Obesity is a big problem nowadays and it has mainly to do with our habit of unhealthy eating as well as the lack of exercise. Possible ways of losing weight is one of the most keenly discussed topics at various forums and gatherings. The key to losing weight successfully is to change our unhealthy habits, which translates to eating the right food and having a regular exercising regime. It is easier said than done and calls for a strong will on part of the person to follow the routine.
One of the components of unhealthy diet is eating food that has high amount of fat. Junk food, which is very popular across all age groups, is very high in fats and directly contributes to obesity. Hence, one of the ways of losing weight successfully is to eat foods that are low in fat and to combine it with regular exercise. Though the rate of weight loss in this case will be slower when compared to the popular 'slimming' diets, this weight loss will be permanent. The process of eating low fat food can be initiated right from your own kitchen by cooking food with reduced amount of fat using lean meat, vegetables and grains.
The key to ensuring that you successfully follow the low fat diet is to cook food that is low in fat and at the same time is good tasting as well so that you do not compromise on taste. Though it does take extra effort, it is surely worth it. You can create your own meal plan comprises of items that use low fat cooking, low fat grilling and low fat baking. Since cooking involves a great amount of effort and time, it would be of great help if you can convince your family members also to adopt a low fat diet plan. This will eliminate the need of cooking two types of food in the house and at the same time, it will not leave you wanting for the delicious steaks and deep fried beans that the rest of the family might be having! All the members in the family will then rally around each other to ensure that everyone continues to follow the same low fat diet plan. Having others around you following a similar lifestyle will surely help you keep up your resolve to follow healthy eating habits and maintain that 'good looking'you, almost forever.
High consumption of fat or of the combination fat and carbohydrates causes obesity, heart disease and other health problems. However the different types of fat have very different effects on the health. Here is a survey of the different fat categories and their effects:
Mono-unsaturated fat (omega-9-mono-unsaturated fat) - This type of fat prevents heart disease and circulatory disease in moderate amounts.This type of fat also reduces inflammatory reactions in moderate amounts. Therefore it reduces the risk of cancer, intestinal inflammations and rheumatism.
Omega-3-poly-unsaturated fat - This type of fat prevents heart disease and reduces inflammatory reactions in moderate amounts. Therefore it also reduces the risk of cancer, intestinal inflammations and rheumatism.
Omega-6-poly-unsaturated fat - This fat type prevents heart disease if you do not consume too much of it. However it causes inflammatory reactions. This type of reactions are benign when they are moderate and when they are provoked to fight disease. But a constant high inflammatory response is dangerous, and can cause rheumatism, heart trouble and cancer. A very high consumption of this type of fat is therefore dangerous.
Saturated fat - This type of fat is probably not dangerous in small amounts. In higher amounts, saturated fat gives high cholesterol levels, causes clogging of the blood vessels, causes coronary heart disease and increases the risk of infarct of the heart and other organs.
Cholesterol - Cholesterol is a fat-like compound found in the food, but also synthesized from saturated fat by the body. High intake of saturated fat or of cholesterol itself therefore elevates the cholesterol level in the body. Cholesterol is a necessary compound, but in higher amounts it causes clogging of the blood vessels, causes coronary heart disease and increases the risk of infarct of the heart and other organs.
Trans-fat - This type of fat is produced by chemical processing to yield specific mechanical properties. Margarine often contains this type of fat. This type of fat is dangerous, and is a probably a causal component for heart disease and cancer. There is however one exception: Some amount of fat containing the trans acid conjugated linoleic acid seem to be benevolent for the skin health and may help reduce weight. Conjugated linoleic acid is found in milk and butter.
COMMON PROBLEMS OF THE AVERAGE DIET
The average American and European diet generally contains too much fat and carbohydrates combined. The fat consumed is generally a mixture of trans fat, saturated fat and omega-6-poly-usaturated fat. This bad fat consume causes overweight and is probably a major contributing component for the incidence of heart disease, cancer, intestinal inflammatory diseases, rheumatism and other inflammatory conditions.
RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF FAT IN THE DIET:
A common advice is to let 25-30 % of the energy needed be covered by fat and the rest by carbohydrates. However, experts do not agree at his point. Some recommend a low carbohydrate diet with more fat, and others recommend a high carbohydrate diet with a low fat amount.
In either case, the combined intake of fat and carbohydrates should not be much higher than your daily energy consumption if you have a normal or wanted weight. If you want to loose weight, this combined amount must be lower. If you want to gain weight, it should be higher.
THE RIGHT MIXTURE OF FAT TYPES
The right mixture of different fat types is as important as the amount of fat in the diet to keep good health. However, you must not take the percent ratios given here too literally, since there is little agreement about the exact ratios that should be recommended. Furthermore, if you have an active lifestyle that demands much energy, this is best achieved by increasing the amount of carbohydrates and mono-unsaturated fat.
Mono-unsaturated fat - Ideally as much as 35% of the fat consumption should be from this type of fat. You can find this fat in olive oil, rape oil (raps oil), canola oil, almonds and almond oil..
Omega-6-poly-unsaturated fat - 30 % of the fat consumption should be from this fat type. You find it in soy oil and corn oil.
Omega-3-poly-unsaturated fat and omega-9-poly-usatureted fat - 20 % of the fat consumption should be this type. You find it in fish oil and in fat fish. If you suffer from inflammatory conditions like rheumatism and intestinal inflammation, you will probably benefit from increasing the amount of this fat type, and reduce the amount of other fat types.
Saturated fat - Not more than 15 % of the fat consumption should be saturated fat. Saturated fat is found in fat from mammals, coconut fat and in milk.
Cholesterol - The cholesterol level in the body depends upon the combined amount of consumed cholesterol itself and saturated fat. To keep the cholesterol level right, you should not consume too much saturated fat, and not very much of food containing cholesterol, like eggs and spawn.
Trans-fat - This type of fat should ideally not be a part of the diet at all. Margarine, cookies, snacks and often also bread contain this type of fat. It is therefore important to reduce consume of margarine, cookies, snacks, and to check the composition of the bread you consume.
Conjugated linoleic acid - This is perhaps the only trans fat acid that is benevolent in some amount. It is found in natural milk fat, and you can buy dietary supplements of this substance. A small amount of this substance may help keep your skin healthy and may help you to reduce weight.
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