Fat
Fats are very important substances for our bodies and are good for you. Fats are used first for energy, and are the preferred source of energy for many of our organs, including the liver, heart and kidneys.1 Fats are required by our bodies. Fat is used to produce the hormones that control many body functions. Fat is also vital for our immune system, hormone balance, and well-being. Our brain is 60% fat. Dietary fat does not get stored as body fat. Body fat is only stored when eating carbs.2
Uses of Fats:
The brain consists of 60%
fat
The covering of the nerves (Mylein
Sheath) is made from fat
The retina of the eye
requires fats
Half of every cell membrane
is fat
Used in biochemical
processes
Sexual hormones are made
from fat
Anti-inflammatories are made
from fat
Fat is a natural oxygenator
Many people do not distinguish between natural fats and highly processed transfats like margarine and vegetable oils. As a result we are told to eat less fat altogether instead of just minimizing the harmful transfats. Natural fats are any fats that are not processed or chemically altered. Natural fats include animal fat, and plant based fats like those found in nuts and seeds.
Transfats are the type of fat that should be eliminated. Transfats have been linked to skin cancer, heart disease, nerve problems, poor cellular structure, inhibited hormone production, reduced oxygen in cells and fatigue. As you can see, these pesky substances are not good for us. The medical journal Lancet predicted in 1956 that hydrogenation in modern food processing would cause massive heart disease. We should be on the lookout for transfats so we can stay away. Common types of transfats are vegetable oil, canola oil, margarine, shortening and any type of hydrogenated oil.
Healthy natural fat has wrongly been blamed for causing problems that are actually created by harmful transfats and high insulin levels. We are told that fats are bad, especially saturated fat. Saturated fats have been blamed for heart disease, but analysis of clogged arteries has shown no traces of saturated fat.3
Healthy For Life makes a distinction between good fats and bad fats, and encourages people to eat more healthy natural fats and less transfats from processed foods. The truth is that natural fats are good for the body.
Healthy Fats:
Fats in any meat
Cold pressed oils, olive
oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, etc.
Seeds and nuts
Butter
Fats in cheese
Any fat that is not
Bad Fats:
Margarine
Canola oil
Most vegetable oil
Any hydrogenated oils
Shortening
Most products that are
labeled lowfat probably have transfats in them.
There is another type of fat called an Essential Fatty Acid or EFA. These fats are essential for life. EFAs can NOT be produced by our bodies; they must come from foods. By limiting fats, we are also limiting these life supporting EFAs. EFA deficiency has been associated with cholesterol imbalance, weaker immune systems, fatigue, heart problems, decreased eye sight and poor hormone balance. Essential oils are very important nutrients. EFAs are more commonly referred to as Omega 3 and 6.
Uses of Omega Oils in the body (EFAs)
Strengthens the immune
system
Increases endurance
Helps with weight loss
Reduces food cravings
(fulfills appetite)
Smoother skin
Important in the brain
Used by the heart
Strengthens nails
Good for the eyes
Used to make hormones
1. Dawn B. Marks, Ph.D., Allan D. Marks, MD, and Colleen M. Smith,
Ph.D., Basic Medical Biochemistry A Clinical Approach (Philadelphia:
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1996).
2. Dawn B. Marks, Ph.D., Allan D. Marks, MD, and Colleen M. Smith,
Ph.D., Basic Medical Biochemistry A Clinical Approach (Philadelphia:
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1996).
Arthur C. Guyton, M.D., and John G. Hall Ph.D., Textbook of Medical
Physiology (New York: W B Saunders Company, Ninth Edition, 1996).
3. Felton C.V., Crook D., Davies M.J., Oliver M.F., Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and composition of human aortic plaques," Lancet 344 (1994): 1195-96.
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