To control your weight and stay healthy, you should avoid fatty foods, right? No, it's not that simple! Fatty foods are all too often singled out as the cause of many health problems and overweight. However, contrary to popular belief, good dietary fat (lipids) is very beneficial to the body.
The problem is that we are so afraid of eating fat that we have forgotten our real enemy: sugar. In this article, we zoom in on fatty foods and the real reasons for your weight gain.
The misconceptions about fatty foods
There are too many myths about fatty foods and their negative effects on health. It's time to debunk these misconceptions that keep you from eating good fat.
"Dietary fat produces body fat "
We tend to believe that it is the fatty foods consumed daily that are then transformed into body fat, and create the bulges: false, fatty foods are not systematically stored in fat cells! Whether it is a lipid, carbohydrate or protein, any nutrient consumed in excess can be transformed into fat, and constitutes a danger to health. So it's time to stop pointing the finger at dietary fat as the reason for your body fat gain.
"Fatty foods promote overweight and cardiovascular disease"
Fatty foods are so feared that various diets are based on limiting or even eliminating fat from the diet.
The reason for this dislike of dietary fat is that many health experts advised avoiding fatty foods to prevent cardiovascular disease and lose weight in the 1980s and 1990s. Also, fatty foods are often associated with overweight because of their high calorie content, whereas weight gain is not just a matter of calories, it also depends on the quality of the food consumed.
Currently, more and more studies prove that eating fat is good for your health! You just have to know how to eat fatty foods !
Eat fat to stay healthy
Good fatty acids are essential for the body, as fat is involved in many vital functions:
- It helps the brain to function properly: the brain tissue of a human being is made up of almost 60% fat
- It absorbs nutrients
- Ensures the proper functioning of the lungs
- Strengthens the immune system
- Ensures good heart health
- Stabilises blood cholesterol levels
- Boosts energy
- Acts as an anti-inflammatory
As you can see, depriving yourself of fatty foods only puts your health at risk. But in order to enjoy the benefits of fatty acids on the body, they must be consumed correctly.
Eating fat every day: how to do it?
You need to eat good quality foods, those that give you all the nutrients you need.
Prefer "good fats "
The most important thing is to know the good fatty foods from the bad ones. Prefer virgin olive oil, and have at least one tablespoon every day. Also consume virgin walnut, rapeseed, linseed or camelina oil. Consider eating oily fish, walnuts, almonds, coconuts, or avocado. The key is to make sure you eat a balanced diet and avoid excesses.
Chase trans fatty acids
"Bad fats" should be limited or even banned from the diet. The most dangerous are the fatty acids from processed foods, which can be the source of many serious health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc. Examples include pastries, biscuits, crisps, pastries, etc. Make sure you limit your consumption of fatty meat and dairy products to no more than 2-3 times a week.
Insulin, the fat storage hormone
By focusing on the amount of fat on our plate, we have overlooked the effects of a much more dangerous enemy: sugar.
Controlling insulin secretion to stay fit
Keeping control of insulin production in the body is absolutely
essential, not only to keep fit, but also to be healthy. It is important
to know that excessive consumption of sugar causes a rise in blood sugar
levels, which releases insulin. This hormone is responsible for storing
carbohydrates in the muscles and liver, but when these carbohydrates are
in excess, they are transformed into fat , especially if there is little
physical exercise. Excessive insulin secretion favours weight gain and
can cause various pathologies.
Limiting carbohydrate foods for weight control
The best way to control weight and keep control of insulin secretion is to limit carbohydrate foods. Opt for natural sugar, they are present in fruit, honey or dairy products, and they are excellent for health.
On the other hand, you should absolutely avoid industrial sugar which is hidden in biscuits, cereals, jams, fizzy drinks, sweets and many other food products that we consume every day.
In short, fatty foods are not dangerous for your health and do not necessarily contribute to weight gain, on the contrary, they play vital functions in the body.
However, make sure you only eat "good fats", banish industrial products from your diet and, above all, avoid any excess. In fact, sugar does much more damage than fatty foods, not only by triggering insulin production, but also by being the source of many diseases. So go for natural sugar!
