Fooling Fat

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to fat. "Fat is bad and should be avoided at all costs." "Fat is quite delicious and makes any food better." "Fat is easy to overindulge in and is the reason a lot of people are unhappy with the looks of their bodies." Fat actually may be why this certain blog author doesn't like to slouch (belly fat anyone?). And, "fat is the cause of one of the biggest epidemics in the history of the world - obesity." Considering the majority of fatty opinions are negative, what I'm about to tell you may sound crazy. Maybe. You ready? Our bodies need fat. We need fat to survive! From Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism, "If fat is entirely excluded from the diet of humans, a condition develops that is characterized by retarded growth, dermatitis, kidney lesions, and early death." (pg. 133, 5th Ed.) What does fat do besides make my back-side grow? It gives us fat-soluble vitamins D, E, K, and A, without which we could all become blind bats with osteoporosis. It's also a component of our cell membranes, giving flexibility and regulating what comes in and out (cuts back on the cost of both cell yoga and border control). And fat cushions, protects, and insulates organs. Think of how cold and bruised our little kidneys would be without fat to protect them against the wiles of our inners. This happy man used fat on the inside and outside to insulate his body (Mike Read, swam the English Channel 20 times by age 39).

Obviously after all it's other functions are completed, fat is stored. And as I'm pretty sure not all of you want to use stored fat for cold water swimming, I will share with you what can be done to cut back on the bad fats while consuming the good fats.


Fatty Profiles

Bad Fats: Trans fat and Saturated fat. Solid at room temp. Raise bad cholesterol (LDL) and can lead to heart disease and stroke. Trans fats are also known as partially hydrogenated oils or fats.

Sources: Saturated fat foods are animal products...fatty beef, lamb, pork, and poultry, cheese, 2% or whole milk, cream, butter. Trans fat foods are fried and baked goods, shortening, and margarine.


Good Fats: Monounsaturated fat and Polyunsaturated fat. Liquid at room temp. Lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and thus decrease risk for heart disease and stroke. Polyunsaturated fats have omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which helps your brain function and your body grow and develop.

Sources: Monounsaturated fats are in olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, avocados, peanut butter, and nuts and seeds. Polyunsaturated fats are in most vegetable oils, sunflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and fatty fish like herring, mackerel, trout and salmon.


What to do?

A few suggestions to replace bad fat with good fat are to use oil in cooking not margarine or butter, eat fish over steak, and instead of dressing, bear salads up with a mixture of avocados, tomatoes, and other juicy vegetables or fruits!

The recommendation for total fat intake is 25-35% of calories per day. A couple general suggestions to cut back on body fat would be to drink more water over calorie-containing drinks and to set goals to not eat out as much!

I won't go into very much more detail about fat in your diet because the American Heart Association website has a great section on fat: replacement tips, eating out, recipes, a calculator that shows you how much fat you should be eating daily, and lots of other cool stuff! You should definitely check it out if you feel even half-committed to cutting back on fat. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3049042

If this post did not satiate your need for fat (pun intended), don't forget you can always email us at nutritionsuu@gmail.com with questions or ideas!
-Heather