Is Fat Bad for you?

For most people, it is all too easy to put on weight, and the most likely reason is that you are overeating the wrong sorts of food. What are these supposedly wrong foods? Are fats indeed the notorious weight pliers? Or are we merely getting influenced by the new fads and definitions? When it comes to diet, fats get a bad rap. Some of this is justified because certain types of fat and cholesterol may play a role in triggering cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, insulin resistance, cancer, and obesity, to name a few. In fact, most dietary experts advised people to reduce their fat intake, not only because they are harmful to the heart health, but also because fat has more calories per gram than carbohydrate and was assumed to contribute more to obesity.

With scientists and nutritionists conducting more extensive studies and research in this domain, the concept of "healthy" or "good" fats came into play. Thus, the misconception related to fats is slowly fading out, and people realize how healthy fats play a huge role in helping you manage your moods, stay on top of your mental game, fight fatigue, and even control your weight.For quite a while now, we were asked to oust fats from our weight control plans at whatever point conceivable. We changed to low-fat nourishments. In any case, this initiative didn't seem to do much good for our overall weight and health. Why is it so? It's likely in light of the fact that we cut back on "healthy" fats along with the "harmful" ones, without realizing the difference. As it turns out, the "all fat is bad" message was wrong. Foods that contain fat help fill you up, so you stop eating earlier. By understanding the difference between good and bad fats and how to include more healthy fat in your diet, you can improve your mood, boost your energy and well-being, and even lose weight.

What are fats?

Fat is an elemental supplement that the body needs to work efficiently. Including Fats in the daily dietary regimens assists the body to retain nutrients and minerals and serve other imperative jobs. Fats are fundamentally triglycerides. The minor segments incorporate mono-and diglycerides, free unsaturated fats, phosphatides, sterols, fat-dissolvable nutrients, tocopherols, waxes, and fatty alcohols.

The truth about low-fat food items:

You'll find the aisles of grocery shops topped with low-fat and fat-free food items. Since fat is high in calories, disposing of it appeared to be a decent method to oversee weight and improve wellbeing. Lamentably, added-sugars, artificial sweeteners and processed carbohydrates are regularly used to supplant fat in handled nourishments. That signifies a ton of additional calories with next to zero dietary benefits. 

The role that fats play in the body:

You may wonder if it isn't fat bad for you, but your body needs some fat from food. Why?

• It's a significant source of energy. It helps you absorb some vitamins and minerals. 
• Fat is needed to build cell membranes, the vital exterior of each cell, and the sheaths surrounding nerves. 
• It is essential for blood clotting, muscle movement, and inflammation. Also, fats that are available in body tissues is rudimentary for the following main functions: 
• Energy stockpiling and efficient digestion 
• The maintenance and regulation of optimum body temperature
• Play a vital role in the protection of the body's vital organs 

Good Fats versus Bad Fats: An analysis

Not all fats are alike. Saturated fat and Trans fats are not considered to be good for health and hence are harmful fats. However, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats constitute healthy fats. These actually protect your health by improving your cholesterol profile.

What are dietary fats? How is it linked to the cholesterol levels?

Dietary fat also plays a significant role in your cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a fatty, wax-like substance that your body needs to function correctly. In and of itself, cholesterol isn't bad. But when you get too much of it, it can hurt your health. As with dietary fat, there are good and bad types of cholesterol.HDL (High-density Lipoprotein) cholesterol is the "good" kind of cholesterol found in your blood, whereas LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is harmful to your body.

What kind of balance do you strike between HDL and LDL?

• If the levels of "bad cholesterol" witness a surge in your body, it will clog the arteries and will make you prone to heart diseases and stroke. Hence, the correct balance lies in keeping LDL levels low and HDL high to remain healthy.
• Rather than the amount of cholesterol you eat, the most significant influence on your cholesterol levels is the type of fats you consume. So instead of counting cholesterol, it's essential to focus on replacing bad fats with good fats.

1. Saturated Fats: 

Saturated here alludes to the number of hydrogen molecules encompassing every carbon atom in the hydrocarbon chain. If the chain of carbon atoms holds however many hydrogen molecules as could be expected under the circumstances, it's said to be saturated with hydrogens. Hence, there's a single bond among carbon and hydrogen molecules. 

