dietary fats
Are you still avoiding fats out of fear it’s not good for you? You need a certain amount of healthy fat in your diet. Here are five reasons not to fear dietary fat and how to make sure you’re choosing the right type.
Fat gets a bad rap. Most people equate it with the jiggly stuff that makes their thighs look less firm and covers up their six-pack. The reality is dietary fat is an important part of any diet even if you’re trying to lose body fat. Despite the fact that fat is more calorie-dense than carbohydrates or protein, it helps you feel full so you eat less.
Trans fats are still common in processed foods of all sorts: cookies, pastries and snack food are likely to contain them. Regulations say that trans fat should be listed as an ingredient in the US, but foods which were already in production before 2006 are not covered. So a label might not state ‘trans fat’ in those words. The words to watch for are ‘hydrogenated’ and ‘partly hydrogenated’.
Despite their reputation for causing weight gain, fats serve a useful purpose in the body. Find out why you need dietary fats and why a very low-fat diet can be unhealthy.
