I write a lot about weight loss and fat loss and how these contribute to wellness. You’ve to remember, however, that fat isn’t a villain. It’s an important nutrient for the health of your body and shouldn’t be ignored or disdained. The six dietary elements necessary to the health of the body are carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.
Nutritional factor
Of these, fats, protein, and minerals are utilized to build the various components and systems of the body. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are the sources of energy to your body. One of the primary functions you normally know of is that fat is a significant source of energy stored within the body. While carbs and protein are also sources of energy, they’re not as effective as fat.
While fat supplies approximately nine calories per gram, carbohydrates and protein only provide about 4 calories per gram. Carbohydrates are typically stored in the body as glycogen, a form of sugar found in the liver and muscles. While some glycogen is stored to provide quick energy, roughly four pounds of water need to support 1 pound of glycogen which makes it not quite desirable or effective as a stored energy source.
Movement
While continuing physical activity is very good for weight loss, many people put the pedal to the metal and try to go as quickly as they can whether they’re running, walking, swimming, or doing aerobics. Unfortunately, activities like these when performed at high intensity levels often deplete the body’s stores of glycogen . Since the activity can’t normally be sustained, the majority of the energy consumed comes from the glycogen stores.
A slower version of the identical exercise, done over a longer period of time (a 45 minute walk versus a 10 minute jog, as an instance ) will not trigger the release of the body’s glycogen stores, however, as energy is necessary, will cause the breakdown of fat for use as a power resource.
Protein
While protein is also a possible source of energy, your body can’t store protein per se. The protein “stored” on the body is in use in the kind of muscle or other tissue. Actually, protein is used to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the component of red blood cells that carries oxygen to every part of the body. If the body needs protein for energy, it must start breaking down an existing structure, like a muscle. Hmm! The heart and diaphragm are muscles are not they? If you would like to eliminate weight, among the most essential items in your arsenal may be a fantastic arrangement of lean muscle mass.
Muscle tends to burn off more calories than fat. Also, when you’ve built good muscles with a great deal of lean muscle mass, you’re more likely to be active, burning more calories. If, however, you limit your intake of fat to exceptionally low levels, your body may start breaking down existing muscle tissue to supply its energy needs. This implies less lean muscle mass, fewer calories burned at rest, and not as much strength and willingness or ability to take part in calorie burning activities. The main point is that, as stored energy, your body can’t find anything better than fat.
Remember
Besides this energy support, fat also has a few other benefits for the human body. Besides being a source of energy, some kinds of fat, known as fatty acids, are among the building blocks of the cell membranes that surround every cell in the body. The way the cell responds to hormones, participates in the supply of nutrients and disposal of waste depends on the health and integrity of the cell membranes.
Fat helps to keep your skin essentially watertight and suitably moist, and is extremely valuable to your nerves, helping them in the speedy transmission of signs. Fat is also critical for certain hormones, called eicosanoids. These are critical for a variety of functions regulating events like inflammation, blood pressure and clotting, and labour. A little known truth is that an animal that’s lacking proper levels of fat can’t go into labor.
Take note
Without going into a significant discussion of vitamins, you should remember that some vitamins, such as vitamin A and vitamin E, need fat for proper absorption and use by your body. While fat has been generally touted for several years as a contributing element in high cholesterol, studies have been emerging showing that there are great types of cholesterol (HDL) and bad types of cholesterol (LDL). Some types of fat (polyunsaturated fats) actually enhance the amount of these decent kinds of cholesterol, some raise the cholesterol and good cholesterol (saturated fats), and a few (monounsaturated fats) have a relatively neutral effect.
These are normally solid at room temperature. Found mostly in meat and dairy products, some vegetable oils, such as coconut and palm oils (tropical oils) and butter (rather than margarine). These are mostly from plant sources such as: safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, and cottonseed. These fats include both animal and plant products, such as olive oil, canola oil, and olive oil. Some plants, like avocados, are also sources of monounsaturated fats. Let’s remember this about fats generally.
Final note
Like nearly everything in life, too much is bad and too little is bad. Take in an excessive amount of fat and you might have problems with cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Take in too small, and you might have problems with dry skin, immune system issues and decreased disease resistance, menstrual difficulties, loss of muscle mass, and retardation of children’s growth.