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Fats - The truth about saturated fats and cholesterol.

Fats are perceived as the root of all evil these days. Saturated fat is considered especially dangerous. 'Healthy eating' focuses on low fat products. Despite this focus on low fat products obesity is at its highest point in history as is deaths from cancer or heart disease.

The low fat theory stemmed from misinterpreted studies in the 50’s which the media latched onto. They did this before the science backed the theory but it took off to become the common knowledge that we see today.

The reality is that fats are natural, essential and very beneficial to your body. The best example of this fact is that as a population today we eat far less saturated fat levels compared to people 50 years ago yet heart attacks, obesity and cancer rates are through the roof.

Japan as a country is one of the biggest consumers of cholesterol within their diet yet lead the world in life expectancy despite smoking significantly more than the western countries.

You do not need to see nationwide studies to note the benefits. People on a low fat diet suffer more cravings and hunger than those who are not. You can experiment with this factor immediately.

Studies for and against fats

Many studies supporting the fat is bad theory are inherently flawed or do not account for other factors. Tribes throughout the world who are free from heart disease all consume far greater amount of saturated fat than we do. This was shown by the research of Dr Weston A Price.

Breast milk is almost 50% saturated fat. Surely Mother Nature has not got it wrong. Fat causes a problem within the body when rancid fats such as Trans fat are consumed. These are created by heating an unsaturated fat. This changes the chemical structure and causes havoc in the body. This is the real reason why fats can be dangerous.

It is therefore advised to focus on consuming only saturated fat such as coconut oil, palm oil, butter etc or stable unsaturated fats such as olive oil. You should avoid all vegetable oils and minimize the heating of fats and oils.

Structure of fats

Fat stored on your body, the stuff you can grab is not just fat, it is a large carbohydrate molecule attached to three chains of fat. The body can convert protein, carbohydrates or fat into the ‘fat’ you can grab.

Fats are classified as saturated or unsaturated; this is due to their chemical structure. There are numerous sub divisions within these. An important note about fats is Omega 3 and Omega 6. It is important to get fairly equally measure of both these types of fat. However our diet normally contains far greater amounts of Omega 6 over Omega 3. This can cause health issues.

Cholesterol is a natural substance within the body and essential to artery health. Unheated cholesterol is a beneficial substance to the body. However, excessive heating of it can cause rancidity which creates Trans fats and thus the cholesterol becomes unhealthy.

What to do with this information

The key to eating fats is choosing a safe fat that will not cause problems with in the body. To do this you should avoid all unsaturated fats which have been subjected to heating.

It is then advised to find quality fat sources e.g. coconut oil, palm oil, raw butter to provide you with your required fat soluble vitamins and fat calories to form your ideal fuel mix and thus optimize energy production within the cells which will give you the results you desire.

Metabolic typing and fat consumption

Metabolic typing determines your unique nutritional needs. This results in different nutritional requirements from one person to the next. Therefore some people require significantly higher proportions of fat than others. It is essential you determine your metabolic type to find out how much fat you should be consuming

This subject is covered as part of my on line course designed to get you in the best shape possible by addressing your approach to health through exercise, nutrition and psychology.

This article is written from extracts from an article written by Sally fallon. To read her full article please Click here