Tasty Tuesdays - Fat
This week, we are talking about our last macronutrient of the food groups: FAT. Most of our negative connotations when it comes to unhealthy weight starts with a mentality that fat is bad. This perspective is understandable, but it’s not the whole story.
The primary roles of fat as a macronutrient, allow your body to store energy, cushion organs, absorb vitamins, and maintain cellular structure. The negative perspective of fat - that these roles basically boil down to the idea that it only insulates the body, or quite literally makes you fat - is far from true. Fat has way more of an impact on our bodies than just being insolation. The ability to store energy is necessary for us to survive and function on a daily basis.
In order to maximize the nutritional benefits from your fat intake, it is helpful to understand what kinds of fat you should or should not be consuming. So here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly -
Unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat creates a healthy kind of cholesterol in your body. This version of cholesterol and fat protects the heart and the rest of the body. Unsaturated fat also provides the greatest nutrients to develop and maintain your health. This is the best kind of fat you can have and it is essential for your body to function well. It’s easiest to recognize unsaturated fat by its room temperature state: liquid.
Saturated fat. Saturated fat creates bad cholesterol in your liver. It cannot readily release energy and can create unnecessary build up in your body. This buildup is the most common leading factor in heart disease. Saturated fat is not the best version of fat you should be consuming, but not all saturated fats are inherently bad. Just the wide majority. The best way to recognize saturated fat is by its room temperature state: solid.
Trans fat. Trans fat is the fat you want to stay far away from. Not only does it create bad cholesterol, it enters the bloodstream and is stored as unneeded fat much more readily than other kinds of fat above. It is most commonly in processed foods like donuts, margarine, and fried foods.
As unsaturated fats should be the focal point of where you receive your fat intake, here are some examples of good and healthy unsaturated fats:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coconut: Fresh, Dried, Oil
Avocado: Fresh, Oil
Nuts and Seeds
Seafood
Dairy Products
If you are looking for more information on how to control your fat intake or more details on these examples, schedule a session with me through the link below!