4/23/11
The past two blogs I wrote have focused upon the need to balance your intake of carbohydrates and protein. The combination of these three energy substrates plus water help to sustain our bodies as we interact in our environment.
The focus over the past few years has been on the relationship of fat calories in our diet, so much so that most foods are now made with no/low fat. Unfortunately as a result of this change, the natural flavor that fat would give to various foods has been replaced by sugar, namely high fructose corn syrup, now being marketed as as corn sugar.
Despite popular belief, fat is necessary in our diets to help us process hormones, maintain the lipid (fat) membrane around cells, maintain a storage facility for extra calories and to also to insulate the vital organs that protect our organs.
So how should we relate to fat to our present day diets? Firstly, let's take into account the oils and fats that we use in cooking.
There are three types of oils: Mono unsaturated, poly unsaturated and saturated fats.
Monounsaturated: Olive oil
poly unsaturated: soybean oil
saturated: butter
The caloric value of fat itself is 9 calories per gram. So regardless of what type of oil you use it's still going to be 9 calories. To give you perspective. Carbohydrates and Protein both are 4 calories per gram of food stuff. So it behooves you to minimize poor oils from your diet. Notice I didn't say all oils. Just the oils that are lower on the saturated fat scale such as coconut,palm,cottonseed,peanut. Contrary to public belief,butter is pretty good for you--serving size portions taken into account.
To be honest, our bodies prefer fat as a primary fuel of energy. The density of energy in the fat molecules during long periods of food restriction or long workouts can sustain the body for long period of times. So we don't want to eliminate it, just reduce it to a healthy level.
Ideally, total fat grams is less than 20 -25 grams per day. You can read labels and record this or you can make it easy by eating a serving size portion of food.
So to summarize the above in its simplest terms: Enjoy flavorful foods that contain fat, but be conscious of how much you consume. Your body appreciates it.
A. Pigott D.C
NEXT LEVEL Personal Fitness Systems
