Monday, December 30, 2013

Which Are The Best Fats To Consume For A Healthy Diet

By Anthony Chet


What are healthy oils for my body? is a question that many people have found themselves asking lately. With the wide range of fats on the market, it's very difficult to know what is good and what is not. All sorts of claims are made about products and so it's easy to be confused. In general, however, the thing to remember is that it is usually best to consume oils that have been created naturally, rather than the ones resulting from chemical procedures.

Oil generally comes to your plate in two distinct forms: processed and unprocessed. The processed kind, like vegetable, sunflower, canola, rapeseed and others, were introduced around the 1900s. This was when chemical processes made it easy for them to be manufactured. The trouble is, these foods have to be altered with chemicals to get into a state that allows us to eat them.

Healthy fats are out there, and are usually those that have not been altered by chemicals in any way. These days there is no reason to eat processed foods or processed oil because of the wide range of non-processed fats out there. One such fat is olive oil, which has a high level of monounsaturated fat and low levels of polyunsaturated fat. When used in salads as a dressing, or in homemade mayo, it tastes very nice.

Those who have not used coconut oil before should give it a try. It contains levels of lauric acid and fatty acids that can be of great benefit to the body. This may go against conventional wisdom about fat, but not all of it is bad for you. We need some fats to give us energy, and coconut oil is one of the best because it can be used in place of sunflower or vegetable oil.

One thing that needs to be corrected is the role of meat in society. It has a bad reputation sometimes because of scandals and media coverage. The main problem is usually the way the animals are reared. Animals that are kept in a loving environment and cared for are less likely to end up diseased. Try eating animals that are free range and fed on things like grass.

One food that has been sorely misunderstood over the years is butter. Not only does it taste great, it is made by using natural processes. The soluble fat vitamins in it are excellent for the body, as are the levels of healthy saturated fats it contains. It also has compounds which are said to facilitate the absorption of nutrients to help prevent disease.

One thing that people have become more aware of is the need to buy organic produce. One of the best places to start is dairy products, thinks such as cheese and cream. These have been produced naturally and might well be high in saturated fat, but are usually better than their processed counterparts. Also remember that if you have cream with fruit, or cheese with tomatoes, you're having a healthier meal than if you have the dairy product alone.

If you've ever found yourself asking the question, 'what are healthy oils for my body?' then the answer is it depends on whether they are processed or not. Things like fish oils, as they are high in omega-3, are recommended, but try and get them from fresh fish. Palm oil and avocado oils are supposed to be good for you too so stock up on the guacamole.




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