There are so many dietary advices these days, that you might be wondering which ones to follow and what food choices to make.
Take fat for instance. For ages it has been portrayed as the main cause of high cholesterol, heart disease and obesity. However, scientific studies have now shown that eating fat has its benefits, which makes it time to start rethinking this essential part of our dietary regime.
In short, fat has gotten a bad reputation
Dr. David Perlmutter has described the diet of our ancestors as 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates. Our current diet is consisted of 60% carbohydrates, 20% protein and 20% fat. According to Dr. Perlmutter, the cornerstone of today’s many health conditions, including Alzheimer’s, depression, ADHD, anxiety and chronic headaches are linked to inflammation in the body and brain triggered by carbohydrates.
The obesity epidemic had doubled in the past 50 years and, according to other studies, this is not because we eat too much fat but because we consume readily available carbohydrates and sugar, including glucose found in fruits and juices.
The body converts the excessive glucose and stores it as fat. In Why We Get Fat , Gary Taubes says: “If the world had never invented cigarettes, lung cancer would be rare disease. Likewise, if we did not eat such high carb diets, obesity would be a rare condition.”
Therefore, fat is not the culprit it is believed to be. In fact, here are five reasons that will present the health benefits of eating fat:
- Fat is essential to brain health
The brain tissue is made up of nearly 60% fat and a diet low in fat will actually rob the brain of the materials it needs to function properly.
And it is not only the essential fatty acids and omega 3’s that are healthy for the brain (these are fats found in foods like salmon, avocados and nuts), but also some of the saturated fats and animal fats which have long been considered to be bad for the health.
Essential vitamins like A, D, E and K are not water soluble and need fat to get transported and absorbed by the body. These vitamins are crucial for brain health and many of the vital organs.
Vitamin D is an important element in decreasing susceptibility to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression and other brain disorders and omega 3 is said to sharpen the cognitive function and improves the mood.
- Fat keeps the lungs working properly
Our lungs are coated with a substance which is composed almost entirely of saturated fat. Premature babies who are lacking this substance are given “surfactant” which keeps their lungs functioning properly.
If our lungs lack enough saturated fat, then they will be compromised. There are studies looking at the link between low consumption of saturated fat and asthma, as a result of the breakdown of this fatty layer.
- Fat boosts the immune system
In their book Good Calories, Bad Calories, Dr. Michael and Dr. Mary Eades write about the impact that saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil have on the immune health. According to them: “loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in the white blood cells hampers their ability to recognize and destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi”.
- Fat keeps the skin healthy
Our skin is made up of a very large number of cells and fat makes up the bulk of the cellular membrane. If we don’t consume fat properly, our skin will become dry and chapped, which can open up pathways for infection to enter our bodies.
- Fat is good for the heart
According to many studies, there are benefits to eating the saturated fats that we have been told to avoid for the last 50 or so years. One study focused on a population in the Pacific Isles that ate up to 60% of their diet in the form of saturated coconut oil. The study found that this population has shown practically no incident of heart disease.
Furthermore, fat provides twice the caloric energy as carbohydrates – 9 calories per gram versus 4 calories per gram. Therefore, it will not only provide you with energy for a longer period of time, but it will also help you to eat less because it will keep the body satisfied.
However, stay away from trans-fats. These are very bad for your health, made by adding hydrogen atoms to saturated fat during the heating process. The role of these manipulated fats is to make bad foods last longer on the shelf.
So enjoy a handful of walnuts, a piece of salmon cooked up in some olive oil and butter, and you can add a little coconut oil to your morning smoothie. You can significantly improve your diet, starting today, by including the good fats in it.
