Fat: What's all the fuss about?
What do you think about when you hear the word fat?
Do you have positive or negative feelings attached to the word?
Interestingly when you put the word fat into a google image search you are surrounded by millions of pictures of bellies in under 0.71 of a second.
First image in search taken from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313130
Frustrating as when I search the word fat I am looking for something completely different.
I am looking at the macro-nutrient that is vital for our health BUT we have been sold the myth for many years that it is our enemy.
Low fat products and processed fats can be found in abundance in our supermarkets.
Low fat products - usually crammed with artificial sweeteners to make them taste half decent and processed spreads that will last forever in our fridge’s have been marketed as the better, ‘healthier’ option. But is this really the case?
Lets explore fats. I wonder what your view will be at the end of this piece?
What is fat?
Dietary fat it is an important macro nutrient that the body needs for 00’s of different functions in the body.
This is how important it is …. 60% of the brain is estimated to be made-up of fat and every cell in the body needs fat in its outer layer.
Fat is essential so it is not surprising that if we don’t include the right fats in the right amounts we then start to see changes in our bodies.
There are a number of types of fats that you will have heard about:
monounsaturated
polyunsaturated
saturated
trans
hydrogenated
Lets explore these a bit further.
Monounsaturated fats
Mother nature hasn’t made it easy for us when thinking about fats as most sources are a mixture of the different fats BUT most monounsaturated fats are plant based and can be found in nuts, seed and their oils - the ones that produce the lighter coloured oils.
We are thinking olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, canola oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, avocados, almonds, macadamia, pecans, hazelnuts and olives.
Monounsaturated is a term to label the structure of the fat - mono meaning one and refers to the number of double bonds this fat has. So it has one double bond and the rest are single. This means that the fats/oils are liquid at a lower temperature and have a low viscosity (thickness)
You might also here the term MUFA which just means Monounsaturated Fatty Acids.
Monounsaturated fats aid in good health in several ways.
aid cell regulation. Support the cell membrane and structure
contain high levels of vitamin D (a hormone that regulates calcium levels), build stronger bones and supports immune function
heart disease. The National Institutes of Health reported that monounsaturated fats can help decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in your blood. Keeping your LDL level low reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke
diabetes. A growing body of research indicates that the high MUFA diet could be considered an alternative to a low-fat high carb diet in patients with type 2 diabetes.
improvements in energy levels and mood. One study has shown that having more monounsaturated fats in your diet improves energy levels, resting energy expenditure plus they have a positive effect on mood reducing the bouts of being angry
Polyunsaturated fats
Polyunsaturated fats are plant based and animal based and one of the fats we hear the most of fits in here - Omega 3
We are thinking vegetable oils, walnuts and Brazil nuts, as well as poppy, flax, and chia seeds. Almonds and olive oil also have high levels of polyunsaturated fats plus oily fish, dairy, eggs, meats and poultry.
Polyunsaturated is a term to label the structure of the fat - poly meaning two or more double bonds this fat has. So it has at least two double bond and the rest are single. This means that the fats/oils are liquid at a lower temperature and have a low viscosity (thickness)
You might also here the term PUFA which just means Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids.
Polyunsaturated fats can help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Having low LDL cholesterol reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Fats are required to support hormone balance and production. If our hormones are not in balance we can see problems in the system that the hormones support e.g. leptin and hunger.
Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 and omega-6 fats. These are essential fatty acids that the body needs importantly for both brain function and cell growth plus heart health. We need to get essential fatty acids from food as our body can’t make them..
Polyunsaturated fats aid in good health in several ways:
nerve function
blood clotting
brain health
muscle strength
vitamin E (immunity and heart health)
protection against inflammatory diseases
heart health
Saturated Fats
These are the ones we only need to include in small amounts but tend to be the ones we eat more because the not only can it be found in dairy, fatty meats, dried coconut, avocado and poultry with the skin on BUT also in cakes, biscuits and pastries.
These are the fats that are usually solid at room temperature.
