 What Does Healthy Fat Do?
Why It's Essential for Healthy Weight Loss
With New Year’s Resolutions in full swing, you are probably knee-deep in research about different diets and what will work best for you.
Even with a wealth of knowledge, you may be still confused about what nutrients you need and don’t need. With so many people looking to lose weight in the new year, people are cutting calories and cutting fat, just so they can reach their goals.
Cutting bad fat is essential to losing weight, but what about healthy fat? Any good diet requires the presence of healthy fats. Here are some reasons why…
1. Healthy Fat Helps Control Hunger
After we eat foods that contain fat, they tend to linger in our stomachs for a while.
Good fats, like those found in fatty fish like salmon and tuna, and in certain nuts and vegetables, can help us feel fuller, longer. Not only do these foods help control your hunger, but these “good fats” are good for your cholesterol, your heart and your overall health.
“Bad fat” often known as trans fat and saturated fat, is found in foods like high-fat cuts of meat (beef, pork), in whole-fat dairy products, and in packaged snack foods (crackers, chips, cookies).
These type of fats only satisfy you for a little while, whereas good fats help control your hunger between meals for a longer period of time.
2. Healthy Fat Helps Promote a Healthy Metabolism
In addition to an adequate intake of protein and carbohydrates, your body needs fat in order to maintain a steady metabolism.
Healthy fats are actually what help give your metabolism the boost it needs to rid your body of unwanted, excess body fat. Your body doesn’t naturally just rid itself of the excess fat you are eager to shed.
If there isn’t enough nutrition in the foods you consume (including healthy fat), your body will essentially cannibalize off its lean mass for the energy to burn its fat mass. This is why a well-balanced diet is so essential when it comes to promoting a healthy and effective metabolism.
3. Healthy Fat Helps Carry the Good Stuff
Other than helping your metabolism stay on track, healthy fat is one of your body’s best transporters.
Fat molecules are actually responsible for transporting several different vitamins and minerals through your body. Vitamins A, D, E and K are actually known as fat-soluble vitamins, and are necessary for good health.
Inadequate intake of vitamin A, for example, can cause blindness and other problematic conditions. Without vitamin D, your bones can become weak and brittle, and without vitamin E, you could experience changes in your blood and muscular problems.
4. Healthy Fat Helps Protect
Other than promoting a healthy metabolism, and transporting healthy vitamins, healthy fat also helps insulate and protect your vital organs.
Even if you have a smaller frame, most “thinner” people will have at least 10% body fat just for these reasons.
Fat serves as a cushion for your vital organs and protects them from being bounced around and from any type of trauma.
For more tips from our experts, please visit our healthy facts section for more information.
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