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'Good
Fats Vs. Bad Fats: How to accelerate fat loss, increase muscle growth,
and boost your metabolism by eating the right fats at the proper
ratios in particular times'
A
small dose of ‘healthy fats’ is very important!
It
is well known that by adding the wrong
kind
of fats to your diet can increase your blood cholesterol, clog your
arteries, increase fat storage and wreak total havoc in your body. On
the other hand, by adding the right
kind
of fats can increase your energy, increase fat burning, increase
muscle-building hormones, increase your strength, improve insulin
function, improve your skin texture and strengthen your joints. With
benefits like these good fats sound like some kind of wonder drug, and
in many respects, the effects are
almost “drug-like.” Surprisingly, these miraculous benefits can be
obtained simply by eating small amounts of foods or oils rich in the
healthy good fats.
Why
you should always eat a little ‘good fat’
Fat phobia has been so deeply ingrained into the consciousnesses of most
people. It is important that the reasons why you should eat a little
good fat are clearly explained.
1.
A
zero fat or very low fat diet puts you into the starvation zone
Low
calories and skipping meals aren’t the only things that send you into
“survival mode.” When dietary fat intake is reduced to less than 10%
of total daily calories, this also sets off the starvation alarm.
2.
A
zero fat or very low fat diet causes large fluctuations in blood sugar
Fat
slows down the release of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. When large
amounts of simple and refined carbohydrates are eaten alone, they shoot
rapidly into the bloodstream, creating a large spike in blood sugar.
3.
A
zero fat or very low fat diet causes greater insulin release
When
your blood sugar spikes, your pancreas releases a lot of insulin to bring
blood sugar back down to normal. Moderate amounts of insulin are
necessary (and anabolic, don’t worry we are not talking steroids
here!). Large amounts of insulin are lipogenic (cause fat storage) and
anti-lipolyic (prevent fat release).
4.
A
zero fat or very low fat diet causes hormonally related hunger and
cravings
You
can have a willpower made of steel, but if you get hormonally induced
hunger, you won’t to be able to fight it. Whenever there’s an
unusually large blood sugar spike, it’s a law of nature that there
must be an equal or greater valley. This blood sugar valley, known as
hypoglycemia, is the cause of those intense, almost irresistible
cravings you face every time you find yourself in that kind of hormonal
state.
5.
A
zero or very low fat diet reduces testosterone
Low
dietary fat levels are correlated with low testosterone levels. For
someone trying to become leaner and more muscular, this spells disaster.
6.
A
zero or very low fat diet can be deficient in essential fatty
acids
Clinical
fatty acid deficiencies are rare, but if you intentionally try to remove
most of the fat from your diet, you could come up short of the
“optimal” levels. Essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency can impair
fat burning, reduce your energy and cause a whole host of other
problems.
Why
a high fat diet is ‘no good’
Even
though there are major differences in the various types of fats, you
should almost always keep your overall fat intake relatively low (30% or
less, preferably closer to 20%). There are eight primary reasons why:
1.
Fat
is more calorie dense than any other source of calories.
In
order to
lose body fat you have to eat fewer calories than you burn each
day. One problem with fats is they are more calorie dense than any other
food. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, while each gram of
carbohydrate or protein contains only 4 calories. Since each gram of fat
contains more than twice the calories, this means eating fat makes it
more likely that you’ll eat too many calories. Quite simply, a high
fat diet is a high calorie diet, and a high calorie diet is a fat
storing diet. There are differences between the various types of fats,
but ALL fats contain 9 calories per gram. So if you want to lose body
fat, you’ll need to reduce your total fats in general in order to keep
your calories down.
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