As we age, we look in the mirror and notice that the the trim figure we once sported in our teens and twenties is now bulging in all the wrong places. You might think, "I want to lose the flab hanging off my arms like bat wings. I want my bulging belly gone and replaced by tight, sexy abs. I also want the cellulite making my legs and butt look the cottage cheese gone too!" Those are the common complaints of those wishing to lose those extra fat deposits in their body, but cutting fat totally out of your diet to lose weight is not the way to go. Although fat is higher in calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein (9 calories per gram for fat vs. 4 calories per gram for either carbs or protein), fat provides a vital function in our diets.
The role of dietary fat in health is several fold. Firstly, dietary fat produces a sense of satiety, and makes food taste good. This means that adding healthy fats to your diet help you from feeling hungry an hour after you've left the dinner table. Another very important role of fat is to aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A, E, D and K. But the sources of fat you choose to consume are very important as well.
Monounsaturated fats are beneficial because they lower total cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol levels (a.k.a. low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol), while raising levels of good cholesterol (a.k.a HDL, or high-density lipoprotein.) Good sources of monounsaturated fats include avocado, canola oil, olive oil and nuts such as walnuts and peanuts. Another excellent type of fat is polyunsaturated fats.These fats are good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to lower blood pressure, fight bad cholesterol, help stop inflammation and aid in protecting the brain and nervous system. Common sources of polyunsaturated fats include fish oil, salmon, corn, safflower, soy and sunflower oils.
Not all types of fat are considered beneficial. Saturated fats increase the levels of total blood cholesterol and bad(HDL) cholesterol.Elevated levels of total blood cholesterol and high HDL levels are linked to coronary heart disease. Sources of saturated fats include dairy, eggs, meat and seafood. Oils like coconut, palm and palm kernel oil are also sources of saturated fat, but not all experts are convinced that these oils are detrimental to our health.
A type of fat that should be avoided by anyone, not just those trying to lose weigh is trans fat. These man-made fat is produced by adding an extra hydrogen molecule to an unsaturated fat (the process is known as hydrogenation.)The hydrogenation of fats improve the shelf life of food such as packaged foods like microwave popcorn, hard stick margarine and vegetable shortening as well as a plethora of baked goods such as cakes, cookies, crackers and the like.
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