Fat does not make you fat

Fatty foods are often thought to be bad for our health. Among other things, fat is said to be the causative agent of cardiovascular disease and obesity. But we actually need fats to burn fat and maintain a healthy weight. Fats are an indispensable component of our diet. It is not the fats, but the carbohydrates and sugars that make us fat. Fats are nutrients necessary for good health and your overall vitality.

Why are fats so good for our bodies?

• Fats are an important source of energy.
• Fats provide the body with essential nutrients and ensure the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K.
• Fats strengthen the immune system and help against allergies, asthma, arthritis and other inflammations.
• Fats are an important building block for hormones and our cells, including our brains.
• Fats protect us from various diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

It is important, however, that you use fats with care. Eat healthy fats and use them properly in cooking. The type of fat very much determines how you should or should not use them when preparing your meal. Certain fats oxidize more readily than others. Oxidized fat has no added value and may even be harmful to your health. In this article, we’ll tell you which fats are healthy and how to apply them.

There are three types of fats:
1. Saturated fats – short chain, medium chain and long chain
2. Trans fats
3. Unsaturated fats – simple and polyunsaturated

1. Saturated fats

Saturated fats are mainly found in animal products, such as in butter, cheese or in meat. But saturated fats are also found in a number of plant products such as in coconut oil, palm fat and cocoa butter. You can recognize saturated fats by their solid form (think butter) at room temperature.
Saturated fats are good for baking or frying because they do not oxidize as easily when heated as the other types of fats. Coconut oil with mostly medium chain long fatty acids is a healthy choice for frying or roasting because it is quickly and effectively absorbed into your intestines and has other positive healthy properties.

2. Trans fats

Trans fats are unhealthy fats that were originally liquid but have been given a solid structure (like saturated fat) by industrial processing. Hydrogen is added to the oil to prevent oxidation. They are found mostly in processed foods such as salts, chips, cookies, cakes, margarines, low-fat margarines and in many frozen meals (e.g., pizza).

Oils and fats are widely processed to extend product shelf life, increase volume, improve texture and enable freezing. Commonly used oils are rapeseed, canola, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, palm and soybean oils.

Why are trans fats unhealthy?

1. Trans fats increase your weight and can lead to resulting diseases.
2. Trans fats block the conversion of healthy fats from omega 3, for example, to anti-inflammatory substances. The result is a greater risk of chronic (inflammatory) diseases.
3. Trans fats harden the cell membrane of body cells. This prevents nutrients and oxygen from entering the cell properly and wastes from leaving properly. As a result, healthy nutrients do not get a chance to enter the cells and produce optimal energy.

3. Unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats are also called “healthy fats. They consist of three different fatty acids: omega-3 (linolenic acid), omega-6 (linoleic acid) and omega-9 (oleic acid).
These are essential fatty acids which means that our bodies cannot make them themselves and therefore you have to get them from food. You need them to build your cells and your resistance. Moreover, the good cholesterol (HDL) from unsaturated fats breaks down the bad cholesterol (LDL) from certain saturated fats, thereby lowering blood cholesterol levels. Some of the best food sources containing unsaturated fats are found in avocados, nuts, oily fish, flaxseed, olives and olive oil, among others.

Important: With saturated and unsaturated fats, it is important to pay close attention to the combination in which you eat these fats. Combined with lots of carbohydrates, lots of fats are not good for you. They are then not burned. But that is exactly what happens when you eat low-carb or low-carbohydrate. So there is a relationship between the amount of carbohydrates and the amount of fats in our diet.

Conclusion

• Trans fats are unhealthy. Avoid these as much as possible.
• Saturated fats are more suitable for baking and frying than unsaturated fats because they are less likely to oxidize. Coconut oil is a very healthy choice to use for baking and frying.
• Unsaturated fats are healthy fats, containing many healthy essential fatty acids.
• For all saturated and unsaturated fats, they are healthy, provided you use them in the right proportion and in the right way.
• Fats will not make you fat provided you limit carbohydrates and sugars in the process.