The Real Truth about Saturated Fats
Everyone knows that adhering to a proper diet is one of the most important factors in maintaining a strong, healthy and well-toned body. If you want to lose that bulging belly and work your way to having six pack abs, you will have to be very particular about what you eat to go along with regular exercise. Unfortunately, for some people, it is quite difficult to determine exactly what kind of diet is good for them. False advertising and prevailing misconceptions about what kinds of food to eat and avoid can make the whole decision phase a lot harder to deal with.
To be successful in attaining the perfect figure with six pack abs and toned limbs, it is wise to pick out the facts from the myths first. One of the most common misconceptions is that of the harmful effects of saturated fats on the human body. Up to this time, many people still falsely think that this is a strong fact. This was started with a study conducted by Ancel Keys in the 1950s, which declared that high levels of fat in the diet are linked to a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease.
While this conclusion may have some degree of truth in it, it was still wrong in declaring that all types of fat are harmful. Keys’ study specifically caused an inaccurate perception on saturated fat which is in fact not harmful, unlike trans fats. Trans fats are unsaturated fats found in processed foods like cookies, doughnuts and chips. These cause the bad cholesterol known as low-density lipoproteins (LDL) to rise, while the good cholesterol or high-density lipoproteins (HDL) plummet in amount. On the other hand, saturated fats that are found in meat, coconuts and dairy products have an opposite effect. This means that there is no reason for you to avoid foods with saturated fats.
Another imperfection in Keys’ study was the limited focus on fat intake as a primary cause of heart disease. Other factors such as stress, smoking habits, lack of exercise and genetics were not taken into account, making the conclusion biased at some point. This was proven by the more recent studies that followed, all of which found no distinct correlation between dietary fat intake and occurrence of heart disease. Lifestyle factors actually have a heavier weight in determining the risk of developing heart problems, which are oftentimes linked to saturated fat intake.
Certain types of saturated fat, in fact, are actually beneficial to the human body. For instance, the stearic acid found in animal meat products is broken down into oleic acid, which promotes normal function of the heart. Without this, the heart may be devoid of essential nutrients vital to healthy performance. Another example is the lauric acid found in coconuts; this causes the HDL levels to rise in the blood, while boosting the immune system to help fight free radicals and disease-causing microorganisms. Saturated fats, therefore, have an indirect effect to optimize health.
If you have been thinking about adopting the Atkins regimen, you might want to double back and reconsider the effects of avoiding the healthy kinds of fats. There are already plenty of evidences showing that you will have nothing to lose—and even have something healthy to gain—when you include saturated fats in your diet. These fats are neutral substances, and taking in some of them is not as bad as most people think it is.
Even if achieving a perfect body shape with fantastic six pack abs is your main goal, it is still important to remember to take good care of your internal body system. So keep your heart, immune system and other essential parts healthy by eating right and exercising frequently without putting too much stress on your body.
