Most people think that the key to a healthy diet and lifestyle is to cut out all the bad stuff you eat and drink. High-fat diets have become more and more common in modern societies, with the ready availability of fast-food, junk food and snacks all contributing to much higher fat intakes than is recommended.
Fat contains a lot of calories, so if we eat too much of it, we can end up gaining weight. It can also cause adverse effects on our healthy, most notably reducing the healthiness of a heart and making it more susceptible to diseases.
However, that’s not the entire story of fat; in fact, it’s far from it. For example, did you know we are actually supposed to eat a certain amount of fats to have a healthy diet and lifestyle? That’s right, some of the healthiest diets out there involve eating enough fat and more importantly eating the right fats.
Why Do We Need Fat in Our Diet?
First of all, our bodies need fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins to work at their best and keep all of our organs ticking along nicely. It can also improve our skin by keeping it softer, and provides us with energy needed to go about our days.
It’s recommended that you get a minimum of 10% of your daily calories through fat, with the optimal amount between 20%-35%. So it’s safe to say that we need some fat in our diet, it’s just about getting the right type of fats!
Good Fats and Bad Fats
Fats can be divided into two basic groups – saturated and unsaturated. These two categories can be further divided within themselves to reveal different types of fats that are found in diets.
Unsaturated fats are regarded as the ‘good fats’ with saturated ones being ‘bad fats’.
Good Fats
Polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fats are those found within the good fats, and eating food containing these is actually beneficial when compared to those found within the saturated fats, with the ability to lower cholesterol and cut the chances of developing heart disease. These should always be eaten in moderation and work best when replacing the bad saturated fats.
Polyunsaturated fats contain one of the most revered fats out there in omega-3 fatty acids. You can find these mainly in fatty fish species such as salmon and mackerel, along with walnuts and flaxseeds, with those found in the fish believed to be the best for us.
The benefits are mainly to do with promoting a healthy heart, as research has shown that eating two helpings of fatty fish, each week can help to reduce the chances of developing a number of heart-related diseases.
Monounsaturated fats are most commonly found in a liquid form, with the most popular source for many being olive oil. This is strongly linked to Mediterranean diets, which have a much lower rate of heart disease than America, and it’s believed this is one of the reasons.
You can find the nutritious antioxidant vitamin E in most monounsaturated fats, which come from foods such as avocados, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds as well as various other oils, including peanut and canola.
Keep reading on to better understand the various types of fats and why we should continue eating some whilst trying to reduce consumption of others!