It was once thought that eating saturated fats would drastically increase your risks of increasing LDL cholesterol increasing your chances of heart disease and stroke. The demonization of saturated fat was based on the theory that it raised LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is thought can block arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
However new evidence suggests that saturated fat may not be directly linked to raised LDL cholesterol.
Eating excess energy can contribute to obesity, which itself is a risk factor for heart disease. Often sugar has replaced fats in peoples diets and it is the sugar not the saturated fats that are the problem.
Small amounts of saturated fats in our diet support brain health and important in immunity linked to how they can be broken down into short-chain fatty acids.
Trans fats and Hydrogenated fats
When we think of these fats we are thinking of those that are created when fats have been processed to make them more stable. It involves heat and pressure being used to add hydrogen to cooking oils. The oil then becomes solid at room temperature. This product is then used to stabilized food allowing for a longer shelf life and less likelihood of the food spoiling.
The disadvantages of this process is that it makes polyunsaturated fats more saturated, lowering their health benefits. In trans fats the molecules may remain unsaturated but the shape changes and this different shape affects their function in your body, our bodies don’t recognise them and struggle to work with them.
The UK Government have encouraged food manufactures in the UK to cut down the use of trans fats but there is no outright ban and it is up to manufactures to decide if they use them or not.
These fats have been linked to a number of health problems and should be avoided. One of the biggest effects they have are on the brain and the nervous system as they become part of the cell membranes which then alters the ability of neurons to communicate. If eating processed food looking closely at the labelling - emulsifiers, partially hydrogenated oils/fats, shortening, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids are all trans fats.
They can be found in:
Margarines
Spreadable butters
Vegetable oils
Cakes
Doughnuts
Pastries
Ice cream
Bread
Fast food
Natural trans fats can be found in small amounts in dairy and animal products such as tallow. Natural trans fats are not thought to have the harmful effects of processed trans fats which has multiple disease risks associated with it.
Low fat diets and the menopause
Menopause is not the time to be going on faddy, restrictive diets. It is the time to be nourishing our bodies to build-up our health banks for the future.
Fat is essential for 00’s of function in the body - 60% of our brain is fat; every cell in our body needs fat for structure and function; key vitamins cannot be absorbed if we are not eating them with fat; fat supports our metabolism, hormone product, heart health, skin health, the list goes on.
When we start to understand what fat does in our bodies we can then start to understand how some of our menopause symptoms can be linked to either the lack of the right fats in our diets or an abundance of those trans or hydrogenated ones.
We need to make sure that we are eating the right fats - so out with the highly processed fats and in with the natural and cold pressed.
Like everything we need to think about what our actual needs are. That is why Nutritional Therapy is perfect as it is an personalised approach that looks at you as a whole creating a way of eating that is as unique as you are.
What it means for me?
Now might be the time to assess what you are eating and what types of fats that you are including or not including.
Are you limiting fats? Are you including to many processed low fat products?
Aim for some fats every day that are either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.
Include a little saturated fat over the week.
Make sure you are getting omega 3 - oily fish (smaller fish) 3 times per week and chia or hemp every day.
AVOID all trans and hydrogenated fats.
Look to see how your symptoms change once you have started to make changes in your diet.
Are you seeing improvements in brain fog, anxiety, memory, joint health and skin appearance?
If you are still struggling knowing what you should be including in your diet then why not get in touch I can support either in 1-1 consultations or join one of my small group programs that I run at various points over the year.
Take home message
Fats have a role in our diets.
Some fats should be include everyday day - mainly the plant based fats.
Some need to be included a number of times every week - oily fish.
Some fats need to be included more sparingly - saturated fats.
Some need to be avoided at ALL costs - processed fats including spreadable butters or olive oils.
If you are still confused and would like a one off support session for you to ask all those burning questions about food, for me to look at your diet now and make some simple, easily actionable recommendations then why not book a DIET REVAMP? To find out a little more click the link HERE
Looking forward to hearing from you soon and supporting you on your menopause journey,
Lesley xx