Hi there, this is Jonathan Clark from Lose Weight For
Scotland – it’s my mission to Crush Obesity, Add Years To Your Life & help
you to Look Good Naked! I challenge
Scots to lose 10 lbs of fat or gain 10 lbs of muscle, even if they’ve tried
everything else, and it’s guaranteed.
One of the questions I get asked all the time is “Is any fat healthy?”
Actually, and this sounds bonkers, but a certain amount of
fat in the diet plan is good and actually necessary for you to be healthy.
However, nutrition experts agree that most folk should eat less fat than they
currently do. That’s why I always cut
the greasy white fat off of bacon, meat and anywhere else it appears on my
plate, cos I believed “If I don’t eat it in the first place, it will stop
appearing on my belly!” Unfortunately,
it’s not that simple.
See there’s 2 types of fats that you’ll have heard of –
saturated, and unsaturated. And all this
jargon is really confusing, isn’t it? So
let me try and make this really simple, cos I had to go and study this stuff
just to get my own head around it.
This is how I understand it - Saturated generally being regarded as
‘bad’ fats - These fats are derived from animal products such as meat, dairy
and eggs. But you also get it in some plant-based sources such as coconut, palm
oils. These fats are solid at room temperature. Just picture a big white cube
of lard. Saturated fats directly raise
total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Conventional advice says if you want
weight loss, avoid them as much as possible.
Unsaturated are ‘good’ fats, and they come from vegetables
and plants.
These are liquid at room temperature but begin to solidify
at cold temperatures. This type of fat is preferable to other types of fat and
can be found in olives, olive oil, nuts, peanut oil, canola oil and avocados.
Some studies have shown that these kinds of fats can actually (bad) cholesterol
and maintain (good) cholesterol.
Then there’s Omega-3 fatty acids. These include an “essential” fatty acid,
which means it's critical for our health but cannot be manufactured by our
bodies. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include cold-water fish, flax seed,
soy, and walnuts. These fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart
disease and also boost our immune systems.
That’s why you should eat oily fish, or if you’re like me and you can
still remember the pilchards on your Dad’s dinner plate staring at you with
cold, dead eyes –you might find it
easier just to take an Omega 3 capsule every day!
When you do eat fat, make sure it is primarily unsaturated
fat, such as fat that comes from nuts, grains, and vegetable sources like olive
oil. That’s why you see all those
adverts with Italian people living til they’re 100. Doing that has gotten me down to 17% bodyfat,
so I don’t need to wear baggy jumpers to hid my jiggly belly anymore..
So just to recap why are fats important?
Fats are macronutrients [ that means Nutrients that the body
uses in relatively large amounts – like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats ] and
they provide 9kcal per gram, therefore are the most energy dense nutrient. We
should aim to eat a maximum 70g fat per day, and of this only 20g maximum of
saturated “bad” fats. Fats are still important, as they are an energy source
for the body, as well as a building block of many bodily components. In
addition, omega 3 types of polyunsaturated fats- are called ‘essential fats’,
as these have vital roles in the body yet cannot be made by the body and so
must be consumed as part of one’s diet.
These have a number of jobs to do,
including health brain function and managing your cholesterol levels
Let’s be clear: you need fat in your diet. Fat also provides
an essential fatty acid for growth, healthy skin and metabolism. It also helps
absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K). And, face it, fat adds flavour and
is satisfying, making us feel fuller, keeping hunger at bay. But that doesn’t mean you should always “Say
aye tae a pie”.
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