Fat is one of the most popular "bad guys" in people's diets. Fat contains more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates and protein. A very high fat diet will almost certainly add pounds. However, if you eliminate all fat from your diet you'll suffer some serious negative consequences to your athletic performance. Here are a few pointers about fat.
Positive Aspects of Fat
Eating fat is not all bad. Fat is a source of aerobic energy (easy running), it transports the vitamins A,D,E, and K throughout the body, and it prolongs digestion by slowing down the stomach's secretions of hydrochloric (stomach) acid. In short, fat is an essential part of your diet.
How Much Fat You Should You Eat?
Most nutritionists say that 30% of our diet should contain fat. Others say below 25% or even 20%. To make this simple, if you consume 2000 calories in your diet (which is normal) you should consume no more than 65 grams of fat.
Saturated Fat
Saturated fat is really the bad half of fat. When you eat foods that contain fat, try to make sure that the saturated fat count is low. Saturated fats raise cholesterol, which is not a good thing. Saturated fats have also been shown to contribute to coronary heart disease, and other illnesses. Foods where saturated fats are found in high supply are red meat, milk, butter, coconut, and certain vegetable oils.
Unsaturated Fat
Unsaturated fata are the good half of fat. Make sure you choose foods that have a high ratio of unsaturated fat to saturated. Unsaturated fat contains two catergories, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. The mono variety actually have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated fats can be found in most natural oils, including olive and peanut oils. The polyunsaturated variety is also important. This kind of fat has been shown to lower total cholesterol. However, still be advised that unsaturated fats, be it mono or poly, are still jam-packed with calories. So just because your favorite ice cream has a lot of unsaturated fat compared to saturated, that doesn't mean you can eat the whole carton!
"Low Fat" Foods
I'm sure you've all seen the "low fat" oreo cookies, or the "low fat" Ben and Jerry's ice cream. While these products might be low fat, they're still high in calories. You see, to keep the relativly same flavor of these products without fat, the makers include lots and lots of sugar. So just because a product says it's low in fat, it doesn't mean you can go hog wild, and eat the whole box (Which I have been guilty of in the past!)
Olean
Some of you may have seen the new no fat potato chips. This chips contain a fat substitue called Olean. This fat substitute has been engineered not to cling on to our bodies like normal fat. What this means is that it goes right through us. In other words, if you eat these no fat chips, you're gonna pay for it (ie. cramping, blotting, and diarrea). I'd rather just eat the high fat variety!
Back to Nutrition
Home