God may have created all men equal (at least regarding unalienable rights), but God did not create all Fats equal. We have Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat, Polyunsaturated Fat, and subcategories of some of those are Essential Fatty Acids like Omega-3 & Omega-6. Course, and from that you don't just go out to the store and buy "Saturated Fat" or "Omega-3 Fatty Acids". Generally we get our fats from the foods we eat, and the foods we eat contain a mixture of some, all, or none of these. Meats are generally known for their Saturated Fat content. Oils for their unique mixtures of Mono/Polyunsaturated. Processed Fast food for there trans and saturated fats. If you include heavily processed oils and junk food you can get your Trans fats and include other weird fats like Interesterified Fats.
Stance Summary:
So with such variety available in fats, what are my views on them? Regarding Fat as a whole, I like it. Our body needs a large amount of fat to keep us going. It is a vital fuel for all of our cells. That being said, some fats help our body in the process of being fuel, and others hinder. Fats that I consider unnatural, like processed fats (Trans) are to be avoided! They do little to benefit the body, but do much to break it down. Saturated Fats, especially those from healthy, free range animals, are wonderful. Not only do they taste good and benefit your body, they reduce your overall calorie count by keeping you satiated (and not wanting that extra roll). Mono/Polyunsaturated fats are difficult because it appears that both are necessary in the body, but they are needed in pairs. Thus some oils are better than others. Olive Oil and Coconut oil are comparatively healthier in their fat mix when compared to Corn or Vegetable oil.
Personal Actions Based on Stance:
I have personally attempted to reduce my overall carbohydrate intake and increase my healthy fat intake. Overall I have lost a couple pounds (at my weight a couple pounds is pretty big), and feel slightly better I think. I don't work out more necessarily, but I feel more fit. My skin feels tighter across my chest, and not in a bad, constricting way. Hopefully a healthy diet will keep my skin youthful and tight around my arms and legs as I age so I don't have too much skin flapping around there.
Expansion:
Whenever I read about Fats, I am usually surprised by how many calories you should be getting from fat. The source below2 states that we should be consuming 20%-30% of our daily calories from Fat! Now, even though I often go against the 'Conventional Wisdom', I am still surprised by this. Though it does make sense when you look at how much Fat is used in our bodies. I only state one source for the high fat caloric diet, but that is not an abnormal number from the variety of sources I've read on the matter. It has definitely helped me improve my diet by not worrying so much about butter, lard & fat on meat.
Though with regards to fat on meat, one has to be careful with that because the fat in animals (and humans as well) is where many toxins will gather. Fat is a storage medium. If the body has toxins to store, it will store it in fat as well. If the animal you are eating is unhealthily fatty due to diet, lack of exercise and general mistreatment, a portion of those toxins will be ingested by you and processed by your body. So obviously the meat source matters, healthy animals makes for healthy meat, which makes for healthy humans. Consider this, if you were a cannibal, would you rather eat a People of Walmart3 person, or someone who really cares about their diet and what goes in their body like Mark Sisson4?
Closing:
I like meat. I like fat. I like vegetables. I like feeling healthy, eating healthy, enjoying a variety of foods. Though to be truthful, my diet consists of the same 3 animals for meat, and the same ~6 vegetables for a majority of my food intake.
Sources:
- Marks Daily Apple: Definitive Guide to Fat - Link
- 60 in 3: Fat is Bad! Fact or Myth? - Link
- People of Walmart - Link
- Marks Daily Apple: About Mark Sisson - Link
Love it! Thanks
ReplyDeleteEdit: Switched Closing and Sources locations in post. Added Suggested Reading section.
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