How 2 Lose Weight Fast
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Reduce fat in your diet is one of the best weight loss tip
In many countries including the
Simple ways to keep your fat intake to a healthy level:
* Grill, bake, steam or microwave food rather than frying it
* Use low-fat varieties of dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt
* Keep away from high-fat snacks such as crisps, biscuits, cakes and pastries
* Only use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk instead of whole milk
* Change to a low-fat spread instead of butter or margarine
* Eat more chicken, fish, and less red meat
* Buy lean cuts of meat and trim off excess fat
* Use polyunsaturated cooking oil (such as rapeseed) or monounsaturated cooking oil (such as olive oil
Do we need fat in our diet?
We all need some fat in our diet. It's an important source of get-up-and-go for a start, and helps your body to soak up the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. The fat you get from food is also a source of the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6, which are crucial for cell construction, particularly in your nervous system.
Fats are classified by their degree of saturation
Main types of fat are:
* saturated fat
* polyunsaturated fat
* monounsaturated fat
What is saturated fat?
Saturated fats are "saturated" as each fat molecule is totally enclosed in hydrogen atoms. Saturated fat is the most awful kind of fat, since it's known to raise dangerous risks to your health if you eat too much of it. In fact it increases your blood cholesterol level, which in turn can turn to heart disease.
Where is saturated fat found?
Meat, meat products, dairy products and coconut oil contain the maximum amount of saturated fat. The simple way for you to check whether a fat is saturated is to notice how hard it is at room temperature: saturated fats are usually hard at room temperature, while unsaturated fats are liquid. Many processed foods, such as cakes, biscuits, pastries and crisps, contain saturated fats.
What is polyunsaturated fat?
Polyunsaturated fats are not saturated with hydrogen atoms. In other words, there are a number of spaces around each fat molecule where hydrogen atoms could be attached. Polyunsaturated fat is generally beneficial to health. The polyunsaturated fats found in oily fish (known as omega-3 fatty acids) are particularly good for you. They help prevent heart disease by lowering your blood cholesterol level and may help to reduce the symptoms of arthritis and other joint problems.
Where is polyunsaturated found?
Good sources of polyunsaturated fats are oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, trout, herring and sardines, and soft, polyunsaturated spreads. Other sources include cooking oils like linseed, flaxseed and rapeseed, although it's not clear whether the omega-3 in these foods has the same health benefits as those found in oily fish.
Warning
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that women who are thinking of conceiving or are already pregnant should eat no more than two portions of oily fish per week. Oily fish may contain pollutants that can harm the development of unborn babies. It also recommends that women don't eat exotic fish like shark, swordfish or marlin while they are pregnant or trying to conceive, because these fish have high levels of naturally occurring mercury. Men, and women who aren't planning to have children, can safely eat up to four portions of oily fish a week.
What is monounsaturated fat?
Like polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats are not saturated with hydrogen atoms. As their name suggests, each fat molecule has space for one more hydrogen atom only. Like polyunsaturates, monounsaturated fats have an important role to play in reducing your risk of heart disease.
Where is monounsaturated found?
Monounsaturated fats are found in olives, olive oil, groundnut oil, nuts and avocados.
How much fat should we eat?
Fat contains nine calories per gram (kcal/g) - that's more than double the energy of carbohydrates (4kcal/g) or proteins (3.75kcal/g). And because they are less bulky than other food groups, it's all too easy to over-indulge.
What does this mean in no-nonsense terms?
If you eat 2,000 calories a day, 33 percent amounts to 74g of total fat. If your daily calorie intake is 1,500 calories, 33 percent amounts to 55g of total fat.
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 April 2010 13:18 |
