Fat is a nutrient, just like protein and carbohydrates. Your body needs some fat to get energy, absorb vitamins and protect the health of your heart and brain. For years, we have been told that eating fat will increase your waistline, increase your cholesterol and lead to countless health problems. But now we know that not all fats are the same.
"Bad" fats, such as artificial trans fats and saturated fats, are the chief culprits of unhealthy things that all fats are blamed on-weight gain, blocked arteries, increased risk of certain diseases, and so on. But "good" fats, such as unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, have the opposite effect. In fact, healthy fat plays a huge role in helping you manage your emotions, keep mental games, fight fatigue and even control your weight.
By understanding the difference between good fat and bad fat, and how to add more healthy fat to your diet, you can improve your thinking and feeling and increase your energy.
Because fat is an important part of a healthy diet, rather than a low-fat diet, it is more important to focus on eating more beneficial "good" fat and limit harmful "bad" fat.
1. Healthy or beneficial fat
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are called "good fats" because they are good for your heart, cholesterol and overall health. These fats help:
Adding more of these healthy fats to your diet can also help you feel more satisfied after meals, reduce hunger and thus promote weight loss.
2. unhealthy or "bad" fat
Trans fats. A small amount of naturally occurring trans fat can be found in meat and dairy products, but it is considered as a dangerous man-made trans fat. This is the worst kind of fat, because it will not only increase the bad LDL cholesterol, but also decrease the good HDL level. Artificial trans fats can also produce inflammation, which is related to heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases, and lead to insulin resistance, thus increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
In the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has effectively banned the use of artificial trans fats in commercially prepared foods, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has called on other governments in the world to eliminate the use of trans fats by 2023. However, products produced before the FDA ban can still be sold. Since the product can be classified as "zero trans fat", it is still important to read the food label carefully even if each serving contains up to 0.5 grams of trans fat. Look for ingredients called "partially hydrogenated oil". These hidden sources of artificial trans fats will accumulate rapidly.
If your country still allows the use of artificial trans fats, please remember that no amount is considered safe, so eliminate it from your diet.
Trans fats-the main sources include:
Saturated fat. Although it is not as harmful as trans fat, saturated fat will increase bad low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and have a negative impact on heart health, so it is best to eat it in moderation. Although it is not necessary to remove all saturated fat from the diet, most nutrition experts recommend limiting it to 10% of daily calories.
Saturated fat-the main sources include:
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats, which are particularly beneficial to your health. There are different types of omega -3: EPA and DHA exist in fish and algae, which are most beneficial to health, while ALA comes from plants, which is a less effective form of omega-3, although the body does convert ALA into EPA and DHA at a low rate.
Studies have shown that a diet rich in omega-3 may help:
The best source of omega -3
Vegetable oil can reduce low density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride, and increase high density lipoprotein (good) cholesterol. Oils such as corn, sunflower, safflower and soybean contain omega-6, which is a polyunsaturated fat, which helps to reduce insulin resistance and inflammation.
Instead of indulging in counting grams of fat, we should aim at a diet rich in all kinds of vegetables, fruits, nuts and beans, with two or more servings of high-fat fish a week, a proper amount of dairy products, a small amount of red meat and occasionally fried or processed food.
This may mean replacing fried chicken with roast chicken, replacing some red meat you eat with other protein sources (such as fish, chicken or beans), or replacing butter with olive oil. Following the Mediterranean diet also helps to ensure that you get enough good fat in your diet and limit bad fat.
Limit the intake of saturated fat, replace some red meat with beans, nuts, poultry and fish, and change from full-fat dairy products to low-fat dairy products. But don't make the mistake of using refined carbohydrates.
The mistake of replacing saturated fat with compounds and sugary foods.
Eat omega -3 fat every day. Include various fish sources as well as plant sources such as walnuts, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, rapeseed oil and soybean oil.
Cook with olive oil. Cook with olive oil, not butter, margarine or lard. For baking, try rapeseed oil.
Avocados. Try putting them in sandwiches or salads, or making guacamole. In addition to being rich in fats that are good for heart and brain health, they can also be used as meals.
Nuts. You can add nuts to vegetables and use them instead of chicken or fish scraps, or make your own mixed salad with nuts, seeds and dried fruits.
Olive dessert. Olive is rich in healthy monounsaturated fat and is a low-calorie snack. Try their plain colors or dip them in olive sauce.