Sources: Generally, these facts are solid at room temperature. Primary sources of saturated fats incorporate red meat, full cream milk and complete dairy nourishments, like cheddar cheese, coconut oil, butter, many baked meals and other processed food items. 

Beneficial or Harmful?

• The general well being effect of saturated fat stays disputable. A few analysts trust it might build the danger of coronary illness, while others accept moderate intake may profit the health of an individual. 
• An eating regimen wealthy in saturated fats can drive up free cholesterol, and influence the parity toward more destructive LDL cholesterol, which prompts blockages in arteries.
• Hence, to maintain the balance, most nourishment specialists prescribe restricting the intake of saturated fats to under 10%-12% of calories per day.

2. Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated Fats: 

Unsaturated fats are also known as "good and friendly fats". These come predominantly from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish. They contrast from saturated fats by having double or triple bonds between the carbon and hydrogen atoms. Thus, fewer hydrogen atoms are attached. These fats are liquid at room temperature and are further classified into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. 

Sources: Dietary wellsprings of Monounsaturated fats include avocado oil and olive oil, peanut butter, sunflower and canola oils, and nuts.

3. Omega-3 Fatty acids

• Omega-3 unsaturated fats and omega-6 unsaturated fats are the further branches of polyunsaturated fats. 
• You can replenish your body with abundant omega-3 unsaturated fats by eating marine fishes like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines. These are also incorporated in flaxseeds, canola oil, and non hydrogenated soybean oil. 
• Omega-6 unsaturated fats have additionally been connected to insurance against coronary illness. Nourishments rich in omega-6 unsaturated fats incorporate vegetable oils, like soybean, sunflower, and corn oils.

Eating polyunsaturated fats does the following amazing things to your health profile:

• It decreases bad LDL cholesterol levels and improves the overall cholesterol profile.
• It likewise brings down the levels of triglycerides. 
• Apparently, many scientists even claim that these fats may help keep deadly heart rhythms from occurring. 
• Recent studies by medical professionals propose that they may help decrease the requirement for corticosteroid drugs in individuals suffering from rheumatoid joint inflammation. 

4. Trans Fats:

Trans fats are the worst fats for your health. These fats are made when hydrogen is added to healthy unsaturated fats to solidify them and make them less likely to spoil. Trans fats raise harmful LDL cholesterol, lower beneficial HDL cholesterol, increase inflammation, and make blood more likely to clot. Trans fats have no realized medical advantages and that there is no sheltered degree of utilization. Indeed, even modest quantities of trans fats can hurt your overall health: for each 2-3% of calories from trans-fat devoured day by day, the danger of coronary illness ascends by 25%. These fats cause increased weight gain and raised blood cholesterol levels.

Sources: Trans fats are found in many packaged and processed food items and commercial butter. Natural trans fats are a result of digestion of grass in the stomach of ruminant animals, like cattle, sheep, and goats. 

Let's have a look at some myth busters related to fatty food items:

1. Myth: Bananas are fattening

Truth: Compared with an apple or orange, a banana has more carbohydrates; yet the average banana has only 60 calories. A medium apple or orange has about 50 calories.

2. Myth: Margarine has fewer calories than butter

Truth: By law, both butter and margarine must have the same fat content of 80 per cent, so you end up with the same number of calories (about 100 per tablespoon) for either butter or margarine. Diet kinds of margarine have nearly half as much fat and more water, and therefore fewer calories.

3. Myth: Meat from cheaper cuts of Beef contains more fat

Truth: Not at all. It depends on the part of the animal the meat comes from—generally, the more expensive the cut, the more marbling-or fat-in the Beef. When you are buying Beef for the family, choose topside, rump, or thick flank for roasting. They are usually leaner than rolled ribs, forerib, or sirloin. Also, small turkeys and chicken are leaner than larger ones.

Bottom Line:

Healthier fats are an essential part of your diet, but it’s still crucial to moderate your consumption of them because all fats are high in calories.Trans fats are supposedly awful for you, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats beneficial for your cardiovascular health, and the place of saturated fats is somewhat controversial. As a result, incorporate foods that contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. It’s a strategy that will help your heart, prevent weight gain, and improve your quality of life.