Fat
Fats: The name fat expresses possibility of making it sound like something you shouldn't eat. But it is not relevant, certain kinds of fat are actually good mandatory for your health. It is of great significance to have a certain amount of such fat in daily diets. Actually fats are more complex component in food an important part of a healthy diet difficult to analyze or understand. If a person does not take enough fats, his body is not well proportioned and lacks shape beauty. By taking too much fat also the body becomes too fat and ugly. Besides when we take too much fat, the organs like heart and kidneys have to work more and they are weakened. As an inducement we may say fat in food helps to make people feel satisfied, so they don't eat as much. But again not so relevant, most fats are pleasant-tasting and have too much without conscious volition and suffer afterwards.
Fat is an important element in balanced diet to be consumed skillfully. Apart from fueling the body it help absorb some vitamins. They also are the building blocks of hormones and they insulate nervous system tissue in the body. Skillfully you'll have to choose the right amount and the right type of fat. Fat is a kind of body tissue containing stored fatty acid that serves as a source of energy reserve; it also cushions and insulates vital organs. Fats are required by our body as a concentrated source of energy and for providing some essential soft greasy substance occurring in organic tissue a mixture of lipids for lubricating various types of activities and movements within our body. Fat acts an important energy source forming concentration of triglycerides an ester of glycerol and fatty acids that occurs naturally in tissues. It is a mixture oily organic compound insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents essential structural component of living cells normally found with proteins and carbohydrates.
How much fat should we eat? Dietary fat helps a kid's body to grow like it should develop. Experts say kids older than 2 should get about 30% of their daily calories from fat. Very young little kid needs 1/3 of their diet as fats so the brain and nervous system develop correctly. Persons who are overweight should completely avoid saturated fats. Persons who are doing hard physical work should take as much fats to fulfill their requirements for energy. At an average 25% of your daily calories can be of fats. You might have seen adverts for foods that say they're "low-fat" or "fat-free." Lower-fat diets have been recommended for health of adults and to help people lose weight. The daily requirement of fat is about 40 to 60 grams.
Types of Fat:
There are mainly two types of fats, Animal fats and Vegetable fats. Milk curd, cheese and ghee are animal fats. Sesamum, mustard, soya bean, olive, walnut, peanut, almond etc are vegetable fat. All types of oils and cakes are also fats. Cereals, pulses and vegetables also contain small quantity of fats. Fats can be classified into three main groups. Here are the three groups:
Trans fats: A fatty acid that has been produced by hydrogenating an unsaturated fatty acid and so changing its shape; found in processed foods such as margarine and fried foods and puddings and baked goods and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. All "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils contain trans fats. Eating too much trans fat can raise blood choleserol levels and increase the risk of heart attacks.
Saturated fats: These fats are found in meat and other animal products, such as butter, cheese, and all milk except skim. Saturated fats are also in palm and coconut oils, which are often used in baked goods. Like trans fats, saturated fats also can raise cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.
Unsaturated fats: These are found in plant foods and fish. These may be good for heart health. The best of the unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, albacore tuna, and salmon. Unsaturated fats especially Vegetable oil is rich sources of lecithin an amazing youth element.
Lecithin is a fatty food substance, which serves as a structural material for every cell membrane in the body. They are compounds composed of fatty acids and phosphoric acid and a nitrogenous base which is essential for the metabolism of fats. It is an essential constituent of the human brain and nervous system. Lecithin is also an important component of the endocrine glands and the muscles of the heart and kidneys. If several of the B vitamins are present in the food the cells of the body are capable of synthesizing lecithin as needed. Unrefined cereals serve lots of B vitamins. Egg yolk also is a rich source of lecithin, and a rich source of cholesterol. This combination makes it possible for the lecithin to emulsify the cholesterol.
In normal health, when a diet high in fat is taken, there is tremendous increase in the production of lecithin. This helps in changing the fat in the blood from large particles to smaller and smaller ones. The action of lecithin on the heart is the most important of all its proved benefits. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that tends to collect in the walls of the arteries and veins, thus narrowing them. This may eventually lead to a blood clot. Lecithin has the ability to break up cholesterol into small particles which can be easily dealt by the system.
Like cholesterol, lecithin is continuously produced in the liver, passes into the intestine with bile and is absorbed in the blood. It helps in the transportation of fats. It also helps the cells to remove fats and cholesterol from the blood and to utilize them. It increases the production of bile acids made from cholesterol, thereby reducing the amount in the blood. It will thus be seen that cholesterol can cause trouble only if lecithin is lacking in the system. It is an extremely important factor in the digestion and oxidation of fats, thus creating more muscle and glandular activity, resulting in greater body exertion and less fat accumulations.
Lecithin has a diverse function in life beyond explanation. Besides reducing the cholesterol level in the blood, there is mounting scientific evidence to suggest several other benefits from lecithin. If lecithin is given to people before a fatty meal, it has been found that the fats in the blood return to normal in a short time. Lecithin has been suggested as a sexual aid. Seminal fluid is rich in lecithin. Its use is also considered valuable in minimizing pre-menstrual and menopausal tension.
The best way to increase lecithin is to have the required amount of fat as usual, but avoid animal fat. Oil may be used for cooking, seasoning and salad dressing. All hydrogenated fats should be avoided as also foods prepared with them. If you're getting most of your fat from foods that are low in fats and sodium and other ingredients that may foster heart disease like heart-healthy oils or having patience in reading this article, you've already on the right track.