Weight Loss Tips
Fats
Weight Loss Tips Fats are an essential part of any healthy eating
plan. Not only are fats the easiest and most efficient source of energy
for your body but they also help make up the cell membrane which
surrounds EVERY cell in your body. The cell membrane is responsible for
transferring hormones and nutrients as well as the disposal of waste
from within the cell. Fats are absolutely essential for your nerves
to conduct electrical
signals and they also help regulate your skin as
well as blood clotting, inflammation and blood pressure. On top of
all of this your body CANNOT process certain vitamins without fat.
All
this being said Fats can also be very harmful if you are not careful
about what kinds of fats you are eating. Fats play an important part in
the formation of cholesterol in the body. Too much BAD cholesterol
can form a plaque on the inside of artery walls which restricts the
flow of blood and can lead to heart attacks, high blood pressure and
strokes.
(Bad Cholesterol) LDL - Low-Density Lipoprotein
LDL
helps build a plaque on arterial walls which restricts blood flow.
Fats such as Saturated Fat (butter, cream, milk, cheeses and
other dairy products made from whole and 2 percent milk. coconut,
coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil (tropical oils), and cocoa
butter) Trans-Fatty Acids-TFA (beef, pork, lamb and the butterfat
in butter and milk, anything hydrogenated, margarine, shortening,
cooking oils and the foods made from them) and dietary cholesterol can
help raise LDL in your body.
(Good Cholesterol) HDL -
High-Density Lipoprotein
High levels of HDL seem
to protect against a heart attack. Low levels of HDL may also increase
the risk of heart disease. Some experts also think HDL is responsible
for removing excess cholesterol from the body as well as removing plaque
from arterial walls. Polyunsaturated Fats (safflower,
sunflower, soybean, corn, and cottonseed) appear to raise HDL but some
studies suggest they may help lower LDL cholesterol Monounsaturated
Fats (olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oil) seem to be somewhat
neutral in the big picture.
So
What Do You Do?
1) Eat lots of fruits, vegetables,
whole-grain, high-fiber foods, and fat-free and low-fat dairy.
2)
Keep total fat intake between 25 and 35 percent of your calories. Most
of your fats should come from sources of monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats such as fish, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils.
3)
Stay away from saturated fat in your diet.
4) Never use
hydrogenated oils.
5) Use soft margarine instead of butter. Pick
soft margarines (liquid or tubs) over harder sticks. Look for ”0 g trans
fat” on the label.
6) Limit fried fast foods.
7) Stay away
from french fries, doughnuts, cookies, crackers, muffins, pies and
cakes. They are high in trans fat.
8) Stay away from
commercially fried foods and baked goods made with shortening or
partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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