Tag: healthy fats

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Healthy Living

Why Adding Healthy Fats to Your Diet is a Good Thing

healthy fats are needed for a healthy body
Public domain image via Pixabay

healthy fats are needed for a healthy body
Public domain image via Pixabay
Early this week I provided an overview of healthy fats. Now I’d like to talk about why being mindful of using healthy fats in your diet is a good idea.

You need to eat healthy fats to have a healthy functioning body. Dietary fat takes a predominant role in many bodily processes. Fats are integral in the production of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins that regulate many body functions and directly regulate the production of the sex hormones. That is why you might have heard about very thin or malnourished women losing their menstrual cycles. Their bodies can’t produce the correct hormones needed for this important body function.

Healthy fats form the cell walls throughout our bodies. Healthy cell walls keep out invaders like viruses and bacteria. The nerves themselves are shielded with fat, called myelin, to speed up and contain the signals. Without this fat insulation, the signals dissipate, the electrical signals shooting out erratically, and you would behave like a jumpy, nervous person.

Two-thirds of the brain is of fat, specifically omega 3 and 6. We must obtain these essential fatty acids through food since we cannot manufacture them. The signals and memory function rely on fats for their very existence. This is one reason that low fat diets don’t work for more than a little while. Your body will develop functional problems because of the need for healthy fats. Your brain and body regulators become starved for healthy fats. Research is being done on this to see a connection in Alzheimer’s disease.

Healthy fats also insulate our bodies with a thin layer just under the skin called subcutaneous fat. This gives our skin a soft, youthful appearance and the fatty acids keep our skin moist and supple. Many vitamins are fat soluble, so we need fats in our body to absorb A, D, E and K. Many of our organs are cushioned with fat and it helps hold our heart, kidneys and intestines in place and protects them. This protective fat is the last to be burned for fuel by the body. When we overeat and build up this visceral fat beyond what is needed, it is very hard to lose.

We need to eat fat to maintain the functioning of the body systems. While adding healthy fats to your diet, don’t forget that you must eat all fats in moderation. Fats have 9 calories as opposed to proteins and carbohydrates that have 4 calories. Too much fat can make you fat, so choosing healthy fats is not enough. Balance in your diet is still important to remain healthy overall.

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[one_third] Healthy Eating Worksheet [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

Download Now [/two_third_last]

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Healthy Living Well Stocked Pantry

What are Healthy Fats?

is there such a thing as a healthy fat?With all the talk about low-fat diets you see in magazines, book stores and TV, you may wonder if there are good things about fats at all. But there are. In fact, your body needs fats to be healthy. So let me share some facts about fats.

Unhealthy Fats Overview

Unhealthy animal-based saturated fats, transfats and hydrogenated vegetable oils cause increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity.
Animal-based fats must also take into account the health of the animal, whether it is a genetically engineered animal, what it was given to eat and more. You can substitute healthy fats to prevent disease and lower your calorie intake, too.

Beneficial plant-based fats from healthy sources

Coconut oil is a plant-based saturated fat that works in and on your body to promote health. It has so many good qualities and has no harmful side effects. You can fry with it, add it to smoothies and just eat it as is. I enjoy having it on toast instead of butter. I also use it to saute vegetables.

Avocados are made of plant-based monosaturated fat. This is good for your heart and lowers bad cholesterol. It has a buttery taste and creamy consistency and can be used in place of mayonnaise and spread on your sandwiches for example.

avocado

Another plant-based monosaturated fat is olive oil. It is high in Omega 3 fatty acids and contains polyphenols that are antioxidants. These polyphenols found only in extra virgin olive oil and nowhere else. It is what gives olives there bitter taste.

Healthy polyunsaturated fats include walnuts and sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds; Omega 3 fatty acids, rich flaxseed and fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel herring, and trout); soymilk and tofu.

Other healthy plant-based monosaturated fats are nuts and nut butters (almond, macadamia and cashew), peanut butter, peanut oil, sesame oil and sunflower oils.

Animal-based fats from healthy sources

Why would you even consider using healthy animal-based fats? Some people feel that most plant-based oils, if not used quickly will become rancid and taste off soon after opening. They would recommend buying smaller bottles. Animal-based fats have a longer, more stable, shelf life and give a more familiar taste for people switching over to healthy fats.

Healthy fats from organic healthy animals include: butter, ghee, tallow and lard, and chicken fat — also known as “schmaltz” in kosher cooking. These animal fats are traditional foods eaten mainly by people who did not have major illnesses caused by the food they ate. The animal-based fats are only considered healthy if consumed at the rate of under 10% of total calories. In short, if only 2-3 tablespoons are consumed daily, you can use these animal fats and still be OK health-wise.

Handmade butter, made from organic grass fed cream, is very healthy. It contains vitamins D, K and K2, all depending on the source cow’s health.

Ghee is a variation on clarified butter (also known as drawn butter) because it is cooked to further eliminate water and allowing the proteins to be removed. What remains is a light yellow oil that contain about 25% medium and short chain fatty acids. Tallow is rendered saturated fat from beef. Lard is rendered saturated fat from pork. Chicken fat is rendered from chicken. All of these rendered fat products can be made at home or purchased online from reputable dealers in organic non-GE animals.

Stay tuned for further posts about healthy fats.

[divider]

[one_third] Healthy Eating Worksheet [/one_third]
[two_third_last]

Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

Download Now [/two_third_last]

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