Types of Fatty Foods

We're all familiar with our cravings! Where not being able to tear our looks away from a batch of cookies or a pound of steak, is impossible. Ever wondered how much 'bad fat' is packed in most of your favorite food options? Wondering why those love handles or stubborn pot bellies refuse to melt away even if the gym is where you spend half your time at?

Even when you have an active lifestyle, an overload of fat can deter your effort of wanting to cut down on your weight. Here we will explain why 'bad fat' needs to be cut down to a minimum, and 'good fats' significantly increased in your diet.

Here are some of the important functions of the right amount of fat in your body:

• Fat is a source of energy.
• Fat acts as a carrier for essential fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, D, E and K and aids the supply/circulation of these vitamins throughout the body.
• Fat acts as a protective cushion that protects the vital organs of the body.

• The fat also includes essential fatty acids which are beneficial to the cardiac health as well as your immune system.

There are several types of fats, and hence it is imperative to know which kind of fats should be included in your diet. Fats are divided into two main groups of saturated and unsaturated fats.

Unsaturated fat is the 'good fat'. Consumption of unsaturated fats is usually because of its vegetable sources. Unsaturated fat molecules are liquid at room temperature. Unsaturated fat are further divided as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

The saturated fat leads to one's increased 'bad cholesterol' (LDL) levels that results in their adverse negative health effects. It is solid at room temperature. Another type of fat, which is worse than saturated is trans fat. This is the deadliest type of fat, as it not only increases 'bad cholesterol' level but also reduces 'good cholesterol' (HDL) level.

It is advisable that less than 7% of saturated fat be consumed within a day, and less than 1% of trans fat. Most fatty foods exceed these limits, therefore it is wiser to cut down on these fats to once a week of indulgence than on a regular basis.

Excess consumption of fatty foods especially the ones containing 'bad fats' will have adverse effects on your health. For one, excess consumption of saturated fat clubbed with a sedentary lifestyle will result in obesity. Obesity itself is linked with several diseases and is a disturbing health factor in the United States.

Some of the common disorders associated with obesity are an increased risk of heart problems, type II diabetes, gallbladder disease, hypertension, and even osteoarthritis. Consumption of excess amounts of saturated fats is also one of the major reasons for increased levels of 'bad cholesterol'.

Excess of cholesterol leads to atherosclerosis which involves building up of cholesterol on the walls of arteries which can obstruct blood flow and hamper its course, which can lead to a myocardial infarction, or even an heart attack.