People want to lose fat and cut it from their diets. True, but it is entirely different when you talk about body fat and dietary fat. In fact, the body needs fat and the need to debunk the myths about fat is important to promote better health.
Myth: Fat is Not Functional
Many weight loss diets call for avoiding fat from the diet because dietary fat is the most calorie-dense macronutrient at 9 calories per gram. And while many believe it is the storage form of energy that accumulates as body flab, it actually offers many functional roles in the body that aid in cardiovascular health, cognitive function, bone health and immunity from sickness.
Fats are incorporated into the cell membranes to provide insulation helps signal molecules and transports fat-soluble nutrients and vitamins together with building blocks and essential compounds. Having the right amounts of healthy fat as well as its quality is essential for the body.
Myth: You need more Omega 6 fats compared to anything else
Essential Fatty acids are categorized into two forms, Omega 3 and Omega 6. Both contain double bonds along the carbon chain and provide helpful benefits for the body. Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory while Omega 6 are pro inflammatory. Truth is, you just need enough of both fatty acids in your body, which is important to strengthen the body’s immune system and also prevents symptoms of inflammation in the body.
Myth: coconut oil as superfood
Recent studies have shown that although coconut oil contains significant amounts of medium chain fatty acids, it does not have much effect on weight lost or fat-burning capabilities for the short term. Yes. Long term effects can be gleaned over time, but using coconut oil in cooking food did not contribute much to altering body measurements, muscle mass, body-fat percentage or even weight.
Myth: Only have two eggs every week
This has been an oft-debated topic for many, claiming that eggs are too fatty and contains a lot of calories and cholesterol. This is one of the reasons why many athletes avoid whole eggs in their diet.
The egg white is a complete protein source containing high amounts of protein and essential amino acids while the yolk is rich in choline that is good for cognitive health and the essential amino protein leucine that helps activates muscle protein synthesis.
Myth: Low Fat means healthy
This turns out to be a labelling trick by food manufacturers. When fat is totally removed from food it also removes the taste that makes it delicious and tasty. Low fat labels do not usually tell what sort of fat it means as part of the ingredient, which could either be fat from food or added fat.
Eat fat to lose fat
In fact, the body needs to consume fat to be able to lose weight. Sounds weird? In fact, the body works in a way that the fat collected in the belly, buttocks or thighs need to have new fat introduced into the body to produce the fat-burning hormone adiponectin to burn excess fat in the body. It also aids in developing essential enzymes in the body to burn carbohydrates in the body.
Fats can also help curb your appetite by feeling full longer and prevents you from eating more. Low-calorie diets often end up causing you to feel hungry in a short time after your last meal. The sensation of hunger in your stomach also produces hormones that stimulate craving and unless you have the mental resolve and discipline of a full-pledged body builder or trainer, you can end up standing in line at your favourite fast food chain.
The body needs fat to absorb nutrients and vitamins from numerous food products because some these nutrients are fat-soluble, which means they do the body no good if it comes into contact with water instead of fat. Essential vitamins like Vitamins K, A,D,E, just to name some, are fat-soluble, thus can only be absorbed into the body when mixed with fat.
Fat is a better source of energy than carbohydrates, for which the latter is more responsible for getting into trouble with endocrinal conditions like diabetes and other kidney- related disorders. Nature has designed the body to fuel metabolism through fat rather than carbohydrates, as it goes through a more complex process before it gets broken down into energy for the body.
So make sure to always aim for healthy fats like vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, fish and other seafoods.
Fats to avoid are fatty meats, processed meats, pies, butter, cakes and biscuits with high sugar content and cream.
The post Breaking Myths About Fats And Understanding Why appeared first on NUTRITION CLUB CANADA.
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