KEEP CALM AND LOVE FAT

Fat should be an essential part of our daily diet. 20 – 35% of your daily energy should come from fat. This means that a person on a 1800 calorie diet should consume 40-70 grams of fat a day.

20-35% is quite a significant value. What does the body do with all that fat?

Provides energy

Fat provides most energy per gram. While carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram, fat gives you 9. Even though carbohydrates should still be the main source of energy, fats are a good backup for when your body has no available carbohydrates.

Absorption of fat soluble vitamins

There are two types of vitamins. Water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble vitamins include all the B vitamins and vitamin C. These vitamins are absorbed into the body using water as a medium. The other type of vitamins is the fat soluble vitamins. These are Vitamins A, D, E, and K. Fat soluble vitamins rely on fats to be absorbed and stored. If your diet is very low in fat you might end up deficient of these fat soluble vitamins.

Protection of vital organs

Cars have shock absorbers and humans have fat. All vital organs have layers of fat surrounding them. This protects the organs when we encounter sudden impact or physical trauma. The fat absorbs all the shock it can so the next time you fall and your liver doesn’t get hurt, thank the fats in your body.

Structural functions

Body cells are made of membranes and the membranes have fat as an essential component.

Fat also maintains normal body temperatures, helps in production of hormones and maintain healthy hair and skin.

Disclaimer; not all fats have health benefits

When buying fats, you should try as much as possible to make them monosaturated or polysaturated. Now before you think that am using big words to show off let me make it simpler.

 Best fat sources include:

ü  Oil from fish sources

ü  Olive oil (oil from olives)

ü  Oil from nuts (peanuts, macadamia, cashew nuts, almonds etc)

ü  Oils from seeds (sunflowers, sesame, flax seeds, etc)

ü  Avocadoes

Good fats have more than functional purposes. They also protect against some conditions and support good health. For example, omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil, cod liver oil, flax seeds, and canola oil are good sources) can do the following:

ü  Support healthy pregnancy

ü  Reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke

ü  Protect the brain against memory loss and dementia

ü  Reduce symptoms of depression and bipolar disorder and can even help prevent them

ü  Ease joint pain and arthritis

ü  Reduce the risk of cancer

ü  Sharpen the memory and reduce mental fatigue

When shopping for omega 3s and their supplements you will see a lot of EPA, DHA and ALA. Relax we got you.

EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are normally from cold water fatty fish while ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid) is from plant sources.

Cold pressed oils are made without the use of chemicals or heat to extract the oils from their sources. They are a little pricey but if you can afford them they are the best.