Know About Your Good Fats And Bad Fats

Good Fats And Bad Fats

Are you confused about which fats are good and bad? Well, that doesn’t surprise me – there’s a lot of conflicting information about fats on the web. Some myths just won’t die. The biggest one is that “fat makes you fat”. While everybody knows that’s not true, I still see books and articles advocating for low-fat diets for faster weight loss.

Anyway, just stay away from such advice and you’ll be fine. Fats play a major role in weight loss and overall health. They help absorb other nutrients you consume, balance hormone levels, maintain cell structure and much more. But you won’t benefit from any kind of fats. Eating bad fats can lead to heart disease, weight gain, depression and other diseases.

So, what fats are good for you? Are you consuming good fat and bad fat altogether? In this article, I will share the fats you should eat and the ones to stay away from.

What Are Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Omega 6 Fatty Acids? Know About The Health Benefits of  Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Omega 6 Fatty Acids

First, let’s look into these two essential fatty acids for us, humans:

• These two are essential for life and we have to eat them because the body can’t make them. It’s also important to eat the right ratio of these fatty acids. A poor ratio of Omega 3s and Omega 6s can cause inflammation, damage immune system and other health issues.

• Omega 6 fatty acids are easy to obtain – we get them from eggs, cereal, vegetables and other numerous sources. But Omega 3s are harder to get and most folks don’t consume enough.

• The U.S government recommends a ratio of 20:1 for Omega 6s and Omega 3s, respectively. But this ratio is based on old data and it’s too high. Recent studies show that ratios of 2:1 and 3:1 help reduce inflammatory diseases and enhance weight loss. In fact, you should aim for a 1:1 ratio.

• To maintain a good ratio – you can either increase the intake of Omega 3s or lower the intake of Omega 6s. But it’s hard to do the latter because many foods contain Omega 6s, so your best bet is to increase the intake of Omega 3s.

Fats That Are Good For You

Include these Good fat foods in your diet:

1. Seafood

Cold-water fish fat from salmon, herring, sardines and shellfish like shrimp, scallops, krill, oysters and crab. These foods are high in Omega 3s and low in Omega 6s. These are polyunsaturated fats – other sources of polyunsaturated fats include nuts and flax seed.

2. Monounsaturated Fats

The best sources include olive oil, macadamia nuts and avocado.

3. Good Saturated Fat Foods

• For years, saturated fats have gotten a bad rap, but new studies show they don’t increase risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Eat saturated fats from grass-fed beef – it can be in different forms like – fatty meat, butter, cheese, ice cream and raw milk. Saturated fats are also found in coconut oil. In fact, coconut oil has myriad health benefits and it’s the best oil for cooking.
• Saturated fats have a good ratio of Omega 3s to Omega 6s, but not as good as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats – most of the fats you eat should come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

What Are The Bad Fats?

Stay away from these Bad Fats to avoid diseases.

• Corn oil, soybean oil, almond oil, peanut oil and any other vegetable oil that I didn’t mention in the ‘good fats’ section.

• Understand that almonds nuts are healthy and contain many nutrients, but the process of extracting fat from the nuts contaminates the oil.

• Seed oils – Safflower seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, cottonseeds and rapeseed are all too high in Omega-6 fatty acids.

• Trans-fats – these are basically processed saturated fats. They raise LDL cholesterol which clogs the arteries and lower HDL – the good cholesterol which cleans the arteries. You’ll find trans-fats in fried foods, popcorns, cakes, pizza, cakes and restaurant foods. Even the vegetable oil in the supermarket labeled ‘healthy’ is not healthy.

• If you can’t afford to cook with olive oil or coconut oil – put very little vegetable oil in your food. Because studies show that long term use of trans-fats can cause inflammation, insulin resistance and type II diabetes – especially for overweight folks.

Supplements

Try to get most of the fats from real food, but since there are limited sources of Omega 3s, supplementing may be necessary. Krill oil and Fish oil supplements are the best sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. When buying these oils, check the labels to confirm they don’t contain mercury.

Recommended Daily Fat Intake

A gram of fat contains 9 calories. So you should eat fats moderately, otherwise you’ll gain weight. The amount of fat you should eat will depend on your caloric needs. Use percentages to come up with the grams you should eat. 25-30 percent of you total daily calories should come from fats.

Here’s how to calculate the amount of fats you should eat – if you consume 1800 calories a day, 30% of 1800 is 600 calories. Now, let’s convert calories to grams – which is 600/9 = 66 grams of fat. That’s it! Now, apply the same formula to your daily caloric intake to find out the number of grams of fat you should consume.

Benefits Of Good Fats

• Faster fat loss
• Studies show that fats improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation – Omega 3s make all body cells more sensitive to insulin, resulting to a faster metabolism.
• Omega 3s also improves functions of thyroid hormone, testosterone and estrogen. Once hormones are balanced, it’s easier to lose fat and stay lean. Because the genes involved in fat burning are activated and genes which store fat are turned off.

Fats are filling and eating them with high fiber foods like proteins can keep hunger at bay and can even curb cravings.

Benefits Of Omega 3 Fats

• Improves Muscle Growth:

  The ability of Omega 3s to reduce inflammation and regulate hormones fastens muscle recovery and improves rate of muscle growth. This study conducted on young and middle-aged men and women found that consumption of Omega 3s improved rate of muscle growth by 1-2 percent.

• Improves Brain Function And Reduces Depression:

  70 percent of the brain is made of cholesterol and fat and most of it comes from fatty acids. The fat layers in the brain affect your mood and memory. Low fat intake reduces fat in the brain and lowers brain function. In fact, one of the most popular side effects of low fat diets is depression and stress.

• Reduces Risk Of Numerous Diseases:

  Consuming enough fats reduces risk of diseases like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and so on.

• Improves Fertility And Sex Life:

  Consumption of good fats balances hormone levels and consequently improves fertility and boosts libido. In fact, low fat intake is one of the causes of infertility in women.

Final Word

Fats have been demonized for years, but we need them to stay healthy and lean. Make sure you get enough Omega 3s and stay away from bad fats.