Products labelled “low fat” and “fat free” on products such as yoghurts and cereal bars, line the shelves of supermarkets. They promise to help weight loss, but in fact the opposite is true. One of the best ways to lose fat, in fact, is by including fats – the good kind, in the diet.
How Foods Low in Fat can Promote Fat
Low fat and reduced fat products hide their true peril on the small print. The fact is these are often high in carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is really a form of sugar, and too much sugar in the diet will eventually be stored as fat within the body. Anything that contains more than 55% carbohydrate is on the high side. So even a diet low in fat can make someone fat.
Good Fats
Make no bones, fat is the most calorie-dense of the components within food, but the body needs fat to stay healthy. Fat is low on the Glycemic Index. In other words, it is broken down slowly, giving a sense of prolonged fullness. This is partly due to a hormone called choleocystokian (CCK), which is released when fat is ingested. The G I of carbohydrate will actually lower if eaten with fat. Fat promotes vitamin E absorption resulting in sleek hair, strong nails and smooth skin.
Monounsaturated Fats and Polyunsaturated Fats
The main types of fats are:
- Coldwater Fish Oil: Derived from fish such as sardines and mackerel.
- Monosaturated fatty Acids: (unsaturated fats.) This fat is found in nuts and seeds, such as flaxseeds and also in olives and avocadoes.
- Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: This is derived from vegetable sources, such as sunflower, soybean and canola.
- Saturated Fatty Acids: These fats are derived from animal sources, such as meat and dairy.
- Transfatty Acids, or hydronegated vegetable oil: This is an offspring of vegetable oil. It has been heated to a high temperature to prolong its shelf life.
Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The best fats for health are monounsaturated fatty acids. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil is the best. Oleic acid found in olives has been shown to keep artery walls supple and help prevent heart disease. Research into the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet has now proved the benefits of olive oil.
Fish oil and flaxseed contains high amounts of omega 3 which not only lowers bad cholesterol, but also prevents diabetes and promotes weight loss by encouraging stored fat to be burned as fuel.
The Truth About Saturated Fat
Saturated fats have received a lot of bad press. In fact, in controlled amounts, saturated fat is not as bad for health as was once thought and is not the devil of the dietary fats.
Bad Fats
Although polyunsatured oil might seem to be a healthier alternative to saturated fat, it is high in arachinodic acid (omega 6). According to registered dietician Evelyn Tribole, this can cause heart disease and inflammation.
Hydrogenated vegetable oil is the devil of the fats and must be avoided. Unfortunately, it is widely used in commercial products such as cakes and biscuits. It will elevate the levels of bad cholesterol and promote heart disease to the point that it has been banned in certain European countries (Independent on Sunday, 2009).
Healthy Oils that Fight Disease
Eliminating fat from the diet will not promote long-term weight loss and health. A healthy diet contains omega 3, as in fish oil and flaxseeds and is the best way to lose weight naturally. Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil has been shown to promote health and encourage weight loss.
Rachel Shirley - I have written and illustrated several art instruction books entitled Oil Paintings from your Garden and Oil Paintings from the Landscape ...
