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In the past 10 years, the diet world has been overtaken by diets that fixate on cutting out a particular food group and adding large quantities of another in order to lose weight.
Recently, more diet books and diet plans have begun to crop up that examine this “carb free” or “fat free” craze more closely, suggesting to dieters that the secret is not in cutting something out entirely, but instead simply focusing on the good foods from each group. |
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on Fats.
One food group that has taken a lot of slack is the “fats.” In any food pyramid, they are always at the top, meaning only a minimal amount should be consumed. But recently there has been a lot of discussion from doctors and nutritionists about not cutting out the “good fats.” Many dieters don’t know the difference between the good fats and bad fats, so it is often difficult to make this distinction. What is the difference between trans fats, saturated fats, unsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats? And which can be used in a healthy diet?
Believe it or not, fats are a necessary component of the human body. There are several vitamins, including A, D, E, and K that are only absorbed and transported through fats. They also help in promoting healthy cell function and growth, including skin and hair, maintaining proper body temperature and as energy stores for the body.
Although it has become a diet trend to completely remove fat from a diet, this can actually cause harm to the body. This includes causing the body to have problems regulated body temperature, as well as making individuals more prone to problems with brain function, as the brain uses fat to process information.
But, this doesn’t mean that you should head right out and start eating all of your favorite fatty foods. Not all fats are created equal. Before you start putting fats back into a healthy daily diet, consider which ones are the most beneficial to your body.
Good Fats
The most common fats that are considered “good” are those that lower total cholesterol and LDL while raising the HDL levels, helping the body to keep the circulatory system clear of potential cholesterol build-up that could cause heart disease.
Good fats are monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat, named unsaturated because the body does not saturate or contain them. Monounsaturated fat includes nut, canola and olive oils while polyunsaturated fat includes corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils. As well Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group and include most salmon and fish oils.
Bad Fats
The new diet craze has been to remove trans fats from your diet in order to promote a healthier lifestyle. So, what are trans fats? They have actually become a common name to include a particular group of saturated fats.
Natural saturated fats come from animal products, such as meat, dairy, and eggs, and these are okay in a very small portion, as a healthy body with good cholesterol levels can withstand this Anyone with a diet high in animal products will likely have a problem with a build-up of LDL cholesterol though, as this makes it more difficult for the body to remove large amounts of saturated fats. If you still want to make animal products a part of your diet, consider using lean cuts of meat and 1% or 2% dairy products.
Since trans fats have come along and these are completely unnatural fats, doctors are even more concerned about the effect on the human body. Basically, trans fats are invented through a hydrogenation process to help improve food production shelf life. The majority of trans fats are found in pre-packaged foods, as well as in stick margarine and vegetable shortening. It is very difficult for the body to remove the heightened LDL cholesterol levels, causing a build-up that could eventually lead to heart disease.
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