Can fat be healthy?

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

People who are trying to lose weight by following a calorie-controlled diet often seek to avoid fats. But not all fats are bad, and a certain amount is necessary, in order to stay healthy.

Research has shown that plant-based fats such as olive oil are rich in antioxidants and may be powerful cancer fighters. Without fats, the body cannot absorb some necessary nutrients.

But choosing fats can be confusing. What make a healthy fat? Which are the best ones to choose? This article will look at some of the ways that fats can keep us healthy, and how to make sure we choose good fats.

Contents of this article:

1. Plant-based and healthful fats
2. The health benefits of fats
3. Which fats are healthy?
4. Fats and weight gain
5. Replacing unhealthy fats with healthy fats
6. Plant-based and healthful fats

Plant-based fats are needed in the daily diet, but what kind of plant-based fats, and what are healthy fats?

[olive oil]
Olive oil is a healthy choice.
Healthy fats include plant oils like extra-virgin olive oil, flax seed oil, sesame oil, walnut oil, and fats from whole plant sources such as olives, nuts, seeds and avocado.

The health benefits of fats
Fats bring a range of health benefits, if consumed wisely.

One study, published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, argues that the effect of olive oil are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-cancerous, anti-diabetic and anti-aging.

Here are some ways that fats can keep people healthy.

Protection against cancer
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), walnuts, which are high in fat, may help to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

There is also evidence that healthy fats can help people to manage diagnosed colon, prostate, and breast cancer.

Absorbing nutrients
Healthy fats should be consumed with every meal, because many nutrients are fat-soluble.

Fast facts about fats
An adult should get less than 30 percent of their energy intake from fat
The average American adult gets around 33 percent of their calories from fat
A 2,000-calorie-a-day diet should include a maximum of 65 grams of fat and 20 grams of saturated fat.
Learn more about fats
The fats enable nutrients to be absorbed in the body, and without them, nutrients cannot be properly taken in.

Three nutrients that need fat for absorption are beta carotene, Vitamin D, and Vitamin E.

• Beta carotene functions as vitamin A, and it is also one of the body's most powerful antioxidants. It helps to minimize cell damage.
• Vitamin D plays a role in hormone production and regulation, neuromuscular function, as well as immune function.
• Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that is vital for immune function and gene expression, and it works to minimize heart disease risk.

Some antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables also need fat for human metabolism. They can help to promote cardiovascular health, to maintain a healthy weight, and to prevent obesity.

In one study, researchers found that people who consumed salads with fat-free salad dressing absorbed far less of the helpful phytonutrients and vitamins from spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and carrots than those who ate their salads with a salad dressing containing fat.

Cutting out fat can lead to diabetes
People who avoid fats often eat a higher proportion of carbohydrates.

Not eating fats can increase the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, especially if those carbohydrates are processed and refined sugars with minimal fiber, as in the Standard American Diet. This kind of carbohydrate can raise triglycerides and reduce healthy HDL cholesterol.

Maintaining nerves and cell membranes
Fat is needed in nerve transmission. Myelin is a coating around nerves throughout the body that is composed primarily of insulating fatty tissue. Without proper fat intake, the myelin may be compromised which can interfere with efficient nerve stimulation and function.

It is also necessary for maintaining cell membranes because lipids, or fats, make up the majority of the cell wall structure.

Which fats are healthy?
The key is to choose the right kind of fat and in the right quantities.

There are two main types of potentially harmful dietary fat. Saturated fats are mainly of animal origin. Saturated fats increase total blood cholesterol levels and also low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol levels. Coconut is a plant-based saturated fat.

Trans fat occurs naturally in small quantities, but most trans fats in our diet are a result of a food processing method known as partial hydrogenation. Trans fats can increase LDL cholesterol, and they can reduce "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Both saturated and trans fats increase the chance of heart disease, but trans fats much more so.

Healthy fats include unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, thought to improve cholesterol levels and to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. These are more likely to be of plant origin. Omega 3 is a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid found in oily fish. It may be good for the heart.

Fats and weight gain
One gram of any type of fat contains 9 calories. That means about 252 calories per ounce, since there are 28 grams in one ounce.

Since fats are very high in calories, they can produce a lot of energy. Even an apparently small portion can quickly add calories to a meal.

If an individual does not use up the excess energy provided by the fat, this can lead to weight gain, and this can increase the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer.

Unhealthy fats can also lead to heart disease and obesity, because they worsen cholesterol levels, and they tend to be present in processed, prepared, unhealthy foods. Animal fats such as dairy, lard, and the fat found in meat tends to be less healthy. These should be replaced, where possible, with fats of vegetable origin, such as olive oil.

The Nurses' Health Study collected data for 42,000 men and women over 8 years. One investigation based on this data suggests that people who increased their consumption of saturated and trans fats gained weight, while those who increased consumption of healthy plant fats did not.

This could be because of the antioxidant effect of healthy dietary fats.

Replacing unhealthy fats with healthy fats
Unhealthy fats in our diet can come from:

Fatty meat
Butter, full-fat milk and cheese
Ice-cream
Processed snacks
Margarine
For a healthier option, these can be replaced with: