Can Eating the Right Type of Fat Improve Your Health?

Many of us are unaware of the different types of fat and what they do for our bodies. While most people associate the word fat with being overweight, the actual term defines a group of special molecules which are absolutely essential to our health.

Fats are broken up into three families: saturated, mono-unsaturated, and poly-unsaturated. Poly-unsaturated is further broken down to omega 3 and omega 6. Our bodies utilize all of these fats in different places. For instance, poly-unsaturated are typically used by the body parts that have the highest activity, such as the brain and the eyes. So the next question you might ask yourself is what are bad fats and how are they added into our diets?

Basically, unless a fat is whole, natural and unprocessed, it is considered bad. Good fats lose their health benefits when they are damaged by manufacturing companies through the use of heat, light, or oxygen. One example is partial hydrogenation, a process which gives oils longer shelf life. The high heat and chemicals damage the natural molecules and create trans fats which are harmful to the human body. Basically, no amount of trans fat is healthy. And since majority of the foods which we consume today have been processed, we get a lot more unhealthy molecules into our system. If we don’t get enough good fats into our diet, our bodies will eventually use the bad trans fat to maintain itself. This can lead to a many health problems, ranging anywhere from heart disease to cancer. Therefore, it is crucial to eat good fats. Simply make sure that your diet is comprised of many natural, unprocessed and whole foods. By eating the good molecules, you will not only feel better, but you will also be helping your body fight off disease.

Lauren S. Johnson writes health articles about fitness and nutrition.

Some of her favorite passions include studying the medicinal benefits of herbal remedies, diet pills, and hoodia gordonii.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lauren_S_Johnson