Fats are not bad?!! I suppose you may be wondering right now what kind of a joke I have made. But trust me, the story doesn’t go as you think it does.
Before I start the post, let me ask you a question.
What is the first thing which comes to your mind when you hear the word “FATS”?
Most of us would create an image of “FATS” as if they are the worst nutrient in the world with the highest calories and picture themselves or someone else like the below picture –
Also because of this negative image of fats in our mind, we tend to make many mistakes in our diet like completely eliminating fats from our diet just because we have to consume fewer calories.
But, let me tell you something. The so-called “worst nutrient” is actually not as bad as we picture them according to modern science. And, when you will read the post till the end, then you will definitely have a different answer to the question I asked you at the start.
Why “fats are not bad” ?
You see this “misunderstood” nutrient also has further categories in it. And most of us are unaware of these “categories” even when we see them daily in the nutritional charts of our packed food items. These categories are –
Now, these categories of fats can be further classified as “good” or “bad”. And here, most of us fail to recognize this differentiation between good and bad. Hence, creating a bad image of this nutrient. Now let us dive a little deeper into these “good” and “bad” sides of it.
What are “good” fats ?
2 categories of fats come under the title “good”. These are – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These categories actually counter most of the effects caused by the consumption of bad or unhealthy categories. They –
- Improve your cholesterol health
- Are essential for good metabolism
- Helps in preventing overeating if eaten in moderation
- Help in improving heart health ( specifically the Omega 3 fatty acids)
- May help in improving bone and joints health. (Possibly reducing the risk of arthritis)
Rich sources of these “healthy” fats – salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel fishes; Flaxseeds, walnuts, wheat germ, canola oil, nuts, unhydrogenated soybean oil, and flaxseed oil.
What are “bad” fats?
As you would have guessed by now, saturated fats and transfats come on the bad side. As they cause a lot of problems to our body when consumed regularly and highly in our food. Let me tell you one more thing, that transfats are the worst of all. So every time you go to a store and buy a packed food item, check whether it has 0 transfats or not or if not 0 then at least a figure not greater than 2 or 3 because –
- It raises your bad cholestrol
- It lowers your good choletrol
- Increases the risk of a heart attack ( as bad cholesterol’s build-up is increased in the heart)
- It leads to weight gain and type-2 diabetes
Rich sources of such fats are – Fried food items, refrigerated dough, cakes, pies and microwave popcorn
Think about the question again!
Let me ask that question again which I asked at the beginning of this post.
What is the first thing which comes to your mind when you hear the word “FATS ?
I guess now you would not have only negative thoughts about this nutrient which you have to eliminate in your body. But a group of thoughts would come into your mind. One would be the bad sides of fats while the others would be the positives of it.
I just hope so, that you will change that negative attitude towards fats, and instead of cutting them completely from your diet, try eating the “healthy” ones.
