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Why do we need to eat fat?

why-do-we-need-to-eat-fat
Surely you have heard several times that you should avoid fat in order to lose weight and stay healthy. It’s true that our body’s need for lipids is small, but that doesn’t mean that they should be excluded from our diet.

The human body needs lipids for the proper functioning of the organism. Lipids provide energy, they affect the proper functioning of the brain and help maintain proper hormonal balance. Hormones regulate many processes in the body, including the construction and maintenance of muscle tissue. Muscles burn calories 24 hours a day, and if we eat food that lacks lipids/fat, we slow down the process of muscle building. After ingestion, the lipids break down into fatty acids in the body. Fatty acids play an important role in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K in the body, which can only be absorbed in the presence of lipids. Our task is to distinguish between fats that are good for our health and those that are not.

Fats are divided into two separate groups, saturated and unsaturated.

Unsaturated fats are of plant origin (nuts and seeds) and can be found also in carnivorous fish, while saturated fats are found in foods of animal origin (meat, milk, cheese, ...). Unsaturated fats of vegetable origin – the monounsaturated fats are beneficial to us, as they prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, as well as lower the bad cholesterol. They also accelerate the metabolism and are involved in muscle growth, thereby accelerating the process of burning excess fat. They also have antioxidant characteristics. They are found in olive oil, nuts, avocado and fish.

Olive oil

Olive oil has many positive effects on our health. It is easy to digest, because it stimulates the secretion of gastric juices and allows for better absorption of vitamins A, D and K. It also balances blood sugar levels and lowers blood pressure. In addition, olive oil maintains the elasticity of the skin due to the content of vitamin E and polyphenols that protect the body against free radicals. We only have to watch not to overheat it, since in this case the toxic trans fats are produced.

Avocado

Regular consumption of avocado is highly recommended, especially for people who try to reduce the amount of protein and carbohydrates in their diet. With avocado the body gets healthy fats, while the intake of carbohydrates and protein doesn’t increase. Avocado also helps our body absorb fat-soluble nutrients more efficiently.
 
Fish are also a rich source of healthy fats. They contain omega-3, vitamin D (acts anti-effect), vitamin A (strengthens the immune system), minerals, and are full of protein. The best choice are salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel, ...
 
Polyunsaturated fats are also important for our health, especially for sports athletes, because they contain essential fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6 that our organism cannot produce on its own, therefore they must be obtained through the diet. They can be found in sunflower and vegetable oil, in some nuts and fish.
 
Fatty acids omega-3 play essential role in weight loss. The studies have shown that the intake of omega-3 along with regular exercise, promotes the loss of body fat. Omega-3 also prevent the degradation of muscle tissue and increase muscle strength.

Saturated fats and trans fats are the ones called “bad fats”. They are one of the main culprits of high cholesterol. They can be found in butter, cheese, whole milk, fried food, pastries, ... Trans fats reduce good cholesterol (HDL) and raise bad cholesterol (LDL).
 
We often hear that eggs raise cholesterol in the blood, but this is not entirely true. Our bodies obtain 25% of cholesterol with food, meanwhile the remaining 75% are generated by the body itself. So, the more cholesterol we eat, the less cholesterol we produce, and vice versa. Eggs are excellent source of protein, containing all nine essential amino acids, many vitamins and have protective effect on our blood vessels. Therefore, it's perhaps no exaggeration to call them a superfood.
 
Although we say that saturated fats should be avoided, not all of them are bad for our health. For example, coconut oil contains saturated fatty acids that are beneficial to our health, in contrast to the 'bad' trans fats that represent real health risk. Coconut oil is usually found in the form of butter, which becomes soft if at room temperature. It’s excellent for cooking, frying and baking, since it doesn’t oxidize, not even at a high temperature. It’s also low in calories in comparison with other oils and helps burn calories.


Author: Proteini.si

Category: Tips

Published: 17.02.2016 15:51

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