How well do you know your cooking fats? Do you know which fats are good and which fats are evil? Ok, evil is kind of pushing it but you get the jist.
 |
| Photo IvanMikhaylov/iStock/Getty Images |
How knowledgeable are you about what fats you put into your body? And, no I am not talking about the subcutaneous flub underneath your skin or the brown adipose tissue that creates stubborn belly fat. I am referring to the fats that we all use to cook our dinner or spice up our vinaigrette.
Today I am going to bless you all with a major key to success (No DJ Khaled pun intended). Everyone should educate themselves on what fats are good and what fats are evil.
What you put into your body today will no doubt affect your body in more ways than just aesthetics. Even the U.S government knew this back in the 1970s when they realized too many people were dying early.
Majority of the deaths were caused by corroded arteries, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular diseases. At the time, it was believed that FAT in food was the main culprit and reducing fat became priority #1 in the nation.
Hence the “Low-fat” era was birthed.
But what is crazy about that is even though the government has proclaimed fat as this evil thing that shortens your life back in the 1970s, our nation’s citizens have undoubtedly gotten fatter. It’s an ugly truth, but it is what it is.
Obesity has been at all-time high in the last decade. Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death with heart disease being the #1 leading cause of death since 1920.
**However cancer is quickly on the rise at 2nd place as heart disease has slowly declined.**
Still, cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death and accounting for 17.3 million deaths each and every year. That number is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030.
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the world and the leading cause of death in the United States, killing over 375,000 Americans a year. BUT before I go on a rant, I will save my theory about the food industry and its links to cancer and heart disease on a later post.
What you need to know about Fats from food
The single most important thing that you can learn from this post is that not ALL fats are bad for you. Not all of them will clog your arteries, so please stop trying to avoid ALL fat.You need fat for insulation, chemical and hormonal balance, soft skin, delivery of fat-soluble vitamins, and for energy reserves. You don’t have to avoid fat like it’s an ex who knows where you work.
But let me be clear, there is a difference between consuming healthy fats and consuming unhealthy fats that can lead to unnecessary storage of fat in your body. Consuming fats won’t necessarily cause you to become overweight, but too much of the wrong thing can. Let’s be clear about that.
The Fats that matter
Now that I've talked your ear off, lets get to the main point of this post. The good and the bad fats that you should consume in your diet.According to 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and The U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2005 Dietary Guidelines it is recommended that adults get 20%-35% of their calories from fats.
If you are a woman that watches your macros, you need to make sure that you never go under 25% of your daily calories from fat. Fat is essential for estrogen production and a lack of fat will cause hormonal imbalance and devastating mood swings.
THE GOOD
Unsaturated fats should be your number one option when cooking or adding to your food. Unsaturated fats include polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fats
.Why they are good: These fat in moderation can actually can help lower cholesterol and reduce heart disease. Oils rich in polyunsaturated fats also contribute vitamin E to the diet which is an antioxidant vitamin most Americans lack.
Polyunsaturated fats can be found in an abundant of sources such as vegetable oils and in fish. I’m sure you have come across the Omega 3 fatty acids a few times during your journey to know your body.
Where can you get them?
Polyunsaturated fats
- Salmon, trout, catfish, mackerel, flaxseed, walnuts, sesame oil, soybean oil, and fish oils.
Monounsaturated fats
- Olive oil, olives, avocados, avocado oil, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, canola, avocado oil, and peanut oil. Pretty much any oil made out of these will do.
The EVIL – Avoid these S.O.Bs
Saturated and Tran fats. These fats can take a liquid form when heated up but can harden in room temperature i.e. palm, Crisco, animal fat, lard, and coconut oil. Saturated fat can be found largely in animal products.
Why they are bad: Saturated fats have been linked to colon and prostate cancer for years while it's atrocious brother, partially hydrogenated or trans fat, has been known to be the king of clogging arteries.
Trans fatty acids (aka trans fats) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. The primary dietary source for trans fats in processed food is “partially hydrogenated oils." Trans fat increase LDL "bad" cholesterol and decreases HDL otherwise known as the "good" cholesterol. You want to avoid Tran’s fats at all costs and have saturated fats sparingly.
Where they hide:
Saturated
- Found in meats, whole-fat dairy products, and baked goods.
Trans fat
- Fried foods, baked goods, processed foods, cookies, icings, crackers, packaged snack foods, microwave popcorn, and some margarines.
Understanding what fats you consume won’t necessarily help you drop the weight all together, but it is a crucial piece of the puzzle. Knowing what you put in your body is the most important key to success when it comes to what your body will look and feel like. And keeping your heart healthy and pumping will make it easier for you to go on that late night jog or after work lift session without being limited by a clogged arteries and lower energy. It all works together; aka my homie Synergy! So once again, I hope you learned something new and Happy Lifting!
No comments:
Post a Comment