Fats together with carbohydrates have been marked wrongly as being completely unhealthy. This is not so as some types of fats have been proven to be good for our minds and our bodies. On the food pyramid, you are allowed only certain amounts of fats for healthy living.

Simply put fats are nutrients from different foods which helps the body in many ways such as building tissues, producing hormones, as well as providing energy to the body. Fats also act as the body’s reserve food for future use, this is because the body stores the fats that have not digested or used up as fuel for rainy days. It’s something that your body has learned to do down through the history of man, as far back as the Stone Age and beyond.

Fat is also important as it gives food a great flavor and texture. The only bad thing about fats is that they are high in calories and therefore when taken in excess like any other food group may result to health problems.

There are several types of fats which include:
1)    Unsaturated fats: these are considered as healthy fats as they are beneficial to the body and especially the heart. They are derived from plants and fish. There are three types of unsaturated fats:
•    monounsaturated, these are in fruits like found in avocados and olives, different nuts (peanuts, walnuts, cashew nuts) peanut, and also canola oils
•    polyunsaturated,  these are mostly derived form vegetables like corn and sunflower
•    omega-3 fatty acids, these are derived from fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines and even albacore.

2)    Saturated fats: these types of fats are derived from meat and other animal products such as milk eggs, cheese and butter. Other sources of this type of fat include coconut oil and palm oils. Too much of this type of fats may cause high cholesterol and more often than not increase the risk of getting heart disease.

3)    Trans fats: this type of fat is found in margarine, many baked products, fried foods (junk foods) like saturated fats they are also high in cholesterol. Trans fats in processed foods like margarine, shortening and any product containing hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils of any kind should be avoided for best health. Trans fats have been clinically proven to be far worse than any other type of fat, especially when combined with large amounts of carbohydrates as found in things like flour, sugar and starches.

The new food pyramid places a lot of emphasis on taking more unsaturated fats and less of the other types due to the health implications. If you’re trying to undergo a healthy cleanse of your body then you should really try and steer clear of bad fats altogether. You are really trying to help your body to become a better working machine and the best way of doing this is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, less fatty protein-rich foods like lean meats and beans, and to drink plenty of water.

Photo: Beth Rankin

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Tags: food pyramid, healthy cleanse, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, trans fat