Good Fats vs. Bad Fats
It is established opinion that fats are bad for figure and health, but that's not the case at all. Not all fats are equally unhealthy. Eating the right kind of fats contributes to the normal functioning of all internal organs and even helps to lose weight.
What are fats anyway? Fats provide essential nutrients for the human body. They are critical to building cells.
Vital functions of fats:
- Provide energy
- Majority of important hormones are derivatives of cholesterol
- Subcutaneous fat insulates organs in your body, helping it regulate temperature
- Deliver fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D, K
- Many of our organs contain fat (the human brain is 60% fat)
Thus, fats contribute to the normal functioning of the human body. But of course, not all fats have a positive effect on human health. Those that should be consumed have to contain unsaturated fatty acids. Those are nuts, fish, olive oil and peanut butter. Eating the right amount of these foods improves the condition of hair and nails, supports the endocrine system and maintains metabolism.
The exact opposite can be said about saturated fatty acids (lard, dairy products). Their consumption should be reduced, especially for elderly people with heart problems. This statement is based on a study conducted from 1958 to 1970 by American scientists. Men aged 40 to 50 years from 7 different countries – the Netherlands, the United States of America, Japan, Finland, Yugoslavia, Italy and Greece were recruited to participate.
Researchers studied the link between the diet and diseases. They assessed eating habits of different nations. Turned out that unsaturated fats positively affect human health. Men from Crete showed the most impressive results. They were found to have the longest life expectancy and the least number of existing diseases. By the way, the diet of Cretans consisted of 37% unsaturated fat.
However, trans fats have the most harmful impact on human health. They are contained in fast food, refined vegetable oil, mayonnaise, margarine. Excessive consumption of them increases the amount of artery-clogging cholesterol. this leads to the cardiovascular system diseases, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
No need to be afraid of all fats. The norm of their consumption is 25-30% of the total calorie intake. However, we have to remember that saturated fat raises cholesterol levels. That's why you need to reduce its consumption and vice versa increase the number of unsaturated fats. Aside from that, you should try to eliminate trans fats at all.
