Fat - the good, the bad, and the ugly

There are lots of different types of fat.  Your body actually makes its own fat when it gets too many calories.  Other fat comes from plants and animals and is called dietary fat.  Dietary fat, protein, and carbohydrates are called macronutrients.  They give our bodies energy.  Some vitamins even require fat to dissolve properly in our bodies.  The bottom line is we can’t eliminate all fat from our diet.  We should learn how to choose healthy types of dietary fat, enjoy them, and eat them in moderation.

The American Heart Association has the best presentation on fats.  You must go meet the Fats family Sat, Trans, Mon, and Poly for a unique way to look at fats.  So cute!

One more reason why I love the Flat Belly Diet:

Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) are polyunsaturated fats that the human body cannot produce, so they must be obtained from our diets. There are two groups of EFA’s; they are omega 3’s and omega 6’s.  A healthy diet contains a balance of omega 3 and omega 6.  If you eat a lot of meat and processed foods you could be consuming over 20 times more omega 6 than omega 3. This type of imbalance can lead to heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimers, diabetes, mood disorders, arthritis, osteoporosis, inflammation, and obesity.  Most diets don’t contain enough omega 3.  Consequently many people take fish oil supplements.  The Flat Belly Diet promotes a healthier balance between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.  This diet features nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, lots of fish, and very little red meat.