Myth Buster: Fats are bad & I should avoid them at all costs!
Myth:
Avoiding fats is good for health and weight loss
Truth:
Don’t be afraid of fats, they are an important component of your diet
We all need some saturated fat in our diet, not in excess, but from good quality, lean protein sources such as chicken breast / turkey breast / kangaroo steak / fish (which contains very little saturated fat). The key point is it will always come back down to having a balanced diet.
It is vital to get essential fatty acids – Omega 3 & 6 in your diet. We already get plenty of omega-6 in our daily diet but we need to balance the ratio of omega-3’s. So for this reason we don’t actually need to supplement with Omega-6; in general these fatty acids promote inflammation in the body when consumed in excess whereas omega-3 fatty acids will reduce the inflammation.
The ‘essential’ means that we cannot make them (or enough of them) on our own and need to obtain them from our diet.
It is believed that before we ate so much processed foods, we managed to consume omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in roughly equal amounts. But today’s dietary imbalance (highly processed diet) is believed to be a cause in the rise of disease states such as asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases, all of which are believed to be inflammatory disorders of the body.
Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut, other seafood including algae and krill, some plants such as avocados, and nut oils. Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain cognitive and behavioural function, where they are highly concentrated; the brain is 60% fat and of that 30% is DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid), as well as normal growth and development. There is also speculation that they may reduce the risk of heart disease.
The health effects of omega-3 fatty acids come mostly from EPA and DHA. ALA from flax and other vegetarian sources needs to be converted in the body to EPA and DHA and many people struggle with these conversions.
Symptoms of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression, and poor circulation.
So, back to fats and why they are important in our diet:
The essential fats discussed above (again not in excessive quantities) don’t go into storage (fat) but to function in the body; they make up every single cell membrane in the body, fats are 60% of the brain, and they help to make up the skin, nails, hair and hormones.
So choosing low-fat options in the supermarket is often more detrimental to weight-loss and health than choosing full-fat and eating in moderation. Low-fat options are most often pumped full of sugars instead to enhance the flavour that the fat would have provided. So 98% fat free may be true but then you need to check the sugar content and you will find this is much higher than the full-fat versions and unfortunately excess sugar will turn into fat too, and often spike blood sugar levels, which along with obesity are markers for diabetes, to mention just one condition.
Another one that can get confusing as it always seems to change in the media is whether to consume butter or margarines. In my opinion you are better off having a small amount of butter than you are a margarine which is made from hydrogenated oil (artificially produced trans-fats), yes butter is saturated fat but as mentioned before this is essential to the body in small amounts, whereas trans-fats are NOT. However, I’m not talking more than around one teaspoon of butter a day; again it comes back to that key point – moderation.
Coconut oil is another one that has had a bad rap, because yes it does contain saturated fats but the fats are medium-chain fatty acids compared to the short-chain fatty acids found in most animal saturated fats, and it has been shown to not be stored in fat but instead metabolised by the body easily and burnt as energy quickly. The only thing to be aware of is buying coconut curries from takeaway joints/restaurants as they can often be laden with sugar or additives. It is best if you are on a weight loss plan to make your own curry at home.
When it comes to consuming fats, one of the key points to take into account is where you are getting them from; free-range, organic sources or force-fed-pumped-full-of-antibiotics-and-hormones sources?
Especially when choosing meats / eggs / butter (dairy in general) always try and go for the organic choice, and if this is too expensive every time at least choosing the free-range brands. 🙂