Fat, as I said in (part 1 , last week) is essential in the body for protection, insulation, warmth, energy and much more. It only becomes a problem when the body’s metabolic rate (the rate at which your food/fuel is burned up by the body) changes. This change can be due to dietary choices, poor eating habits, toxins, age, sedentary lifestyle, genetics, serious illness, thyroid imbalances, hormone imbalances, adrenal fatigue and so on. What the body does not use up or burn is stored in the body as reserve. This is called Adipose tissue and this is what you see reflected on the weighing scales when it is in excess for your body type, age and weight.
There are many different types of dietary fats and as consumed they all perform differently in the body. Saturated fats or hard fats are solid upon cooling. A similar effect happens inside your body. The artery walls are so narrow they can become blocked easily and this happens over time as the saturated fats deposit on the arterial wall. Avoid ‘pop in the microwave or oven meals’ and takeaways or deep fried foods or fatty meats or hard cheeses as much as possible as they are generally high in saturated/processed fats. With regular exercise this type of fat rarely becomes a problem unless it is way above the normal of consumption of 2-3 times weekly. It was thought in the past that saturated fats were the main cause of heart disease, new studies do not see this as the primary issue any longer but more the overuse and high consumption of added sugar in the diet which is stored as fat.
This is why it is very important that not all fats are classed as the same, for example coconut oil is solid at room temperature in this part of the world. Therefore technically it is a saturated fat but inside the body it acts completely different due to their fatty acid and medium chained tri-glycerides. Coconut oil is amazing and I could write an article or two about it all on its own so I will do that for you soon! 🙂
Read food labels: You should see terms like…Fat content, ‘as saturates, as unsaturated, contains trans fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats’: These latter fats are chemically processed to alter the nature of the fat so it goes hard. Hydrogenated fats are found in a lot of processed foods as they can increase product shelf life and they are a cheaper form for processors to use especially in fast food, snack food, fried food and baked goods. Keep to a minimum as they are NOT good for your health.! See you next week for part 3T
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