subject: Weight Loss Truth: You Can Eat Fats on Fat Loss Programs [print this page] Many dieters, when embarking on fat loss programs, make the mistake of cutting fat almost completely from their diets. But this can have harmful repercussions for your body. The right kinds of dietary fats in the right amounts actually help your body to function at its prime.
In order to lose fat, you must eat fat, as backwards as that sounds. The key is to identify the healthy fats you can consume for weight loss, and then substitute the unhealthy fats in your diet with these healthy kinds.
For example, eliminating saturated fats may sound like a great idea, until you find that not all saturated fats are created equal. Coconut oil, which is a healthy saturated fat, actually provides benefits for your cardiovascular system. Read on for more healthy fats you should include in your diet:
Understanding MUFAs
MUFA is the nickname for monounsaturated fatty acid. Scientifically speaking, a MUFA has one double bond in the fatty acid chain and the rest of the acids in that chain have single bonds.
What you need to know for your diet is that these types of fat can provide great benefits to your overall health and wellbeing, such as lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol in your bloodstream while elevating HDL (good) cholesterol. Foods that contain MUFAs include olive oil, raw nuts such as walnuts, and avocadoes.
Understanding PUFAs
PUFA is the nickname for polyunsaturated fatty acid. Looking at the chemical composition of this kind of fat, it contains more than one double bond in its molecule.
For the purposes of a healthy diet, you should know that Omega-3 fatty acids are part of the PUFA family, and they offer tremendous cardiovascular benefits. They have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks, prostate cancer, and Lou Gehrig's disease. Foods that contain PUFAs include raw nuts, leafy greens, seeds, fish, algae, and krill.
Eliminating Bad Fats, Adding Good Fats
Dieters can incorporate these healthy fats into their diets in several ways. Rather than cook with canola oil, lard, or other unhealthy sources of fats, try using olive oil or coconut oil for cooking.
Avocadoes can be added to leafy green salads or organic omelets for a flavor and fat boost. Raw nuts and seeds are great for snacking on the go. These food products are readily available at high-end grocery stores, farmers' markets, and local health food stores and are worth seeking out for the nutritional power they provide.
Benefits of Eating Healthy Fats
Fat loss programs should include a variety of healthy fats to keep the body functioning at its prime. Your nerves, organs, and cells actually need fat to keep performing their duties properly. In addition, eating fat can contribute to feelings of satiety, or feeling satisfied after a meal. Satiety is an important concept in dieting, as feeling satiated can keep dieters satisfied will smaller portions and healthier foods without feeling deprived. This can also keep dieters from "falling off the wagon" and indulging in bad fats.
Weight Loss Truth: You Can Eat Fats on Fat Loss Programs
