Let's get to the Bottom of Fat
Fats, lipids, cholesterol, omega 3's & 6's, we have all heard these terms but what do do they really mean? Should you be avoiding these or should they be part of your daily nutrition? I am sure there are whole books dedicated to just these distinctions but here is a simplified breakdown.
- Lipids: Molecules that naturally occur and include Sterols, fats, triglycerides, fat-soluble vitamins such as A, K, & D.
- Fats: One of the 3 macro nutrient categories including proteins and Carbohydrates. These are actually triglycerides which are a subcategory of lipids. Contains the highest concentration of calories per gram ~ 9 kcal.
- Cholesterol: This is considered the "master" lipid by many and is used by the body for the production of nearly all hormones in the human body.
- Omega 3's & 6's: Sub category of fats or fatty acids which are essential to the human body. These cannot be synthesized by the human body and must be ingested for normal cellular function
As you can see these are very easily confused and are often used interchangeably. By the end of this post you should have a better grasp on these individually and why they should none of them should be avoided.
Why a Low Fat Diet is a Bad Idea
As I mentioned before Cholesterol is considered the master of all the lipids. Cholesterol is responsible for the creation of all reproductive hormones. Listen up Men, you cannot produce high levels of the super-hormone testosterone without having enough cholesterol which comes from eating more than enough lipids and fats. Low cholesterol diet = low testosterone...simple as that.
Maybe even more important is the fact this lipid makes up the cell membrane of every single cell in your body. Without cholesterol you will not function efficiently at a cellular level. You might not be able to easily point to a symptom in which your cells are not working efficiently but it's easy to imagine if the smallest parts of our bodies are not working optimally then our bodies as a whole cannot perform at their best.
Why The Fat-Free Trend?
How the main stream media ever came to the conclusion that fats are bad is completely beyond me. Ingesting fat is essential to keeping our bodies running at peak efficiency. I am hopeful that more people will begin to understand the role of fats and lipids like cholesterol and stop this ridiculous trend.
Now, that being said, not all fats are created equal. Trans fats are the ones that have been all the craze lately and mostly for good reason. These fats are very rare in nature and should mostly stay out of our diets. The majority that we see come from the process of hydrogenating saturated fats for processed foods and oils. (The bad kind you would see on most packaged food labels.) This leaves us with the other two we hear the most about.
Unsaturated Fat:
These contain a minimum of 1 double bond in their chain. Unsaturated fats are usually more liquid in nature and tend to oxidize more quickly (go rancid). They contain myristoleic , palmitoleic, oleic, and linoleic acids.
Saturated Fat:
These fats do not contain double bonds between atoms and are considered saturated by hydrogen atoms throughout their chain. Saturated fats include Luaric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic fatty acids. Saturated fats are normally solid at room temperature and are less likely to become rancid.
Companies for the last few decades have inserted ingredients into food to take the place of real healthy fats, products such as Olestra which have been show to cause a host of health issues was pulled after a short run on the supermarket shelves. Hopefully as we become more aware of our need for real healthy fats companies will be forced to change their ways.
What Foods Contain healthy fats?
I am a huge proponent of eating fats from meat, eggs, avocados, butter, and coconut oil which I wrote another little article on.
*This comes with the caveat that the meat and dairy come from organic, especially grass fed sources. or free range in the case of chickens.
If you have never had some delicious grass fed butter get your hands on some Kerry Gold Pure Irish Butter.
I recommend anything that has fat that is ideally not processed at all. I know that is difficult to do, and often more expensive but It is absolutely worth it. If there is one thing I think the Paleo diet community has gotten right, it's eating more healthy fats.
If you want a visual idea of the quality of quality food, next time you are at a grocery store buy the generic dozen eggs for $1.99. At the same time ball outta control and get yourself the vegetarian fed, free range, no antibiotic, etc,etc for $5.99. Go home and crack one of each egg onto a frying pan or something with a dark background. The expensive or what I would call (healthy egg) has a darker healthier orange color.
I can assure you if you were to take out processed carbohydrates and replace those calories with avocados, free range eggs, coconut oil, and some quality grass fed meat you would much healthier. You would lose weight. And you would feel better. Which in the long run is what matters most.
Conclusion
Fats are good - Low Fat diets are not. Make it a point to eat more avocados, put some coconut oil and grass fed butter in your coffee (bulletproof coffee), or get some quality meat. Don't believe that because you ate 2 eggs everyday this week you are going to have clogged arteries. It's the morning doughnuts and fast food you should be worrying about.
*Remember, eating a bag of Potato chips because they have saturated or unsaturated fats is not the same thing.
I want to challenge you to substitute something you know is unhealthy i.e. soda, chips, or candy, with something unprocessed that contains healthy fats. Make it a new habit and the results will amaze you.
Thanks for reading!
Tony D.
P.S. I would love to hear some of your favorite healthy recipes or snacks. Leave a comment or post it up on on the wall at facebook.com/getlumberjacked