fabulous fats!

Fat is an annoying word. We all hear it and cringe a little. It's the main thing we think of when we discuss what we don't like about our bodies. "Oh, I'm too fat here" or " I'm eating a low fat diet"

But what is fat and how does it work. 

Well there are a gazzilion references for fats. Fats can be saturated, un-saturated, mono-unsaturated, trans and hydrogenated. It can get pretty confusing and involve a lot of big words that don't seem to explain anything at face value.

To put it simply it breaks down like this. Fats are made up of fatty acids, many of which are essential to good health. Fats can be categorized as SATURATED or UNSATURATED, which in easier terms can be remembered as ANIMAL FAT = SATURATED = BAD and VEGETABLE FAT = UNSATURATED = BETTER THAN BAD. 

I say "Better Than Bad" because FAT is FAT and though vegetable fat is better for you than animal fat, it still has a lot of FAT in it. So use all fats, even unsaturated ones sparingly. TRANS FATS, the big buzz word these days, means the fat has been processed or hydrogenated and the process makes it SUPER YUCKY for you so stay away from those.

Now why do we need FAT in our bodies if it is the very thing we are always trying to eliminate? Well, a certain amount of fat is necessary. Fat acts as an insulator in our body. It insulates nerves and cushions organs. It helps us digest Vitamins A, D, E, and K, all very important. Fat also helps us to have healthy skin and hair and it promotes proper cell function.

There are also some essential fatty acids which the body does not produce and so it is important to get them from our diets

So how to get the BETTER FATS? Start by dumping the butter. I know this totally stinks. I love to cook and I love how butter makes everything taste but save it for special cooking occasions. 

Switch to Extra Virgin Olive Oil and cut the required amount for recipes by 1/2. I have found, for most recipes, if I turn down the heat a little and use 1/2 the oil I get the same results.

Use cold pressed, unrefined oils like sunflower and sesame for dressings. A few other delicious and Better For You oils are Canola, Macadamia, Soybean and Walnut. 

More later.

xoxo

martha