Technology Slice

Low Fat

No doubt you know by now that dietary fat should be kept to a minimum and manageable level. Of course you should have some fat in your diet and it is necessary to a certain extent, but most people today eat too much fat too often. Dietary fat does play a necessary part in the body’s functions; it absorbs certain vitamins like A, D, E and K. These vitamins, after ingestion, are actually stored in the body’s fat deposits and tissue and so dietary fat helps in this absorption process.

But too much fat in the diet is very damaging. It leads to high cholesterol levels in the blood, a risk for heart disease, and may even be linked to some forms of cancer. If you can have less fat in your diet, especially those called saturated and trans fats, this will help you to eat healthier overall.

So food that are high in fat should be seen as occasional treats, not as a part of the diet’s foundation. As an example, most meats are high in fat so you need to choose leaner cuts when possible and then to trim excess amounts of fat from items like steak and roast beef.

Remember too that fat is very high in calories; it typically contains about twice the number of calories by weight and portion size than other dietary elements such as protein or carbohydrates. Most recommend that dietary fat should be limited to some 30% of your total daily calories, even less in some cases. If you cut back on the amount of fat in your diet you’re also cutting back on the number of calories as well. So this means you can lose weight and maintain a healthy weight when you control your fat intake.

Not all fats are created equal; there are saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are then monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Typically you should consider unsaturated fats as being healthier than saturated fats; the latter can raise your cholesterol and do other damage to your system not done by unsaturated fats. If you cut back on your saturated fats you can greatly reduce your cholesterol levels in the blood and protect yourself from many potential health problems.

Dairy products are the main source of saturated fats today; this includes milk and eggs. Meat is also another common source. Baked good are also typically full of saturated fats. These are added to keep them moist through the baking process.

Tags: Absorption Process, calories, cancer, Cholesterol, Elements, Excess Amounts, Extent, Fat Diet, Heart Disease, High Cholesterol Levels, Ingestion, Manageable Level, No Doubt, Portion Size, protein, risk, Roast Beef, Saturated Fats And Unsaturated Fats, Trans Fats, Vitamins
Posted in Health