Practical Weight Loss Tips – Good Fats, Bad Fats, No Fat – What Is Best For Losing Weight?

When it comes to weight loss, fat may be the enemy, but fats are not. The truth is, a no fat diet will seriously harm your health. In fact, we need good fats daily to maintain health as well as to feel full and satisfied. The list of health benefits of good fats is a long one; here are just the highlights:

• regulation of hormones
• brain and nervous system activity and health
• function of all organs
• digestion system health
• immune system health

Illnesses and health conditions related to lack of essential fats in our diets or where research strongly suggests links include: behavioural and mood disorders including depression and ADHD; asthma; several forms of cancer; diabetes, heart disease and stroke as well as obesity.

For Weight Loss, Avoid These Bad Fats

The worst of the bad fats are hydrogenated fats, also known as trans-fatty acids, TFAs or trans fats. When you find them listed on food labels, leave that food in the store. Trans fats raise levels of bad cholesterol, leading to clogged arteries, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. You body can’t process trans fats (on the molecular level, they are actually closer to plastic than to any nutrient) and so treats it as a toxin, to be stored in you fat cells.

Eating trans fats also causes food cravings – for the good fats your body must have. To cut out hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils in what you eat, avoid margarine and shortening as well as crackers, chips, pretzels, cookies, popcorn and many “low fat” and “fat free” snacks and convenience foods. Cereals and cereal bars are on this list, as you’ll find when you scrutinise food labels.

To Lose Weight, Eat These Good Fats Daily

Look for Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), the good fats. There are two kinds, Omega-3 and Omega-6. They are in meats, grains, cooking oils – particularly corn, safflower and sunflower oils – leafy green veg, oily fish (salmon, for example), walnuts and eggs.

Coconut oil is a star among good fats. It contains saturated fat, but no trans fat. It also has lauric acid, which has antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties, and is thought to help prevent heart disease, boost the immune system, speed up your metabolism, and actually help to burn fat and increase energy. This has led researchers to call coconut oil the healthiest oil you can eat. If you cook with fat, only use a quality coconut oil, butter (organic is best), or olive oil (unfiltered, extra virgin, and preferably organic).

Always put the fat in a cold pan and gradually increase the heat. Olive oil has the extra benefit of being rich in antioxidants, but it loses its benefits at high heat, so don’t use if for frying. When it hasn’t been filtered it will appear cloudy and will be golden yellow, because it was made from olives that were fully ripened on the tree. Olive oil is delicious in salad dressings, as are flaxseed oil, cod liver oil or fish oil. You can also add these good oils to cooked vegetables.

Once you open them, they should be stored in the fridge to keep them from going rancid. It can be difficult to rid your kitchen of bad fats and get enough good fats into your meals; but it is essential for steady weight loss and to reach and maintain your ideal weight. To be sure you are getting enough essential good fat, and you can’t (or prefer not to) eat the foods rich in good fats, you might want to take a supplement daily – the one you want is Omega-3.

Find a healthy eating plan you can stick with that helps you eat less while keeping you satisfied and insures you get vital nutrients such as good fats. You will lose weight and keep it off and you will gain the energy and vitality you need to confront the challenges in your life and enjoy every day more fully.

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