Fats, often known as lipids are in all likelihood the most misinterpreted macronutrient of all. When many people visualize fat, the very first thing that comes to mind are burgers, junk food, heart problems, deep-fried food and overall unhealthiness. Though it may be possible that if you overeat fat, you may bump into health problems including cardiac disease, however, fats are vital to both muscle development and truth be told, weight loss. Each gram of fat has roughly nine calories, which is certainly greater than double the calories a gram of healthy proteins or carbohydrate offers, this shows that foods are having substantial amounts of very fat calorie rich, which may be helpful while bulking.
Benefits of Fat
Hormone production, provide calorie storage for the body, provide insulation, healthy skin and great source of energy.
There are three types of fats; they include:
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats possess a chemical structure whereby the carbon atoms are drenched with hydrogen atoms. They are solid fats at room temperature. Saturated fats can be found naturally in different foods; the greater part occur mostly from animal supplies, such as meat and milk products. Some examples include beef, pork, cheese, and other dairy products produced from low-fat milk.
Such saturated foods contain a lot of dietary cholesterol. They cause an increased level of blood cholesterol that puts you at a risk of heart problems and stroke. Saturated fats are the main reason that almost everyone is avoiding the healthy intake of fat. It’s highly recommended to consume fats, but you should reduce saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of your required total daily calories.
Unsaturated Fats
Unsaturated fats are of two kinds, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats. The monounsaturated fats are mostly liquid at room temperature but solidify at cold temperature. This type of fat is often preferred to other types of fat, and they can be found in olive oils, canola oils and avocados. According to research, monounsaturated fats help to reduce bad cholesterol in the body and promote useful and healthy cholesterol. On the other hand, polyunsaturated fats are also liquid at room temperatures but are found in cottonseed oil, corn and soybean oil. Although they help to reduce bad cholesterol and increase healthy cholesterol, an excessive intake of it can reduce the healthy cholesterol in your body. Unsaturated fats should always be found in your diet in the form of olives and omega-3 supplements and nuts. They are healthy and very useful to the body. See chart below to see where to find them.
Trans Fats
These are typically the most horrible type of fats, they just do not occur purely in life and didn't even exist in the 19th century. Trans fat is produced artificially in industries where solid fat is needed. It’s produced by the addition of hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils. They are obviously worse than the saturated fats and entirely unhealthy for the body. They increase the bad cholesterol in the body and totally reduce the good cholesterol. The risk of heart problems associated with Trans fat is very high. Trans fat can be found in most highly refined food such as pizza dough, margarine, hamburgers and frozen treats.
The required Fat Intake
The necessary fat intake by each depends on the goal of that person. Everyone has different goals and requirements. The general rule for health benefits is 20-30% of your total daily calories should be gotten from fat, mostly from unsaturated fats. But if you’re a sports guy following a low carb diet, then it’s recommended you raise your fat intake and compensate for the lack of calories and vice versa.
Understanding cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all cells of the body.
Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. However, cholesterol also is found in some of the foods you eat.
Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream in small packages called lipoproteins. These packages are made of fat (lipid) on the inside and proteins on the outside.
Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body: low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Having healthy levels of both types of lipoproteins is important.
--- LDL cholesterol sometimes is called “bad” cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a build-up of plaque in your arteries sometimes causing Atherosclerosis.
(Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your body.)
--- HDL cholesterol sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your liver removes the cholesterol from your body.