Health and Fitness – the Truth About Fat
When many people think about health and fitness they tend to think that fat is bad. However there are different types of fat, some of them bad for your body and others that are actually good for your body. It is important you completely understand the different types of fat. While you do not want to eat a lot of fat there are types of fat that are beneficial to the body and can help and you want to eat these in moderation.
While some fats are good for you this does not mean you should go about eating them in large quantities. The fats are good for your body and heart in small does but will not help if you eat them in large amounts. You need to find that balance where you are getting the proper amount of fat without risking your health.
The main fundamental behind fats are that saturated fats are harmful your health and unsaturated fats, when eaten in moderation are helpful and good fats. Saturated fats are called so because they are rigid molecules they have the maximum amount of hydrogen atoms on them as possible.
Saturated fats are generally found in meat products and products from animals such as fatty meats, whole meat, butter and cheeses. Saturated fats are dangerous because they increase the amount of bad cholesterol, also known as LDL cholesterol, in your body which can eventually cause heart disease.
However there are some saturated fats that are worse than others. Interestingly enough a saturated fat in beef and dark chocolate, stearic acid does not affect your LDL cholesterol at all. So stearic acid doesn’t help your body but it doesn’t hurt it either. Another saturated fat, lauric acid, while raise your LDL cholesterol but it also increases your HDL or good cholesterol. It can be concluded though that too much saturated fat is a problem so eat your chocolate and beef in moderation.
It is a good idea to try to avoid saturated fats and instead consume unsaturated fats. An unsaturated fat tends to be liquid at room temperature while saturated fats are solids at room temperature. They do not have the maximum amount of hydrogen’s in their structure and are more fluid and flexible. These unsaturated fats are good for your body and can make your heart stronger. Foods that are high in unsaturated fats include vegetable oils, avocado, fish, olives and nuts.
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