Rightly told that ‘You are not Fat’….You have Fat. And you have fat because you collected it, grabbed it piecemeal….. unknowingly. Undoubtedly, fatty foods contribute to obesity…. Fat part of the food groups are the most calorie dense of all and if you have a broader waistline it might be primarily because of this calorie dense Fat content. Being overweight and fat has proven to be a risk factor for many diseases including Heart disease. So, let’s melt the facts of this complex biomolecule and understand it…. May be you will be wiser to be cosy with those fat or will try to shed some …..
Fat is one of the most important bio-molecules which provides energy to our body to do any work. Fat is of two types namely Saturated (generally solid at room temperature) & Unsaturated (generally liquid at room temperature). One gram of Fat whether Saturated or Unsaturated provides 9 Kcal of energy; Protein & Carbohydrate with 1 gm provides only 4 Kcal of energy. Also, we take nutrients or supplements like Vit D, Vit A, Vit E & Vit K. It’s real benefit is translated by fats only because these vitamins are absorbed by fats. So, obviously ‘Fat’ cannot be left aside….It’s a ‘Necessary Evil’. But being wise to choose which fat to eat and which not is the decision dilemma.
Any Fat that is not used by our body’s cells in any work/ workout is converted into body fat; don’t be surprised, even unused Carbs & Proteins turn into body fat, May be this is the reason, a person with more flabs of Fat is advised to workout more.
Coming back to the nuts & bolts of Saturated & Unsaturated Fat; Saturated Fats mainly come from animal sources as well as some plants, like Palm & Coconut. If we eat meat, sausages, ghee, butter, cheese, cream, chocolate, pastries….we are mostly taking saturated fat part. Second one is Unsaturated; it is abundantly found in oils from plants and fish. Unsaturated fat can be either be Monounsaturated or Polyunsaturated. Mono ones are found in olive oil, nuts (Almond, Peanut etc.) and Polyunsaturated in some fishes, corn, sunflower etc. Mustard oil is a mixture of both Saturated and Unsaturated fat (80% Unsaturated – both Mono & Poly and 20% Saturated).
The real game starts with the entry of another sleeping fat giant i.e. Cholesterol; it is a waxy, fat – like substance that is found in all cells
of your body and performs the function of making some hormones, vit D and substances that help in digestion of food…..your body makes all the cholesterol it needs…..But when you start eating saturated fat in more than RECOMMENDED quantity on routine basis then it starts showing its effect on the body , it raises the LDL (low density lipoprotein) or ‘Bad’ Cholesterol in the body that increases the risk of heart/cardiovascular diseases. As discussed earlier the Monounsaturated (part of unsaturated fat) Fat helps protect your heart/ maintaining level of ‘good’ or HDL Cholesterol while reducing level of LDL Cholesterol. Even Polyunsaturated Fat (Omega 3 & Omega 6) mainly found in some walnuts, oats, fish, flax seed, sunflower oil etc. helps lowering the levels of bad LDL Cholesterol.
Another participant in this flab producing fat game are Trans fats; which are found naturally at low levels in meat, dairy products and hydrogenated vegetable oils.
With these stats and knowledge base, what is the take away ?
Yes; we surely need to reduce or cutdown the intake of foods & drinks that are high on Saturated Fats and Trans Fats and replace them with Unsaturated players. As per dietary recommendations, a healthy man should not eat more than 30 gms of total Fat and a woman not more than 20 gms. Further adults should not consume more than 5 gms of Trans Fat. See the Nutrition label on the product; Low Fat is 3 gms of Fat or less/ 100 gm or 1.5 gm of fat/ 100 ml of liquid content.
Reduction of Fat content is not a complex issue; it’s simple….the taste increases with every drop of increase of oil, cream, ghee in the food we prepare; but obviously not every part of the taste is dependent on oil content. The greasy part has to be avoided in routine.
The information given above is not invented, it is just a sharing of facts which I wholeheartedly follow to lead a healthy but not too restrictive life. Being Fat is not your fault but savouring it or having it is …..surely. Because what fatty delicious lip smacking food you eat in private is that you wear as flabs on your body in public.
Decide to be Fat or Fit. A-Avoid it or I- Instill it.
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