There are two types of fats that are part of our diets. Harmful fats increase blood cholesterol levels, clog arteries, increase fat storage and healthy fats that increases energy, stimulates fat burning and muscle-building hormones, improves insulin function, improves skin texture and strengthens the joints.

In the past two decades, a lot of people have cut out fats from their diets with the introduction of fat free foods not knowing that not all fat free products are as healthy as claimed by their manufacturers and that fat is essential to health.

The disadvantage of fat-free foods is that they are high in refined sugar contents, one of the contributory factors of unregulated insulin production, obesity metabolic slow down.

Fat helps slow down the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream to prevent high blood sugar and insulin levels. Zero fat inhibits fat/weigh and zaps your energy levels.

Advantages of Eating Healthy Fats

-Inhibits the body’s starvation response because zero fat intake also triggers the body’s self preservation starvation response.

-Contributes to the maintain the body’s slow release of carbohydrate nutrients into the bloodstream and regulates blood sugar levels.

-Regulates a constant release of insulin into the bloodstream to prevent storage of fat in muscles and tissues.

-Does not cause hormonally induced hungers and cravings due to highly fluctuating blood sugar levels due to the total absence of fat in the diets.

-Ensures the body a regular supply of essential fatty acids (EFA).

Disadvantages of Excessive Fat Intake

Although it is safe to eat healthy fats as opposed to harmful fats, excessive fat intake even of the healthy variety is considerably damaging to the body. Too much of anything is not a healthy option.

Regardless of the type of fat you eat, always keep your overall fat intake low preferably at the 20% level of your daily calorie requirements.

-Fats are more calorie dense than other types of food. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories compared to carbohydrates and proteins which contain only 4 calories. Therefore, the more fatty types of food you eat the higher the percentage of fat is stored in the body.

-Fats have the lowest thermic property (3%) compared to carbohydrates and proteins. This means only 3% of the total fat intake is digested and absorbed into the body and the remaining 97% are stored as body fat!

-Certain types of fat like saturated and processed fats (trans-fatty acids) are linked to the cause serious health problems like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

-A high fat diet negates the balanced diet approach for fat loss and a healthy lifestyle.

-Unnecessary fats reduce the muscles’ sensitivity to insulin resulting to blood sugar build up in the body. This is not only detrimental to your fat loss efforts but also dangerous to your health.

-Dietary fats are more easily stored as body fat than any other type of nutrient because it does not require any energy conversion; it is composed of glycerol and fatty acids, exactly the same chemical make up of body fats making it very easy to store unlike complex carbohydrates and lean proteins. Moreover, dietary fats are not efficient fuel sources for high intensity aerobic/workout activities.

-Excessive dietary fat does not promote muscle growth. Making your nutrition program high fat requires sacrificing lean proteins and carbohydrates quantities which are the main sources of macronutrients for muscle buildup.