Fats Are Not the Enemy
Lean Lingo
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas gland. It regulates the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood and one of the hormones that causes the body to store fat. Dietary fats are fats you eat. Body fat refers to the fat your body stores in the adipose tissues of your body. Your body can produce body fat from dietary fats, carbohydrates, or proteins.
Dietary fat is an important component of a healthy diet. By eating the right fats in the right proportions, you can enjoy watching your body fat melt away.
Before we get into some of the nitty-gritty details about dietary fat, let's list some of the known benefits of fat:
- Fat is required to manufacture hormones. Without fat, your hormones get out of whack. This includes your thyroid and the regulation of women's hormonal cycles, including menopause and conception. Men require optimum hormonal activity for high-energy sex and good muscle mass.
- Fats are required for the proper communication of the neurotransmitters in the brain.
- Fat is necessary for many metabolic processes such as red blood cell formation and insulin functions.
- Fat lubricates your joints, maintains healthy skin, and aids in the digestion process.
Be sure to eat about 20 to 30 percent of your daily food intake as fat.
Aside from this list of benefits, fats also help satisfy your hunger because they take longer to empty from the stomach than other foods. And, let's not forget that fats carry the flavor of food and feel satisfying in the mouth.
Types of Fats
Fats are the most highly concentrated form of fuel. They contain more calories per ounce than either proteins or carbs. Fats come in three basic forms: saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated. Plus, today there's a fourth type of artificial fat present in food called trans fats. It can contribute to heart disease, so avoid eating trans fats.
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats come mostly from animal products, including milk and milk products, and from several vegetables:
| Butter | Milk |
| Cheese | Beef |
| Lamb | Veal |
| Pork | Poultry |
| Lard | Vegetable shortening |
| Cocoa butter | Palm oil |
| Coconut oil | Kernel oil |
Limit your intake of saturated fat to no more than 10 percent of your food intake daily. So, yes, enjoy your beef and butter, but in moderation.
Polyunsaturated Fats
Polyunsaturated fats are found in seeds, seed oils, and vegetable oils, as well as in cold-water fish. The following are common sources of polyunsaturated fats:
| Corn oil | Safflower oil |
| Sunflower oil | Soybean oil |
| Flaxseed oil | Salmon |
| Mackerel | Herring |
| Cod | Sardines |
| Albacore tuna | Black currants |
| Flaxseeds | Sunflower seeds |
| Corn | Evening primrose |
Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats are found in certain vegetable oils and nut oils, which are best when unprocessed. The following are common sources of monounsaturated fats:
| Olive oil | Sesame Seeds |
| Canola oil | Sesame seed oil |
| Peanuts | Almonds |
| Peanut oil | Almond oil |
| Avocados |
Trans Fats
Trans fats are man-made fats created by transforming unsaturated fats into saturated fats through heat and hydrogenation (adding hydrogen atoms). They're also called “partially hydrogenated” oils. Once a favorite of the food industry, studies show that trans fats harm your health and can directly cause heart disease, as well as increased insulin production, decreased testosterone, lower metabolism, and raise bad cholesterol levels. The FDA now requires that food labels state the amount of trans fats per serving. It's best to avoid them.
Just as your body needs essential amino acids from protein for good health, so, too, does your body require essential fatty acids (EFAs). Your body can't synthesize these from other foods you eat. You must ingest them.
Lean Lingo
Your body needs essential fatty acids (EFAs) for important metabolic processes. EFAs are fats that cannot be synthesized by your body; they must be ingested.
EFAs are beneficial for hormone production. The brain needs EFAs to function properly, and they are critical for the transmission of nerve impulses. EFAs also aid you in many other ways. They help …
- Regulate the transport of oxygen and energy through your body.
- Form new cells, particularly in the nervous system.
- Increase your body's metabolic rate.
- Improve skin and hair.
- Help reduce high blood pressure.
- Help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
As you can see, you need your EFAs. There are two kinds of essential fatty acids that are derived from fat sources containing the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
