5. Disease Risk Reduction
There are no good or bad fats when they are part of one’s balanced diet.
Mono and polyunsaturated fats are usually seen as “good” fats. They are found in foods like cold water fish and olives. Saturated fats have gotten to be known as the “bad” fats in foods. Coconut oil has been touted as a good fat for cooking and overall health but yet it is a saturated fat.
The easy way to identify an unsaturated fat is the property that they are a liquid at room temperature. Both kinds, mono and poly, have heart healthy benefits. Monounsaturated fats help reduce the LDL (the “bad” kind of cholesterol) levels and in turn reduces the risk of heart disease and strokes. Polyunsaturated fats also help keep your heart healthy and aids in blood clotting and cell membrane building in the brain.
Saturated fats contain fatty acids that have anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties and can help to kill bacteria.
6. Liver Health
Fatty liver syndrome can occur when there is a disruption of the metabolism of fat. When this happens, fat deposits on the liver, causing steatosis, or fat being trapped in the cells of the liver. This can lead to many problems, like diabetes. By digesting some fat, specifically saturated fats, will get the cells of the liver processing the fat again. It can also reverse the condition and possibly repair any damage from either the steatosis or damage from medication or alcohol.
7. Reduce inflammation
No one likes inflammation. It is helpful to identify an injury, but it can also make conditions like asthma or arthritis flare up or produce more pain.
Blame the leukotrienes. They are the components that contribute to inflammation. That inflammation acts like an alarm system for the body to come and repair itself. Monounsaturated fats get in the way of leukotriene production and reduced the body’s inflammation in the process. The best monounsaturated fat for this task is the omega-3, found in fish oil, among other oils.
8. More Muscle
Isn’t that the main point of training? By working out, the goal is to define the muscles and eliminate the excess fat from the body. Logically, a lean diet will help since you wouldn’t be adding additional fat in the food that you are eating.
A lean diet is important, but it should include some fat as well. It will help build muscles by giving you the energy needed for an efficient workout, but it will also help balance hormones in the body that will aid in recovery and reduction of inflammation.
So what do I do?
Adding fat to your protein shakes is quite easy. It could be as simple as adding some coconut oil or butter, but if you add peanut butter (or any other nut butter), it will add additional flavor as well. There are even oil powders for sale that make incorporating them into the shake much easier and less clumps. Be creative with what you add, but add fat with the knowledge that there are benefits that will help keep you healthy and aid in your training.
To find out how much fat you need to consume, check out this article about working out your macros.
