Contents
You are wrong if you eliminate all fats from your diet
Nutrition
More satisfying than sugar, necessary for vital functions of the body and for heart health. Fats are necessary, but not all, only healthy ones
Popular belief leads to eliminating fat from your life in one fell swoop when you think about “I’m going to eat healthy” or “I’m going to see if I lose a few pounds,” but the truth is that, sometimes, we are doing ourselves more harm What a benefit when we banish them from our day to day.
Fats are necessary for many vital functions and also provide one that we obtain from what longer lasting and satisfying energy s carbohydrates. But when we use the concept “fats” by naming them with the concept “healthy” we are not referring to the consumption of any fat. Only those that really promote health. Let’s see what they are. In the list of «good fats» they would be, for
one side, the monounsaturated (present in olive oil, nuts or egg yolk …), which contribute to the reduction of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) but without reducing the “good” (HDL). On the other, we would have the polyunsaturated like those included in omega 3(DHA and EPA), which are important essential fatty acids that the body does not synthesize but that it needs to carry out different physiological functions. We can find these acids in legumes, nuts and seeds, but the most beneficial are those provided by sea products since their properties are significantly higher than those found in foods of plant origin, as specified by the dietician- Equidieta nutritionist, Javier Martínez.
But also we must not forget the saturated fat, yes, it should be clarified that those that are “good for health” are those that come from a power source natural not those that appear in the long list of ingredients (and in the nutritional table) of ultra-processed products. Thus, those that are interesting are those that are included in butter, dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt …) and some meats, as explained by the nutrition expert and collaborator of ABC Wellbeing, Niklas Gustafson.
More satiating and heart-healthy
Once we have clarified which are the fats that are really healthy, it is convenient to specify which are the benefits that they contribute to the body. At the beginning of this article we mentioned that the energy they provide is much more durable and satisfying than that obtained, for example, from carbohydrates, which could lead us to deduce that by consuming healthy fats in a balanced way we will have less hunger for a longer period. Thus, according to Gustafson, a carbohydrate such as glucose provides up to 4 kcal per gram, but it is a lightning energy whose effect is as fast as it is ephemeral. In contrast, a gram of fat provides up to 9 kcal of energy, which the body assimilates and can be used for a period of about six hours.
Another of the properties of healthy fat is, as indicated by Charles Orrico, nutritionist at Fit Club Madrid, that it is part of the structure of cell membranes transporting the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) up to the cells. In addition, it contributes to the maintenance of the optimal state of the skin.
Although undoubtedly the property that stands out the most from the health field is the ability of “good” fats to protect ourselves against cardiovascular diseasess, especially those foods that contain Omega 3.
Foods with “good” fats
Some foods that can provide “good” fats to the body are olive oil, avocado, almonds, dried fruits such as walnuts, and flax, sunflower, chia or sesame seeds.
The fat content of dairy products (butter, cheese, milk …) are also interesting, although the fats most valued by nutritionists are those of foods that contain omega 3 essential fatty acids, present especially in oily fish (especially salmon, sardines, tuna, anchovies, mackerel … etc).
The fats that you should banish
Companies that “trans” fats qwhich are those that result from the processes of hydrogenation (convert liquid oil into solid fat) are the ones to be avoided. These types of fats are usually present in foods that have gone through one or more industrial processes. Thus, it is likely that they can be present in salty snacks or appetizers, in industrial pastries, in precooked products and in precooked ones. As Gustafson recalls, this type of fat is harmful because it is responsible for raising “bad” cholesterol and lowering “good” cholesterol.
Beware the 0% fat trap
This “0% fat” message is often used as an advertising claim on many products (from yogurts to biscuits to even cold cuts). But in reality it is a marketing strategy that has nothing to do with the fact that that food is healthier. In fact, more often than not, these products include an extra amount of sugar (remember that there are many ways to call sugar and it does not always appear with that term) or other additives to increase its palatability. It is something that can be easily identified on the food label, by checking the ingredient list and also the nutritional table.