Eat fat to lose fat and gain health. If that statement doesn’t make sense to you, read on. “For over 30 years now, fats have been blamed for obesity, high cholesterol and heart disease. Over the last 20 years, a trend in low fat diets have shown to produce minimal weight loss or body mass maintenance,” as well as a rise in heart disease, cholesterol and a rise in obesity rates. What gives? An understanding in the difference between good fats and bad fats as well as their effects on the body is necessary to understand why low fat diets don’t work for weight loss or health improvement.
As far as good health and weight loss go, not all fats are created equal. We’ll discuss some of the major players and their impacts on our bodies.
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and have higher smoke points due to their hydrogen content. In fact, it is the hydrogen that makes them “saturated”. These fats have been shown to raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol that increases our risk of heart disease and inflammation. The primary sources of saturates are animal proteins like fatty red meats and chicken, eggs and dairy products. Other sources are tropical oils such as coconut and palm. Fish and legumes also contain saturates, but in smaller amounts. In fact, most foods we eat contain saturated fats, it’s the amount that is important. It is even suggested that eating saturated fat sources is unnecessary since our bodies can produce all the saturated fat it needs when we consume enough of the good fats. That being said, saturated fat is needed for healthy hormone levels such as testosterone. Also, half of our cell membranes are made of saturates and give the cell the necessary rigidity to allow messages in and out of cells and allow the body to use and retain omega fats. According to The American Heart Association, 7 % of calories or less should come from saturated fats.
Two types of unsaturated fats are monounsaturates and polyunsaturates. “ Monounsaturates (MUFAs) are liquid at room temperature and turn cloudy when cooled. Primary sources of MUFAs include olive and macadamia nut oil, canola oils, avocados, soybeans, walnuts, and fish. Monounsaturates are considered healthy alternatives to saturated fats, trans fats and refined polyunsaturates found in many processed foods. Their health benefits include reduced risk of breast cancer, reduced cholesterol and lower risk for heart disease and stroke, weight loss and reduced belly fat, less severe pain and stiffness from inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.” Foods containing these types of fats are considered superfoods due to lower cholesterol and inflammation reduction.
Polyunsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperature and are abundant in plant oils and fish. “Two types of polyunsaturates are Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 3’s a-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).” These fats are considered essential fatty acids or EFA’s as they must be consumed in the diet, our bodies cannot manufacture them on its own. The health benefits of EPA and DHA from fish sources are the best known and include reduced heart rate, blood pressure and cardiovascular disease as well as a reduction in chronic inflammation and stronger immune systems and brain function. It’s important to note however, that most people get too much omega 6 in their diets compared to omega 3’s. This imbalance leads to increased inflammation as large amounts omega 6’s are associated with higher inflammatory response in our bodies. This is why oils such as corn, which contains mostly omega 6’s are now considered unhealthy. The correct ratio should be about 4 to 1 of omega 6 to omega 3. Sources of omega 3’s are fatty fish such as salmon and orange roughy, flax seeds, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds. Omegas 6’s are found mostly in vegetable and seed oils. American Heart Association recommends around “30-35% of total calories should come from fats, saturated no more than 7%, trans less than 1% and the rest from unsaturates.”
Trans fats are created by forcing hydrogen into heated liquid vegetable oils making them solid. This process alters the structure of the fatty acid to look similar to saturated fat. Trans fats are actually worse for your health than saturates and should be avoided at all cost. They not only increase inflammation and insulin resistance as well as contributing to heart disease by raising LDL cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol or HDL, they also prevent the good fats from entering the cells. Trans fats are found in processed snack foods, baked goods, margarines and non dairy coffee creamers. These fats are identifiable on food labels by the words “partially hydrogenated”.
Cholesterol has gotten a bad rap lately, but it isn’t actually bad. Infact, it’s one of the many substances our bodies use to keep us healthy. “What’s important is to know that there are two types, HDL or “good” cholesterol and LDL or “bad” cholesterol and the levels of both in your blood. Some cholesterol is made by the body and some comes from the food we eat. The right levels of HDL in the blood keep LDL from getting clogged in our arteries and contribute to low levels of heart disease and stroke”. The AHA recommends that total cholesterol be “below 200 mg/dl. Values above 240 are known to be at twice the risk for heart disease. HDL should be less than 40mg/dl for men and less than 50mg/dl for women. LDL below 100mg/dl is optimal while values between 160 and 180mg/dl are considered high."
One other type of fat worth mentioning in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA belongs to a group of omega 6 unsaturates and is essential, meaning that it must come from the diet. Dietary sources highest in CLA are eggs, meat, dairy and cheeses. Olive, safflower and canola are also known to contain CLA. Although most studies of CLA have been done using animal subjects, the potential health benefits to humans seem promising. CLA is known to maintain lean muscle mass and lower body fat by interfering with the way our bodies store fat. According to an article at weight-loss-center.net/conjugated-linoleic-acid,” CLA is being utilized more to enhance weight loss when combined with exercise and diet. Some other promising health benefits include tumor size reduction, asthma and allergy control and blood sugar regulation. Interestingly, organic or grass fed meat is approx 30 % higher than commercially produced meat.”
In summary, start adding healthy fats in your diet. Chose lean cuts of beef such as flank steak, sirloin and round, stick with chicken breast instead of the fatty thigh and legs, add salmon and other fatty fish to lower your saturated fats and replace them with heart healthy omega’s. Avoid low fat and fat free products. The fat in these products are replaced with sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and trans fats. It is these ingredients that keep fat on you and not only make it more difficult to lose weight, they also contribute to heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes and more. Almonds and avocados are great additions to salads and other dishes, and don’t forget olive, canola, macadamia nut and walnut oils as well. Eating grass fed meats with no hormones or antibiotics as well as wild caught salmon have about 30% more omega's and CLA than commercially produced meat. Aside from the healthier proteins, not having these substances in your body is another plus for your health!
Excellent sources for clean, organic meats as well as oils, nuts and nut butters check out the following links:
http://www.fitdragonfly.com/eat-to-grow
http://www.fitdragonfly.com/page/414027572
Sources
1 Help guide.org http://helpguide.org/life/healthy-diet_fats.htm
2 American Heart Association http://www.heart.org
3 HarvardHealthNews letter http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-full-story/index.html
4 Weight loss center.net http://www.weight-loss-center.net/conjugated-linoleic-acid.html
5 Agin, DR. Brent and Jegtvig. Superfoods for Dummies. Indianapolis, Indiana; Wiley Publishing 2009
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