Fats Fats Fats
Fats.
The word alone brings forth images of people’s waistlines overflowing their belts, deep-fried food, and diabetes.
But what is it exactly?
Find out with Spiritual Healing and Health’s guide to Fat!
What is Fat?
Which of these foods have fat in them?
Fats is one of the three energy sources for your body that include protein and carbohydrates known as macronutrients. One gram of fat has 9 Kcal compared to 4kcal each gram for protein and carbs. Integral to our mental and physical functioning, allowing our bodies absorbing vitamins that our body cannot do on its own, maintaining healthy weight and cholesterol level, and prevent certain chronic diseases.
You would think that with these benefits fats would have a more positive connotation than what it has now.
Some more beneficial effects of fats including shielding the connections of nerves, building cell membrane, maintaining optimal body temperature, and cushioning our internal organs.
One possible cause of the confusion surrounding fat and their dubious benefits is the fact that all foods contain varying levels of different types of fat
On the chemical level fats are long chains of hydrocarbons consisting of hydrogen and carbon; the different combinations of hydrogen and carbon are what make the different types of fats.
Different types of fats?
If you’re confused as to the existence of there being more than one ‘fats’ then keep on reading to find out!a
The Different Types of Fats
Different types of fats affect your health differently so it helps to know what to look for on the nutrition labels of food you are buying as well as what they do.
Trans-Fat
The worst kind of fat. A by-product of the food processing method of hydrogenation (or partial hydrogenation) it allows fat to be stored on the shelf for longer. Artificial trans-fats is found in manufactured and processed foods such as commercially produced pastries, pizza dough, packaged snacks, fried and fast foods, vegetable shortening, and stick margarine. Not to be confused and feared with its absolutely evil brother natural trans-fat is found in small amounts in meat and dairy products.
Trans-fats are to be avoided as much as possible as they have no positive health benefits, raise the amount of ‘bad’ cholesterol and lowering the amount of ‘good’ cholesterol in the blood, increase the likelihood of you getting inflammation connected to heart disease, stroke, insulin resistance, and increasing the risk of you getting type 2 diabetes.
Saturated-Fat
While not as bad as trans-fats saturated fat is not that much better. Solid at room temperature a good example would be bacon grease that has solidified. Found in most animal products that include fish, meat, milk, and cheese. Tropical oils that include coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter also contain saturated fat. Other sources of saturated fat include most fast and processed foods, and that coffee creamer you use on a daily basis
Capable of raising bad and good cholesterol levels in the blood, increasing your chances of getting heart disease, slowly clogging up your arteries, raising blood pressure, and weight gain. Just like trans-fats try to avoid them as much as possible and replace them with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Unsaturated Fats – Polyunsaturated & Monosaturated
Unsaturated fat comes in two types: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Called unsaturated as they do not have hydrogen unlike saturated and trans-fats; this results in them being liquid at room temperature. One type of polyunsaturated fat known as ‘omega-6’ can be found in vegetable foods, oils, and sources that include pumpkin seeds, safflower, olives, corn, olive oils and spreads, soy oil, sunflower, tofu, canola oil and spreads, avocados, and nuts.
The other type known as ‘omega-3’ are found in meat, seafood, and vegetable sources that include salmon, herring, anchovies, trout, tuna, and other small seafood. While larger seafood like tile-fish and sailfish do have omega-3 they have higher concentrations of the pollutant mercury, which is why smaller seafood is recommended over larger seafood. For those that do not consume fish supplements are available that serve the same purpose.
The benefits of unsaturated fat include developing and supporting mental functions, lowering heart disease and diabetes risk, reducing blood pressure, protecting heart health, and raising levels of good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol levels in the blood, and assisting bodily functions.
How Much Fat Should I Have?
Having a variety of organic vegetable and meat along with vegetable-based spreads and oils plus nuts may be the way forward for those who are getting bamboozled over what to eat.
A very good guide to those struggling to figure out portion sizes of the different food groups that contain good fats (unsaturated) is the Mediterranean diet. You might be wondering as to why as most foods appear to contain high levels of fat. In reality the majority of fat they consume (if not the entirety) are healthy fats. Olive oil contains monounsaturated oil as well as the fatty fish, nuts, and olives that are full of both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, regular vegetables and fruits instead of highly-processed snacks, herbs and spices instead of pre-made sauces, salt, and seasoning.
What’s also added into the healthy mix is a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, eating with friends and family, and a glass of red wine with every meal.
