FATS !! The Good, the Bad & the ugly
Everyone is confused about fats ?
Are they good for me…. bad for me and how much should i have ??
We will cover the basics for you in this post
Ill keep it simple so to avoid confusion
fats can be simplified into
unsaturated ( fish, nuts )
monounsaturated ( olive oil , avocado)
saturated ( butter, coconut oil, ghee, fatty meat, dairy )
TRANS FATS — the dirty little secret ( margarine )
We need all 3 for all round health, hormone function, brain health, skin, hair, nails, joint health, vitamin absorption
So they are kind of important you could say !!
But wont fats make me fat ?
YES & NO, Fats are calorie dense at 9 calories per gram compared to 4 with protein and carbohydrates so eating lots of fat can quickly add up and put you into a calorie surplus and therefore weight gain !!
Fats need to be factored into your daily calorie maintenance figure for your weight, activity level and goals, but are essential so done avoid them.
One particular area i will single out is the omega 3 fatty acids found in oily fish mainly which are EPA & DHA.
These are traditionally the ones we are deficient in unless you have lots of mackerel, sardine, anchovy, salmon in your diet.
These are massively important in brain heath (DHA ) and inflammation and recovery ( EPA ), hormone function and insulin sensitivity which is important when it comes to body composition and blood sugar maintenance.
But i don’t like those oily fish !!!!
Lots of people dont hence the common deficiency and sadly flax and walnuts don’t quite cut it in this regards so sadly its a high quality fish oil daily supplement ( do not buy cheap quality oxidised fish oils ) brands such as purepharma and healthspan do quality options.
If you want better brain function or suffer mild depression high daily doses of DHA rich supplements have shown real promise in recent studies
When it comes to the other categories are far easier to get from everyday food and deficiencies aren’t common.
Adding small amounts nuts & seeds, olive oil or small amounts of avocado & REAL butter to foods and having small, i repeat small amounts of coconut oil and butter in the diet will cover the other bases.
Trans fat are linked to cancer and any other disease you can think of. These are similar in structure to plastic and basically should not be eaten if health is important to you !
HOW MUCH DO I NEED ?
It is down to your needs based on bodyweight and activity
for example
male needing 2000 calories per day maintenance
protein 30%
carbs 40%
fats 30%
666 calories per day of fat
so divide by 9 gives us 74 grams per day and currently no more than 20-30g of this should be from saturates.
The above example of 30% of calories from fat is just a guide. Some people have more than 30 and some less but i wouldnt go below 20% of total calories from fat.
Dont avoid fats
Have more omega 3 fats
Watch total saturated fat intake
Avoid trans fats !!
Hope that is helpful