Once upon a time, fat was considered the enemy and everyone jumped on the "non-fat" and "fat-free" diet craze. If we could cut enough fat out of our diet, then weight-loss was eminent. After many years of this fad (some still swear by a fat free diet), people have begun to realize that fat free dieting does not produce the results they had hoped for. When you remove fat from products, you have to replace it with something and experts soon figured out that what they were adding to give it flavor and sustenance was actually causing people to gain weight instead of losing it. How could this be? Isn't it fat that makes us fat?
In recent years with better research in place, people are getting more sensible advice about the things we should and should not eat. Although it's still very hard to convince people that fat is actually very good for you. Well, the right kind of fat that is. Healthy fats do not need to be feared like before. Healthy fats are essential to balance out and maintain a healthy, nutrient rich diet.
Some of the best fats contain enormous benefits for your heart. The Omega 3 fats are vital to keeping your heart and lungs healthy and clear. You can find these fats naturally in salmon, flaxseeds, walnuts and soybeans. The human body requires a tremendous amount of omega 3 fatty acids to function properly. Deficiencies in omega 3 fats have been linked to: depression, anxiety, mood swings, bipolar disorder, and postpartum depression, Alzheimer's disease, ADHD and ADD just to name a few. So start adding fresh fish to your diet regularly so your body can get this much needed good fat.
Monounsaturated fat is an excellent good fat source. If you've ever heard of the Mediterranean diet, then you'll know that this particular diet is mainly centered on monounsaturated fat. Almost half of the total calories in this diet are fat calories from mainly the monounsaturated fat. This diet has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, some cancers and diabetes. Olive oil is an excellent source of monounsaturated fat and has been found to be the best source of good fat in oil form. Another great benefit of using olive oil in your diet is that it is beneficial for lowering your cholesterol, blood pressure and stabilizing your blood sugar levels. You can also find monounsaturated fats in hazelnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, avocado and pumpkin seeds.
Everyone has been taught to fear and loathe the saturated fat but there are some saturated fats that are good for you in moderation. Preliminary findings are telling us that the saturated fats found in coconut and coconut milk may be more beneficial than once thought. Cooking with coconut oil has actually been found to aide in weight loss and may help to strengthen the immune system. The types of saturated fats that should be eliminated from or strictly reduced are foods like lamb pork or beef. Again, moderation is the key here.
Even with those fat-free fad diets back in the day, it's nearly impossible to eliminate all of the fat from one's diet, and you wouldn't want to either. Fat is essential for proper growth in young children to healthy brain functions in adults. Trust me; the ingredients that manufacturers are using to replace the fat in their products are synthetic, unnatural, and downright dangerous in my book. It's just not wise to eat that stuff. Plus, it's been proven that the ingredients that they are using have been shown to cause a reaction in the body to crave more of it so that these companies can continue to pad their pockets with your hard-earned money. How do you like that?
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