Sources
8 FACTS ABOUT FATS: (EUFIC)
Eufic.org. 2015. 8 Facts About Fats: (EUFIC). [online] Available at: <https://www.eufic.org/en/whats-in-food/article/8-facts-on-fats>
- Website
DIETARY FATS EXPLAINED: MEDLINEPLUS MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Medlineplus.gov. n.d. Dietary Fats Explained: Medlineplus Medical Encyclopedia. [online] Available at: <https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000104.htm>
FAT – HEALTHY KIDS
Healthy-kids.com.au. n.d. Fat – Healthy Kids. [online] Available at: <https://healthy-kids.com.au/food-nutrition/nutrients-in-food/fats/>
GAVIN, M. L.
Learning About Fats (for Kids) – Nemours KidsHealth
Gavin, M., 2018. Learning About Fats (For Kids) – Nemours Kidshealth. [online] Kidshealth.org. Available at: <https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/fat.html>
GREEK-MEDITERRANEAN DIET HAS THE OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF CARBOHYDRATES- HERE’S WHAT TO EAT | OLIVE TOMATO
Olive Tomato. n.d. Greek-Mediterranean Diet Has The Optimal Amount Of Carbohydrates- Here’S What To Eat | Olive Tomato. [online] Available at: <https://www.olivetomato.com/carbohydrates-mediterranean-diet/>
HEALTHY FAT CHOICES
The Heart Foundation. n.d. Healthy Fat Choices. [online] Available at: <https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/food-and-nutrition/fats-and-cholesterol/monounsaturated-and-polyunsaturated-omega-3-and-omega-6-fats>
LEARN THE FACTS ABOUT FATS
Mayo Clinic. n.d. Learn The Facts About Fats. [online] Available at: <https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fat/art-20045550>
MEDITERRANEAN DIET FOR HEART HEALTH
Mayo Clinic. 2019. Mediterranean Diet For Heart Health. [online] Available at: <https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801>
SEGAL, R.
Choosing Healthy Fats
Segal, R., 2019. Choosing Healthy Fats. [online] HelpGuide.org. Available at: <https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-fats.htm>
STAFF, H.
Types of Fats
Staff, H., 2017. Types Of Fats. [online] HealthLink BC. Available at: <https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/aa160619>
THE TRUTH ABOUT FATS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE IN-BETWEEN – HARVARD HEALTH
Harvard Health. 2019. The Truth About Fats: The Good, The Bad, And The In-Between – Harvard Health. [online] Available at: <https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good>
WHAT IS FAT? – GOOD FATS AND BAD FATS | SKILLSYOUNEED
Skillsyouneed.com. n.d. What Is Fat? – Good Fats And Bad Fats | Skillsyouneed. [online] Available at: <https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/fat.html>
Disclaimer
All information on this website is for informative, informational, and/or entertainment purposes only, without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose. Any content concerning a service, product, advice, and/or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such a service, product, advice, and/or treatment, and is never intended to be a registered professional’s advice.
Content, information, and materials within this website are never intended to constitute a comprehensive guide relating and/or concerning any and/or all aspects of the service, product, advice, and/or treatment as described on this website. All users are urged not to make a decision, nutritional, financial, spiritual, or otherwise, based on any and/or all of the information presented in this website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered professional for diagnosis and answers to their service, product, advice, and/or treatment questions and to ascertain whether the particular service, product, advice, and/or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances.
Spiritual Healing and Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials and/or content contained on this website. You understand usage of any and all information available on and/or through this website at your own risk.
Myung Rufer
24 Mar 2020The https://www.spiritualhealingandhealth.com website is one of the best we have
found, and the Fats Fats Fats | Spiritual Healing and Health
article is very well written and useful!
I want to share with you a link that also helped me a
lot in cooking: https://bit.ly/easy-fat-burning-recipes
Thanks and kisses! 🙂
Spiritual Healing & Health
24 Feb 2021Hi Myung,
Sorry for the (very) late reply.
Thanks for the comment and I will check out that link of yours!
Have a good one :)!
ปั้มไลค์
13 Jul 2020Like!! I blog frequently and I really thank you for your content. The article has truly peaked my interest.
Spiritual Healing & Health
24 Feb 2021Hi ปั้มไลค์,
Sorry for the (very) late.
Thanks for the comment. I hope to keep creating engaging and interesting blogs!
Have a good one :D!
Easy Hairstyles
6 Feb 2021Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is wonderful, let alone the content!
Spiritual Healing & Health
24 Feb 2021Hi Easy Hairstyles,
Sorry for the (very) late reply.
Thank for the comment. I haven’t blogging for a while. It was hard trying to figure out how to make it look (and be) interesting without it looking like a block of text!
Have a good one :D!