Has the truth about healthy saturated fat changed over the years? It is becoming increasingly difficult to hang onto the old paradigm that fat, especially saturated fats, are bad. There are too many amazing weight loss results, increased energy and improvement in the lives of those with various conditions overall, all while eating saturated fat.
What is the Actual Truth about Healthy Saturated Fat?
Healthy Fat Helps Maintain Trillions of Your Cell Membranes.
Fatty membranes, allow for nutrients to come into the cell and toxic waste to move out. This fat is needed in order to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamins, A, D, E & K. Vitamin A is necessary for eye Health, D for strengthening your immune system and bone health, vitamin E, is a powerful antioxidant and vitamin K protects blood vessels from damage and prevents calcium buildup in the arteries. When you have inflammation and unhealthy cell membranes, these biological processes are crippled.
Healthy Fat, Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease.
Healthy dietary fat also helps to regulate your blood sugar by slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates, which spike blood sugar leading to fat storage. Fats are absorbed more slowly, so they provide steady energy long after a meal. Often times, when clients tell us that they’re hungry shortly after their meals, one of the first questions we ask is, are you eating your fat?
Healthy Fat Is Needed to Store Energy.
Our bodies actually store food in the form of fat as a long-term fuel storage system. This way, in times of famine, the body can use that fat as an energy source.
Healthy Fat is necessary for the transportation of cholesterol.
We have demonized cholesterol to the point where just the word itself brings a negative image to peoples’ minds. However, it is vital to the body. Fats are like little cars that transport cholesterol from the liver to various tissues needed for cell repair, proper nerve function, and the production of steroid hormones, which includes our sex hormones.
Healthy Fat Maintains your Brain and Mental Health.
Your brain is primarily one big blob of fat. The fats in the brain help with nerve cell conduction and the release of neurotransmitters. They play a critical role. A deficiency in DHA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid, results in decreased cognition and creates learning deficits. It also plays a role in anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and other brain related conditions. Fats are essential for brain health, and you need to eat healthy fat in order to maintain it – that includes saturated fat.
Healthy Fat provides protection against toxins.
Our body is always about survival. Toxins accumulate in our blood. The body can protect us by storing them in fat tissue until they can be broken down and excreted from the body. This is a major advantage of grass-fed and finished meats and pastured animals. These animals have not been exposed to hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides. Those toxins accumulate in the fat of the animal, which ends up on your plate.
Healthy fat is also important to maintain healthy skin and hair. It also is critical in maintaining the gut barrier. This protects against leaky gut that is associated with a wide range of chronic, inflammatory diseases. Healthy fat also safeguards us from autoimmune diseases of all kinds.
Everything you read and hear isn’t the Truth about Healthy Saturated Fat.
That is especially true today. Take the time to ask questions and seek out other opinions before you just trust one source… including us. You have but one life and one body, so do your part to take care of it to the best of your ability.