Essential Fat vs Unessential Fat

All Star Health has an tab under ‘Vitamins & Supplements’ titled ‘Essential Fats,’ but what makes a fat good or bad for you? 

Naturally we associate fat with weight gain, because the excess weight on our bodies is indeed fat. However, I just want to make sure everyone realizes that the fat on our bodies can be formed from over eating of carbs and protein too. The danger with a high fat diet is that each gram of fat contains 9 calories (more than carbs and protein combined!) so you can’t consume as much of it.

Now let’s take a look at what makes fat ‘essential.’ To be an essential nutrient means it is something that the body cannot produce on its own: there is no combination that the body can make to produce essential nutrients. So your body can only get essential fatty acids like linolenic and linoleic acid that are used as Omega 3 and Omega 6 by consumption. These fatty acids are always being studied for their benefits with eyesight, brain activity, and heart disease. Supplements are a great way to incorporate this into your diet so that you don’t have to consume as many excess calories.

Even though there is an overwhelming number of fatty acid supplements, the AllStarHealth website helps guide you to exactly what you want. One popular supplement is the Omega 3-6-9 because it covers even more than fish oil, which is another common supplement. If you prefer to not take supplements, a great way to get fatty acids is by replacing your old oils with Omega 3 rich oils such as Hemp Oil or Flax Seed Oil.

On the flip side, unessential fats are those that your body can create on its own; excess nutrients gets stored as fat. One type of fat to stay away from is trans-fat. Not only does it raise cholesterol levels like other fats, but it also depletes HDL (good cholesterol) that helps prevent heart disease. Really just start paying attention to the fats that are in the food you eat. Either way, do not over consume fat, but in the fats that you consume make mono- and poly-saturated fats at the top of the list.

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