Eating fatty foods is good for you

Bad fats are the undoing of America

Eating fat does not make you fat. The conventional thinking was that if you ate fatty foods you will gain excess weight. This could not be further from the truth. There is plenty of research to prove that eating the right fats is not only good for you but can help you lose weight.

The unfortunate fact is that many food manufacturers and marketing agencies pushed the low-fat foods and dieting practices on the general public based on the thinking that low-fat was the way to go. As a consequence, there has been an increase in serious health issues – diabetes, heart disease major among them.

New studies are now revealing that our bodies need fat to survive and thrive.

Why we need fats in our diet 

Some proven benefits of eating good fats include:

• Better blood sugar balance. To help prevent diabetes we should reduce our consumption of high carb (60 % of our daily food intake), low-fat diet – similar to what most of us eat each day, and replace it with one consisting of high fat, low carb. This reduces the amount of sugar circulating in our blood stream.
• In line with better blood sugar balance, eating good fats will help you lose weight. It does this when you replace excess carbs – which the body stores as fat – with good fats.
• Fat is used to make hormones and eating good fats will improve our hormone production making our bodies function better. For example, our sex hormones will benefit from eating good fats. Studies have shown that it can increase testosterone levels for men, improve fertility in women, and increase libido for both.
• It improves absorption of fat soluble vitamins namely A, D,E and K and helps strengthens our bones by metabolizing and processing calcium mineral.
• Eating healthy fats will keep you feeling full throughout the day so there is less need to snack.
• For improved athletic performance good fats are a source of reserve energy. After we use up our immediate energy source (carbohydrates) our body will turn to its reserve for more calories to burn.

There are other reason to make the switch to include healthier fats in your daily diet such as – thermal insulation and smoother skin tone – but as with all things excess can lead to problems. So consume these nutrients in moderation as part of a weight maintenance and even weight loss diet.

What are some healthy fats?

So what type fats should you be eating? The following is a partial list of good fats to add to your diet.

Wild caught fish, especially salmon and sardines.

Butter and milk from cows that are allowed to roam and eat fresh grass.

Avocados are a great source of healthy fats we should eat at least three days per week.

Make nuts such as macadamia, walnuts and cashews your healthy ‘go to snacks’.

There are several published research studies which shows that eating certain fats can be harmful if consumed regularly. Unfortunately, these types of fats are common in the foods we eat all too often. A meal from the typical fast food restaurant is full of trans fat and other unhealthy additives. Replace these with better choices for improved health.

To your improved health and fitness in the New Year,

Owen

P.S. Remember to include a consistent activity program to compliment your diet and improve your fitness level. Visit How to Prevent Pre-diabetes for information on a fitness routine to help maintain proper blood sugar levels.