Fat, what is it good for?

Fat gets a bad rap and just like the dark or the word moist you don't have to be so scared of it.

 Just like carbs and proteins your body needs fat to function properly, that does't mean you can start chowing down on a lard though.

First of all fat can not become muscle, just like the earth can't become the sky, I needed to get that out of the way.

Fats protect our internal organs, control body temperature as it provides insulation, Insulates nerves (each cell is wrapped in a layer of fat that enables nerves to conduct electrical messages efficiently) and takes up and stores fat soluble minerals and vitamins A,D,E and K.

One gram of fat provides more than twice the energy than one gram of carbs or protein, with 1g of fat providing 9kcals of energy and protein and carbohydrates  providing 4kcals.

In the women folk it stores and modifies reproductive hormone, particularly estrogen.

If body fat drops too low reproductive function will be be affected.

This also means trouble for your bones as well because estrogen is also responsible for getting  the bone making cells working so without estrogen  bones break down faster than they can be repaired leading to higher risk of brittle bone disease! Not good!

Omega 3 and 6 are fatty acids that are essential for our body, I will do another post in more detail about those two.

Eating saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids will keep your testosterone at it's optimum levels.

There are 4 types of fat these are:

Saturated fats these mainly come from animal sources with the exception of palm and coconut oil, there are solid at room temperature so just think of what is left over from that hangover morning bacon sandwich.

Polyunsaturated fats mainly come from non animal sources and tend to be liquid at room temperature e.g. sunflower and fish oil

Monounsaturated fats are also from natural foods such as red meat, whole milk products, nuts and high fat fruits such as olives and avocados. Olive oil is about 75% monounsaturated fats.

Trans fat or hydrogenated fats are the Devil!

They are completely man made fats and can never be truly removed form the blood stream.

Trans fats increase the risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.

 Health authorities worldwide recommend that consumption of Tran’s fat be reduced to as little as possible. 

Tran’s fats from partially hydrogenated oils are more harmful than naturally occurring oils. 
These are mainly found in fast food, snack food, fried food, and baked goods, so be sure to the check the packet of those microwavable meals.

The world health organisation recommends that no more than 30% of you calorie intake a day should come from fat, with probably isn't as much as you'd think with fat being more calorie dense than carbs or protein.

Also you don't have to get all of your fats from meat sources, you can get your lips round some avocado, beans, seeds and nuts as well.