Good vs. Bad Fats

In order to see real results when you’re working out, your diet is really important. A healthy diet is all about balancing your macro-nutrients. These are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Some people try to cut carbs and fats out of their diets in order to lose weight but they don’t understand how crucial they are to your health. For one, carbohydrates give you energy and help with brain functioning. Without carbs, it can be harder for you to train and stay focused in the gym. It is all about choosing the carbs that are beneficial to your health and not useless carbs like white bread and white rice. Second, fats are really important because they keep your joint movements fluid and allow your skin to sit on top of your muscles. Everyone needs fats to live, but of course there is a difference between the good and bad fats.

There are four different types of fats. (saturated, trans fat, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated)

Bad Fats :( 

Saturated Fats: Saturated fats means fats that are solid at room temperature. These are bad because they clog arteries and actually stay in a solid form in your body. It is harder to break down and a lot of this can lead to further health problems. Examples of these fats include: cake, cookies, pork and cheese. Saturated fats should only take up 10% of your daily caloric intake.

Trans Fat: This is a type of unsaturated fat, which are uncommon in nature but can be created artificially. Food makers use artificial trans fats to enhance the flavor, texture, and shelf life of processed foods. You might have seen those trans fats listed as "partially hydrogenated oils.” Trans fat can lead to heart disease and high cholesterol. Trans fat is usually found in fast food.

Good Fats :)

Polyunsaturated Fats: This is a type of fat that is beneficial to your health and body. They are also proven to help lower your LDL (bad cholesterol). Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 and omega-6 fats. These are essential fatty acids that the body needs for brain function and cell growth. Our bodies don't make essential fatty acids, so you can only get them from food. Some examples of these are fish, safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean oils, flax seeds and nuts. If you don't care for fish, then taking a fish oil supplement each day would be extremely beneficial for your health. 

Monounsaturated Fats: This is another type of fat that is beneficial to your diet and can help promote weight loss. These fats are essential in dieting because they can help you slim down. Also, it is essential for the prevention of heart disease. Some examples of these include oils like olive oil, canola oils, avocados, olives, almond butter, certain granola, dark chocolate, etc. You should always be cooking with oils instead of butter because butter is loaded with saturated fat.

It is important that while you are grocery shopping, you look at the content on the nutrition labels to understand the type of fats that are in the foods you are buying. You shouldn't get more than 25-30% of your daily calories from fats. So for example, based on a 2,000 calorie diet, you wouldn't want more than 55-65 grams of fat per day.