Your Body Needs Fats.

Fats are nutrients that are important for normal body function. Unfortunately they have been touted as bad food but this is not so for all fats. Fats are important in the body for the following reasons;

• To provide energy.
• To protect the organs.
• To support cell growth.
• To aid the absorption of some nutrients.
• To produce some enzymes.

There are four types of fats in the diet;

• Monounsaturated fats.
• Polyunsaturated fats.
• Saturated fats.
• Trans fats.

Knowing the kinds of oils and fats to include in the diet is very important for good health and preventing diseases. The best fats are those that are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These also contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which are good for health. Some of

these fatty acids are essential for the body which cannot be produced by the body but are important for many functions. They are beneficial in protection against heart diseases, type 2 diabetes and some other chronic inflammatory diseases. They also help to lower bad cholesterol in the blood.

Saturated fats and trans fats are considered to be bad choices for health because they raise the bad form of cholesterol which clog arteries. They also lead to heart diseases and stroke. These are often found in animal products like poultry skin, meat, seafood, whole-milk dairy products. Trans fats are most often used in processed and commercial foods. It is best to remove these fats from the diet.

Some sources of good fats are nuts, corn, shea, wheat germ, red palm, linseed, canola, flax seed, coconut, groundnut, olive, avocados and grape-seed. Most naturally occurring, vegetable oils that are not hydrogenated  are good.

Simply using unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats is one of the healthiest changes to make in maintaining good health. Eating good fats is good medicine but remember that fats need to be consumed in moderation because they are high in calories (9 calories per gram) and can lead to weight gain and health issues if taken excessively.

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