Too Much Body Fat Is Unhealthy

It is generally known that too much body fat is not healthy and can increase one’s risk to Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. What is sometimes overlooked is that the fat stored in the body is essential to one’s overall health. For one thing, it is your fat stores that the body will resort to for its energy needs when it is deprived of food.

There is a reason why fats, and not carbohydrates, are the primary form of stored energy in the body. Glycogen, the energy which comes from carbohydrates, cannot be stored by the body in great amounts because it holds plenty of water and is too bulky. Fat cells, however, can be compressed and occupy less space because they hold no water. Also, they hold more energy than glycogen.

Some Fats Also Have The Ability To Tell You To Stop Eating

Fatty acids in certain foods are very useful to the body. One gram of oil can give twice as many calories compared with one gram of carbohydrates. Persons employed in jobs requiring strenuous physical exertion and those living in cold climates need to get plenty of fatty acids from their diet to maintain their body heat.

Some fats also have the ability to tell your body when to stop eating. These fats slow down the rate of digestion and send a signal to the satiety center in the brain. This explains why fatty foods make you feel fuller than other kinds of food.

Your Organs Are Protected By Your Fat

Fat also protects the organs inside your body from external trauma. Your vital organs are literally enveloped by cushions of fat that act as shock absorbers. The fat layer located underneath the skin shields the body from extremes of external temperature. Fatty acids also help the body by dissolving and extracting vital nutrients from the food that you eat.

So, far from being an out-and-out villain, fat is also essential to our diet. An abnormal fear of eating too much fat and putting on weight is usually associated with anorexia as well as other eating disorders. If you do have some extra weight, as long as it’s not too much, it is actually better for your health.

Healthy Fats Boast Your Body’s Metabolic Rate

Include foods with healthy fats in your diet. These fats boost your body’s metabolic rate and help it burn fat. They’re found in salmon, dairy products like real butter and eggs, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, and nuts. The bad fat, which gets stored in the body if it is not burned, is found in canola oil, margarine, and hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenated oil increases the levels of bad cholesterol and lowers the levels of good cholesterol, leading to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and coronary disease.