives, and olive
oil.
Polyunsaturated
fats
Polyunsaturated fats
can be further divided into omega-3 and
omega-6 fatty acids (also known as essential fatty
acids).
Omega -3
Fatty Acid
Are found in fish
oils and flaxseed oil; and are thought to be very beneficial
to cardiovascular health. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce
the tendency of blood to clot, and help the heart maintain a
steady rhythm. They also reduce the body’s
inflammatory response which is thought to reduce the
likelihood of atherosclerotic plaque breaking off and
clogging an artery. Omega -3 fatty acids
smoothes skin and increases your
metabolic rate at levels above 12% total calorie
intake. This fatty acid will burn fat into carbon
dioxide, water and energy.
Omega-6 Fatty
Acid
These
are similar to omega-3 fatty acids, and are essential for
providing linolenic acid. Generally, omega-3 fatty
acids are preferred over omega-6 fatty acids (but you still
need both).
You can
purchase supplements to get a daily supply of Omega-3, 6 and
other Essential Fatty Acids (EFA). Remember flaxseed
oil and Fish oil supplements will provide you with
Omega-3.
Trans Fatty Acids
(Chemically altered fat)
Trans fatty acid is
an unsaturated fat that has basically turned into a
saturated fat. This happens when unsaturated fats are
processed (hydrogenised). Hydrogenation is a process by
which oil becomes solid at room temperature. These oils are
commonly found in processed foods such as peanut butter,
margarines, crackers, and pastries. Hydrogenation also
prolongs the shelf life of products. Make sure that
you stay away from foods that say partially
hydrogenated.
Sidenote:
Stay
away from foods that say "no cholesterol" or low saturated
fat". The reason is because these foods are highly
processed to make up for the low saturated fat; therefore
they contain trans fat which can raise cholesterol levels
more than saturated fat. You should also stay away
from fat free foods as well. Fat free foods are
nothing more than refined sugar. Remember this: when
there is less of something, there is more of something else
to supplement for it, and usually that something is much
worse than what there is less of to begin
with.
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